Joe Ganz

[np_husker]

Tom Shatel: Ganz exits the shadows

BY TOM SHATEL

WORLD-HERALD COLUMNIST

 

LINCOLN — Joe Ganz was not unlike many kids of his generation. If it was an autumn Saturday, he was watching college football on TV. In the mid '90s, that meant he was watching Nebraska.

 

After the game, Ganz would bolt for the backyard, put on his imaginary No. 15 jersey. He would survey the defense, call the audible. Take the snap. Run to the right. Fake the pitch. Gallop to daylight. Touchdown, Tommie Frazier.

 

Ganz grew up in suburban Chicago wanting to be Tommie Frazier.

 

How could he have ever guessed that his career might turn out more like Brook Berringer's?

 

The late, great Berringer once waited, anonymously, in Frazier's shadow. Then he answered the bell heroically when called upon. For more than 12 years, Berringer has been the standard of patience, hard work and humility.

 

Now here comes Joe.

 

In nine days, he enters the 2008 season as Nebraska's starting quarterback. Finally, the coast is clear. There's no Josh Freeman or Sam Keller to fall out of the sky and onto his dream. Finally, the Joe Ganz story unfolds.

 

Who is Joe Ganz? On paper, he might be the 10th-best quarterback in the Big 12. But he already leads the league in perseverance.

 

Patience is hard to find these days. We are a society that has to have it now. We jabber on cell phones while driving. We send instant texts. How many of our kids quit or change a sport because they aren't playing? How many parents threaten the coach?

 

How many of us get passed over and over for the promotion and decide to leave, if we can afford to?

 

Ganz could have left Nebraska. But he never did.

 

He got here in 2004, coach Bill Callahan's first year. He wasn't exactly a guy a lot of Division I schools fawned over. But he had hope. There weren't a lot of quarterbacks at NU in 2004. And the leader, Joe Dailey, left after the season.

 

But one by one, they came. Zac Taylor transferred in. Recruiting superstars Harrison Beck and Josh Freeman looked like the future. When Freeman changed his mind and Beck left, it looked like Ganz would get his turn in 2007. Then Keller showed up.

 

Finally, everyone had left except one guy.

 

Joe Ganz.

 

Why?

 

"I don't know," Ganz said after practice on Wednesday, as if wondering why himself.

 

"It was tough," he said. "In my own mind, I had thoughts about leaving, because it was killing me to sit. But I really wanted to play here. I knew I didn't have it that bad here. I really wanted to play. Once you experience this here, you really want to play for these fans and this tradition.

 

"I would have been kicking myself if I had transferred to a Division I-AA school, because I knew I could start here."

 

Why does a young man hold onto that sliver of hope? Maybe it's because that's how you are brought up. Ganz said his father, Mike, was a "big-time UPS guy," who retired in his 40s when the stock split. There's a lesson there about the rewards of hard work.

 

"Joe was brought up by a family that taught him the right life lessons," said NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. "Life is a process. There's no easy answers. You've got to find the right answers through hard work."

 

There are two kinds of quarterbacks — those who look like quarterbacks and those who play like quarterbacks. Ganz is definitely the latter. He's one of those proverbial "intangible" guys. He could be named a team captain.

 

But is Ganz, a senior, more than just a solid role model? He says yes. Ask Ganz about Freeman and Beck and he says, "I wanted to wait and get them on the field. I knew I could play here."

 

Last fall, when the coaches said Keller and Ganz were virtually tied, a lot of folks smirked. Then when Keller went down at Texas, we saw Ganz play the last three games. And some folks said, "This guy should have played all along."

 

Now, with a new coach and a defense that is reloading, Ganz can show us what he's got. Finally.

 

"My parents always taught me to be a man of my word," Ganz said. "Once I was committed here, I was here. It crossed my mind to go somewhere else and just get on with life. But when it came down to it, I realized that I wanted to be here."

 

Why did he stay? Maybe because he didn't want that kid in the Frazier jersey to spend the rest of his life in that backyard.

 

"Me and my dad always watched Nebraska games," Ganz said. "Frazier was my favorite. That's who I was in the backyard. Then (Scott) Frost and (Eric) Crouch, watching all those guys growing up.

 

"I know who has walked on this field before me, and I know how I should play. I want to make my own history here. It's pretty cool just to be one of them now, knowing that some kid could look up to me one day."

 

He already should.

 

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1921

[bbhusker]

Awsome. Tear'em up Joe!

[benjibean1]

The more i read on this guy the more and more that i like him everyday.

 

I would only hope that he can just be another great player in the Nebraska History.

[huskernumerouno]

What a great story. I just hope he can write the last chapter in this book and have a great year

[Apathy]

The more i read on this guy the more and more that i like him everyday.

 

I would only hope that he can just be another great player in the Nebraska History.

No sh#t. The more I read up on him makes me think more one on why the Hell did we need to pick up Keller???

 

IMO I thought that Ganz was a better QB last year than Keller. Keller would just suffocate while in the pocket where Ganz would take off running.

[BOBELIEVER]

The more i read on this guy the more and more that i like him everyday.

 

I would only hope that he can just be another great player in the Nebraska History.

No sh#t. The more I read up on him makes me think more one on why the Hell did we need to pick up Keller???

 

IMO I thought that Ganz was a better QB last year than Keller. Keller would just suffocate while in the pocket where Ganz would take off running.

