No 2 QB System -- Sipple Article

[Hawkeyehusker]

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2007/0...84988513882.txt

 

No two-quarterback system at Nebraska, but other Big 12 schools have QB battles

 

By STEVEN M. SIPPLE / The Associated Press

Tuesday, Apr 17, 2007 - 12:52:03 am CDT

 

Quarterback Sam Keller drops back during the annual Husker Red-White game on April 14, 2007. Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan said that Nebraska will not use a two-quarterback system. Nebraska isn't the only Big 12 team that has a quarterback battle during spring practices. (Michael Paulsen)

 

So, Sam Keller or Joe Ganz?

 

Joe Ganz or Sam Keller?

 

Some people say it’s all a charade, this alleged Nebraska quarterback “competition.” Although skeptics insist Keller clearly is the man, we probably won’t know for sure until about three weeks into preseason camp in August. Husker coach Bill Callahan said Monday he wants to see how well his quarterbacks hold up as pressure mounts in August and they get a few scrimmages under their belts.

 

One thing is for certain: Callahan won’t use a two-quarterback rotation in games. He doesn’t believe in such nonsense (my word, not his).

 

“I’ve seen a lot of people do it and do it effectively,” Callahan said Monday. However, “I’ve always been a one-quarterback guy because of the fact we put so much on our quarterback, and it’s important that they get the majority of the reps in practice. I really like to get our top guy 85 to 90 percent of the reps (during game-week practices), so they’re well-prepared come game day.”

 

That means the Husker backup gets mostly “mental reps” during game weeks.

 

In short, Callahan’s rather complex system dictates a one-quarterback approach, especially considering time constraints in the college game.

 

Throughout the Big 12 Conference, coaches’ level of trust in a rotating-quarterbacks system varies.

 

For instance, Texas’ Mack Brown strongly favors having one quarterback above the fray, perhaps mindful of the headaches that rotating QBs caused him in recent years.

 

Kansas’ Mark Mangino prefers having one guy at the reins, but is open to rotating two.

 

Oklahoma State appears set to rotate two QBs in 2007 — Brown’s opinion be darned.

 

“The old adage of coaches is, if you have two quarterbacks who are playing, then you don’t have a starter . ... Then you’ve got two backups,” Brown said.

 

Another old adage, with a twist: Different strokes for different ’Pokes.

 

The Oklahoma State Cowboys might come to Lincoln in mid-October and try to prevail using both Bobby Reid and Zac Robinson.

 

“I think they’ll both play in every game,” OSU associate head coach Joe DeForest said. “There’s no doubt about it. I think they’ll each have something they can bring to the game, and having them both in games is going to give a lot of people problems.”

 

Reid, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior, rocked Nebraska last season using his arm and legs. He enjoyed a stellar season. However, the 6-3, 205-pound Robinson, a sophomore, “really matured a lot this spring and really took the offense under his belt,” DeForest said.

 

At this point, it’s difficult to say for sure if any other Big 12 teams will rotate quarterbacks in 2007.

 

However, it’s safe to say five teams are set to stick with returning starters: Senior Bret Meyer at Iowa State, sophomore Josh Freeman at Kansas State, junior Chase Daniel at Missouri, junior Stephen McGee at Texas A&M and sophomore Colt McCoy at Texas.

 

Colorado returns a starting quarterback in dual-threat senior Bernard Jackson, but second-year coach Dan Hawkins went through spring drills using mostly redshirt freshman Cody Hawkins (the coach’s son) and junior college transfer Nick Nelson. The younger Hawkins reportedly has the inside track on the starting job.

 

Kansas returns eight-game starter Kerry Meier, but he was pushed throughout the spring by fellow sophomore Todd Reesing, who played in three games last season and led a comeback win against Colorado.

 

Mangino hopes someone emerges as a clear-cut starter in August.

 

“I think that’s the way it’ll play out,” the coach said. “If it doesn’t for some reason, I feel like a lot of teams have proven you can win with rotating quarterbacks. Case in point is Florida.”

 

Ah, the national champion, which threw a Chris Leak-Tim Tebow change-up at defenses.

 

“The good news is, we feel for the first time in a long time — maybe since we’ve been here — that if something would happen to one (of our quarterbacks), we feel like a quality quarterback is going to come into the game,” said Mangino, the fifth-year KU coach.

 

In the Big 12 South, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is shaking things up some (surprise!). His returning starter, Graham Harrell, threw for a mere 4,555 yards and 38 touchdowns last season. But redshirt freshman Taylor Potts was on Harrell’s tail throughout the spring and made a case to take over the job.

 

Oklahoma, meanwhile, faces arguably the most concerning QB conundrum of any team in the league. The Sooners will head into August with three untested players vying for the starting job, and there exists no headliners among the three: redshirt freshman Sam Bradford, true freshman Keith Nichol and junior Joey Halzle.

 

So, August figures to get awfully interesting in Norman, not to mention Lincoln.

 

It appears Nebraska is set to have at least two capable quarterbacks in 2007.

 

But a two-QB rotation? Not as long as Callahan’s in charge.

[hastingshusker]

Anyone else think its ironic the coaches son is the presumed favorite? LAME!!!

[Always a husker]

I wonder if hes worse than Bernard Jackson?

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

Keller is so good it he makes it look easy. At the Spring game you see a player start to break open and "bam" Keller gets the ball there. He will be fun to watch this Fall.

[gamecocks]

Sean Callahan was in Hastings this evening talking about the Spring game and the recruiting class and one of the questions that the crowd asked him was the comparisons on the quarterbacks. His statement was "Ganz is a good quarterback that would probally lead Nebraska to a Big 12 title, but Keller is the type of quarterback that can a take them to a higher level."

[Drowning_in_the_Sea_of_Red]

How many more days until September??

[tattooedhusker]

too many...way too many