- Big time Nebraska ink today
- Observations from fall camp, which broke Sunday, with preparations for Nevada beginning today.
Steven M. Sipple: Impressions from fall camp
Monday, Aug 27, 2007 - 12:37:40 am CDT
Well, that’s a wrap.
Nebraska officially completed preseason football camp Sunday night with a practice that was open to UNL students, not to mention the media (practices typically are closed, as is the case at most campuses). About 2,500 students materialized at Memorial Stadium. Seems like they had some fun. Their experience was an absolute blast compared to the month of drills that Husker players just battled through. Preseason camp at any level of the sport is a bear.
“Are you ready for some football!” Husker head coach Bill Callahan shouted over the public-address system after being introduced to the crowd, which responded with warm applause. The coach seemed genuinely pumped up. I have to admit I got some goose bumps.
At last, football season’s here.
“This has to be the loudest place in the country on game days, and you can help us out in a lot of ways,” the coach continued, his voice booming into the heavens.
So, without further adieu, some impressions from practice:
n Pity the cornerback who has to take on Nebraska I-back Quentin Castille in the open field. The 6-foot-1, 245-pound freshman charges upfield like a runaway locomotive. It’s a good thing, too, because Husker junior I-back Cody Glenn watched Sunday in street clothes, as he has most of the month. NU may need its young backs to be ready.
n Yes, the football explodes pretty well off true freshman Adi Kunalic’s foot. The thud is loud. He drilled a 52-yard field goal. But redshirt freshman Alex Henery’s leg appears to be just as strong. It’ll be interesting to see how Callahan manages this position. At any rate, it appears Nebraska’s place-kicking game will be in better shape than last season, when the Huskers made only five field goals and none beyond 40 yards.
n Oh, how the students enjoyed the “Husker drill.” That’s when the entire team gathers and watches as two players are called out in front of everyone. The objective apparently is to overpower the other player. And, my, how true freshman wideout Niles Paul plowed over classmate Anthony Blue, a gifted cornerback. Paul nearly pushed Blue out of the stadium. Players and students erupted. Fun stuff.
n Sam Keller’s throwing motion might take some getting used to for some fans. His release point is lower than you might expect from a 6-foot-4 quarterback. Kind of reminds you of Scott Frost’s motion. Keller wasn’t on top of his game on this night. But, boy, the guy is fiery. You would’ve thought Nebraska was facing USC.
n Don’t know whether he can play a lick, but in terms of physique, 6-7, 300-pound offensive tackle Marcel Jones, a true freshman, looks ready for the NFL right now. No kidding.
n Armando Murillo, who arrived at Nebraska in January from Eastern Arizona Community College, said Sunday he has been seeing more and more time with the first-string defense in the last week to 10 days. For most of Sunday, he played with the starting unit opposite of returning starter Cortney Grixby. NU’s other returning starter at corner, Andre Jones, spent most of the practice with the second string.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Murillo, a native of Tampa, Fla., cautioned against reading too much into Sunday’s practice. Whatever the case, Murillo said he’s playing with much more confidence compared to spring practice.
“In the spring, I was confused; I was all over the place,” he said.
Now Murillo finds the right spots to make plays, he said. His improved comfort level — along with the return of Zackary Bowman from knee surgery (he alternated between the first and second strings Sunday) plus the surprising emergence of Blue — should lead to improvement at a position that obviously was a trouble spot for Nebraska throughout last season. If nothing else, depth is much better.
Essentially every team has issues to be concerned about. Championship teams find ways to manage those issues.
To that end, the consensus is Nebraska’s defensive line — which must replace four starters — enjoyed a strong camp. For instance, base end Zach Potter drew frequent praise from coaches. Potter said Sunday he’s played with more energy than he did in the spring. He feels stronger. He appears to be holding up well against NU’s massive offensive linemen.
There’s other good news for Nebraska. Starting right guard Matt Slauson, a 6-5, 335-pound junior, returned to practice Sunday and said he would be ready for Saturday’s opener against Nevada. He suffered a separated left shoulder last week after tangling with 6-4, 305-pound nose tackle Ndamukong Suh.
So, Nebraska apparently suffered no major injuries in camp, although the I-back situation remains an obvious concern.
Sunday, however, the Huskers were mostly just glad to have another camp in the books.
“We were running at the end of practice and we were like, ‘Wow, tomorrow’s our first day off (this month) where we actually have no obligation to be here,’ ” said Potter, beaming.
Perhaps Potter will miss camp just a tad.
“Are you serious?” he asked. “Are you guys (reporters) going to miss camp?”
Point well taken.
- Position by Position analysis
- Quarterbacks
Shining stars
Senior Sam Keller has one year to make a big splash at Nebraska and perhaps cash in as a high NFL Draft pick. A transfer from Arizona State, he gives the Huskers a strong arm, good decision-making ability in the pocket, and appears to have the makings of a trusted leader. Junior Joe Ganz, a respected veteran with a great grasp of the offense, has done a good job of pushing Keller for the starting job.
Others to watch
True freshman Patrick Witt gets high marks from coaches for digesting the offense quickly and being mature beyond his years. Sophomore Zac Lee, a junior college transfer, has recovered from a knee injury suffered late last season at San Francisco City College. He may have the strongest arm of any Husker QB.
Looking into the future
Look for Lee and Witt to push for the starting job beginning next season, when highly touted true freshman Blaine Gabbert also enters the mix.
