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2. ASU needs Keller, but Keller could've used ASU
By Richard Cirminiello
You think Sam Keller wishes he was still in Tempe, playing for Arizona State? Yeah, me too. That's all I could think about as the Sun Devils got scorched by a Pac-10 opponent for the second straight week. A little more than a month ago, Dirk Koetter tabbed Keller as his starter, changed his mind a few days later, handing the job to Rudy Carpenter.
Oops. Not long after, football's version of a soap opera broke out.
Accusations flew, Keller seethed and the Sun Devils lost a terrific quarterback to Nebraska. Bad move by Koetter. Worse move by Keller.
Sure, he'll do fine in Lincoln next year, but by next year, he should've been cashing fat NFL paychecks. Had he swallowed his pride and stayed at Arizona State, right now Keller would be the hands-down most popular player on the Sun Devil roster--the backup quarterback on a team that's crashing and burning. Carpenter has been a complete mess the last three weeks, completing 46% of his passes, throwing seven picks and losing his confidence along the way. Against an average Oregon pass defense Saturday, he completed just 6-of-19 for 33 yards and an interception, the low point of his career. The bottom has fallen out, and a trip to USC is next on the schedule. It wouldn't have taken very long for chants of Kell-er, Kell-er, Kell-er to ring throughout Sun Devil Stadium Saturday afternoon. Ahhh, Keller himself couldn't have drafted a better script. Oh, and as shattered as Carpenter is these days, there's no doubt Koetter would have obliged, giving his senior the ball to the delight of the home crowd. The quarterback now craves redemption and a chance to prove ASU wrong after feeling he got shafted by his teammates and his coach. So determined is Keller to redeem himself, he left a campus he loved and is taking a mandatory year off from football. He didn't have to. Had Keller been patient and stuck it out, he'd probably be enjoying the last laugh without ever leaving Tempe.
2. ASU needs Keller, but Keller could've used ASU
By Richard Cirminiello
You think Sam Keller wishes he was still in Tempe, playing for Arizona State? Yeah, me too. That's all I could think about as the Sun Devils got scorched by a Pac-10 opponent for the second straight week. A little more than a month ago, Dirk Koetter tabbed Keller as his starter, changed his mind a few days later, handing the job to Rudy Carpenter.
Oops. Not long after, football's version of a soap opera broke out.
Accusations flew, Keller seethed and the Sun Devils lost a terrific quarterback to Nebraska. Bad move by Koetter. Worse move by Keller.
Sure, he'll do fine in Lincoln next year, but by next year, he should've been cashing fat NFL paychecks. Had he swallowed his pride and stayed at Arizona State, right now Keller would be the hands-down most popular player on the Sun Devil roster--the backup quarterback on a team that's crashing and burning. Carpenter has been a complete mess the last three weeks, completing 46% of his passes, throwing seven picks and losing his confidence along the way. Against an average Oregon pass defense Saturday, he completed just 6-of-19 for 33 yards and an interception, the low point of his career. The bottom has fallen out, and a trip to USC is next on the schedule. It wouldn't have taken very long for chants of Kell-er, Kell-er, Kell-er to ring throughout Sun Devil Stadium Saturday afternoon. Ahhh, Keller himself couldn't have drafted a better script. Oh, and as shattered as Carpenter is these days, there's no doubt Koetter would have obliged, giving his senior the ball to the delight of the home crowd. The quarterback now craves redemption and a chance to prove ASU wrong after feeling he got shafted by his teammates and his coach. So determined is Keller to redeem himself, he left a campus he loved and is taking a mandatory year off from football. He didn't have to. Had Keller been patient and stuck it out, he'd probably be enjoying the last laugh without ever leaving Tempe.
