Keller still up front for Nebraska

[HuskerfaninOkieland]

Husker Extra

 

Injured QB Keller still up front for Nebraska

By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star

Thursday, Nov 15, 2007 - 12:12:17 am CST

He was on your televisions again, still the chatterbox, still looking like the guy who always gets the girl.

 

If you thought a season-ending collarbone injury was going to make Sam Keller forget about Nebraska football and disappear, time to admit your mistake.

 

It was Keller, a week after laying in pain on the Texas turf, that was at the front of the line to slap Joe Ganz on the back after his first touchdown against Kansas.

 

The quarterback wasn’t about to hide then and he didn’t hide Tuesday, appearing before the cameras on NET’s “Big Red Wrap-up” to speak about his situation and the state of Husker football.

 

“I think over the years, I’ve developed thick skin. I’m not a stranger to adversity. There’s just a way you have to handle it,” Keller said on the show. “Sometimes things are out of your control and you just have to keep grinding.”

 

The pain is gone, he said, 2½ weeks after going down in the late minutes of a 28-25 loss to Texas.

 

Keller’s goal now is to be ready to play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 19. He hopes he’ll be able to throw a football in about 5½ weeks.

 

The senior transfer came into this season with incredible hype, much of it built around his success at Arizona State.

 

His charm and cowboy way seemed to win the favor of many fans and media members before a game was even played.

 

Little did everyone know that Keller was walking into one of the worst seasons in modern Husker history. The defense couldn’t stop anything. The offense sometimes seemed to be pressing in an effort to make up for the defense. An inconsistent running game didn’t help matters.

 

Keller saved the day in a 41-40 win over Ball State, but admittedly had some “sluggish games” against Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M during the heart of the Big 12 season.

 

Over those three weeks, the Huskers averaged just 11.3 points a game.

 

Still, he always remained the mouthpiece of the team, the guy who stood at the podium and tried to explain a loss with a 41-6 score attached to it.

 

Despite a 4-5 record as a starter here, he was on pace to break the school record for passing yards in a season. He threw for 2,422 yards and 14 scores, completing 63.1 percent of his throws.

 

Keller said he will leave Nebraska as a “more well-rounded quarterback and more well-rounded person.”

 

He expressed love for his teammates, who will try to get a sixth win and earn a bowl bid on Nov. 23 against Colorado.

 

“It’s just been special. Everything that has come out of it has been positive, that I really can take to the future,” Keller said. “I’m really going to look back at my time here with fondness. It’s never a bad decision to come to a place like Nebraska.”

 

Since Keller’s injury, junior quarterback Joe Ganz has emerged as Nebraska’s new idol.

 

You could find Ganz signing the autographs in the final minutes of Saturday’s 73-31 win over Kansas State. Such are the spoils to being the Husker quarterback on a day when you’ve thrown for 510 yards and seven touchdowns.

 

Of course, Ganz’s two games of success have prompted the expected debate amongst fans about whether Ganz should have been the starter all along.

 

Husker coach Bill Callahan indirectly gave his answer to that question during Monday’s Big 12 coaches teleconference.

 

“There’s no way to say with any certainty that Joe would have had the same success earlier in the year, because Sam had some dropped balls and some inexact protections at times, and those are tough things,” Callahan said.

 

The coach noted that Nebraska’s struggles on defense often took the offense out of its game plan.

 

“We were in a catch-up mode in a lot of instances, which kind of altered what we wanted to do,” he said. “So I thought we could even be better, had we just had some consistency throughout the course of the season on defense.”

 

Callahan awarded the starting job to Keller less than two weeks before the season opener, deeming it a close race.

 

On Tuesday, Keller talked about exactly how close that race was.

 

“I came here and I do things good, but I had to learn that system. Joey is a master at that system, a complete master,” Keller said. “He showed you what this offense is capable of. He shows you how good of a coach Callahan is and how hard him and (offensive coordinator Shawn) Watson work to put together these game plans.

 

“That’s why I came here, was to play for this system. I battled hard and won it. It was an honor. And I played hard and tried to do the best I could, but the race really was that close, because Joey is a fantastic quarterback.”

 

Keller was very complimentary of Callahan, who has been hammered with scrutiny throughout this 5-6 season.

 

“He cares so much,” Keller said. “The way I see Coach Callahan, I have so much respect for him, and what he does and how hard he works, and the opportunity that he extended to me to come play for him.

 

“He’s made me a better quarterback, and I think for that matter, a better person. Because I think sometimes they go hand-in-hand, honest to God.”

 

[NPhusker]

Keller really is a good guy, and i wish we had him for another year. But then again i am really glad we have Ganz for next year also.

 

Also I think we need to quit bashing Callahan so much. Eventhough Callahan deserves a lot of what he gets for the comments he has made off the field and in press conferences, i think a lot of the players like him and atleast he isnt an a-hole to all the players(exception- Zac Bowman).

 

But having said that i dont think these players actually know what it is to love their coaches. I am sure the players like their coaches a lot and have a lot of respect for them, but TO's players would have taken a bullet for that man. I highly doubt you can say any of these players would risk their lives much less run through wall for these coaches.

[Touchdown Tommie]

It is hard to compare the players TO had and who BC has now. The times were completely different. I truly believe that the players probably love BC. He gave them the opportunity to play D-1 football at NEBRASKA. Now, did BC use these guys to the best, that is a great argument, but there comes a time when the players need to step up as well.

I think it is time for BC to move on since he refuses to do anything about the defense and has made some pretty poor decisions. It seems for the most part the kids respect him.....OR he has taught them well on how to speak to the media. Instead of the coach speak, it is player speak!

I wish Sam the best of luck and I hope he gets a fair shake for the NFL.