 

"we" didn't need to "pick up" Keller .... hillBillie Callahan needed to pick him up because of Keller's dad and hillbillie's relationship

 

that's how stupid that "coach" was... he chose his buddie's kid over the better QB and he chose his buddy Cosgrove over Nebraska football

 

remember how everyone thought Keller was gonna be the man ? I know i did ... well i think part of that was because he's such a smooth talker and the media really liked him... i think the media helped build him up and lead us on.... the guy had concrete in his shoes so he could never make a play happen himself by moving out of the pocket, so just about every play he would dump it off for the "safe" five yard pass ... plus that strong arm he had was highly overrated

 

I'm so happy for Ganz and I'm very confident in him... don't know if I'm as confident as he is but i think that's definitely a good thing !

[np_husker]

The more i read on this guy the more and more that i like him everyday.

 

I would only hope that he can just be another great player in the Nebraska History.

No sh#t. The more I read up on him makes me think more one on why the Hell did we need to pick up Keller???

 

IMO I thought that Ganz was a better QB last year than Keller. Keller would just suffocate while in the pocket where Ganz would take off running.

 

"we" didn't need to "pick up" Keller .... hillBillie Callahan needed to pick him up because of Keller's dad and hillbillie's relationship

 

that's how stupid that "coach" was... he chose his buddie's kid over the better QB and he chose his buddy Cosgrove over Nebraska football

 

remember how everyone thought Keller was gonna be the man ? I know i did ... well i think part of that was because he's such a smooth talker and the media really liked him... i think the media helped build him up and lead us on.... the guy had concrete in his shoes so he could never make a play happen himself by moving out of the pocket, so just about every play he would dump it off for the "safe" five yard pass ... plus that strong arm he had was highly overrated

 

I'm so happy for Ganz and I'm very confident in him... don't know if I'm as confident as he is but i think that's definitely a good thing !

 

I agree with you, but it wasn't Keller's fault. I still like the guy and want to see him do well in whatever he ends up doing.

 

I think with Callahan it came down to never wanting to use the players he had, he always thought there was something better down the road. I will always believe that a different coach would have produced better reults with the same players.

[BOBELIEVER]

The more i read on this guy the more and more that i like him everyday.

 

I would only hope that he can just be another great player in the Nebraska History.

No sh#t. The more I read up on him makes me think more one on why the Hell did we need to pick up Keller???

 

IMO I thought that Ganz was a better QB last year than Keller. Keller would just suffocate while in the pocket where Ganz would take off running.

 

"we" didn't need to "pick up" Keller .... hillBillie Callahan needed to pick him up because of Keller's dad and hillbillie's relationship

 

that's how stupid that "coach" was... he chose his buddie's kid over the better QB and he chose his buddy Cosgrove over Nebraska football

 

remember how everyone thought Keller was gonna be the man ? I know i did ... well i think part of that was because he's such a smooth talker and the media really liked him... i think the media helped build him up and lead us on.... the guy had concrete in his shoes so he could never make a play happen himself by moving out of the pocket, so just about every play he would dump it off for the "safe" five yard pass ... plus that strong arm he had was highly overrated

 

I'm so happy for Ganz and I'm very confident in him... don't know if I'm as confident as he is but i think that's definitely a good thing !

 

I agree with you, but it wasn't Keller's fault. I still like the guy and want to see him do well in whatever he ends up doing.

 

I think with Callahan it came down to never wanting to use the players he had, he always thought there was something better down the road. I will always believe that a different coach would have produced better reults with the same players.

 

not sayin it was Keller's fault .... i like him too ... just look at all the chicks he gets.. i think he's hilarious.. i just will always wonder if Ganz really got a fair shot ... i mean how can you not second guess the former coach , right ?

 

i know , hindsight's 20/20

[admo]

Fantastic article. Enjoyed reading it. Hope he stays healthy b/c he is def the leader of this team.

[Igetbored216]

I personally feel that Keller would have had a better stay with the Huskers had he been at least 2+ years in the system. He has a good arm, pretty good accuracy, but if you don't know the progressions or aren't confident in what you are doing...well, you dump off passes to your running back.....

[Vuren]

I personally feel that Keller would have had a better stay with the Huskers had he been at least 2+ years in the system. He has a good arm, pretty good accuracy, but if you don't know the progressions or aren't confident in what you are doing...well, you dump off passes to your running back.....

he was a gunslinger pre nebraska after nebraska he looked...unmaned.

[husker3434]

Keller might of had the tools but he was definitely not confident in himself or the program.

 

The mistake that he made at the Wake Forest game was one of the worst I have ever seen in a collegiate program. Well in my opinion at least

[HuskerTrucker]

Great Story, glad we have him...not the other guys.

[bennychico11]

Good read....I'm starting to feel about Ganz the way I felt about Taylor. Even if he's not "national spotlight quarterback material"...he makes you feel glad you have him on the team. He just seems like an overall good kid. I'm hoping he can do some great stuff for us!

 

And I've said it before and will say it again...I'm glad we didn't get Freeman {{shudder}}

[Hunter94]

we were told Keller had the "it factor", but he really had the "sh#t factor".

 

Joey just may have a lot more than any of us thought. humble, hard working, patient.......he deserves all the success that he earns....

GO JOE!