Telescopic view
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Keller was on his way to breaking Pac-10 passing records at Arizona State in 2005 before suffering a season-ending thumb injury. In seven games, he threw for 2,165 yards and 20 touchdowns, with nine interceptions. It will be interesting to see how well he adapts to Nebraska’s West Coast offense. Ganz, who has appeared in five games at NU, showed in the spring he’s capable of moving the chains. Indeed, for the first time since Callahan arrived in 2004, the Huskers have excellent depth at this position, and that depth figures to improve in the next few years.
Our grade: Four stars
- Running Backs
Shining stars
Junior Marlon Lucky was a five-star prospect coming out of North Hollywood (Calif.) High School, and he has shown flashes of big-time ability during his first two seasons at NU. Now, he needs to operate at a high level on a more consistent basis. Behind Lucky is Cody Glenn, a powerful runner who still feels pain at times because of a right foot injury that dates to last November and could hamper his cut-back ability.
Others to watch
Sophomore Major Culbert, a converted safety, amassed 4,000 rushing yards and scored 37 touchdowns for Narbonne High in suburban Los Angeles, so he obviously has natural ability. Quentin Castille, a 6-1, 245-pound true freshman, elicited praise from teammates in preseason camp and will be called upon to help with depth, especially in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
Looking into the future
The speedster Lucky and powerful Glenn represent a good change-up to throw at defenses. Castille and classmate Marcus Mendoza (5-10, 185) may provide such a combination in years to come. At fullback, look for redshirt freshman Justin Makovicka, the younger brother of former Husker standouts Jeff and Joel, to eventually enter the picture.
Telescopic view
Depth has become a concern at this position in the wake of Brandon Jackson’s early departure to the NFL and Kenny Wilson’s absence this season due to a leg injury. Is Lucky durable enough to carry a heavy load for 11 consecutive weeks with no off week? Will Glenn’s lingering right foot injury ever go away? At fullback, the race for playing time appears to be wide open in the wake of Dane Todd’s graduation. Seniors Matt Senske and Andy Sand and junior Thomas Lawson lead the way.
Grade: Three stars
- Wide Receivers
Shining stars
Senior Terrence Nunn has 101 career receptions — 42 behind Nebraska career record holder Johnny Rodgers. Nunn plays the “Z” position, while classmate Maurice Purify is a consistent big-play threat at the “X” spot. Purify last season finished as the team’s second-leading receiver with 34 receptions, with 29 of those catches going for first downs. He will serve a one-game suspension in the season opener in the wake of two offseason arrests.
Others to watch
This list is long because of outstanding depth at this position. For instance, some forget that junior Nate Swift led Nebraska in receiving in 2005 as a redshirt freshman. Todd Peterson had 19 catches a year ago, Frantz Hardy, 14.
Looking into the future
Niles Paul, a true freshman from Omaha North, already has impressed his Nebraska teammates with his strength and ability to get off the line of scrimmage. The 6-1, 210-pound Paul and 6-0, 210-pound Curenski Gilleylen were the only wideout recruits in Nebraska’s class of 2007. Sophomores Menelik Holt and Chris Brooks and redshirt freshman Will Henry also could have bright futures in the program.
Telescopic view
The 6-foot, 190-pound Nunn is a sure-handed player with blazing speed. Purify, 6-4 and 220 pounds, lacks blazing speed but presents matchup problems with cornerbacks because of his size and strength. Purify has established very good chemistry with Keller, as has Peterson, a 6-4, 210-pound junior from Grand Island. Peterson is capable of playing either the “X” or “Z” position. Meanwhile, senior Hardy also has proven himself to be a big-play threat. Wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore expressed concern about dropped passes during spring practice. But he said this month that those problems have subsided.
Grade: Four stars
- Tight End
Shining stars
Senior J.B. Phillips started 12 games last season and caught 13 passes while providing good blocking. Redshirt freshman Mike McNeill is regarded by some as a future star at the position and could develop into a key player this season.
Others to watch
Senior Josh Mueller and junior Hunter Teafatiller combined for six touchdown receptions last season, but just 10 catches total. Senior walk-on Sean Hill also has drawn praise from coaches.
Looking into the future
The 6-4, 225-pound McNeill, of Kirkwood, Mo., possesses “great receiving skills and has vertical-field speed,” according to Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. Those traits could come in especially handy at a position that last season produced only five catches over the last six games. Only three of the tight ends’ combined 35 receptions covered 20-plus yards.
Telescopic view
The 6-3, 245-pound Phillips could see plenty of time in an H-back or fullback role, but will be used on the line as a tight end in many sets. With Nebraska likely to again use two-, three- and even four-tight end sets, depth obviously is integral at this position. Mueller, 6-5 and 265 pounds, is a big target and a capable blocker. The 6-3, 230-pound Teafatiller has five career receptions — four for touchdowns. Both Mueller and Teafatiller are decent down-field threats. It would really help matters at this position if Mueller and Teafatiller can push their games up a notch.
Grade: Two stars
- Offensive Line
Shining stars
The five starters figure to be Carl Nicks at left tackle, Andy Christensen at left guard, Brett Byford at center, Matt Slauson at right guard and Lydon Murtha at right tackle. The 6-5, 335-pound Slauson was a preseason All-Big 12 pick, and Nicks, 6-5 and 330, is considered NFL material.
Others to watch
Mike Huff completely tore the Achilles’ tendon in his right foot during a winter conditioning drill, and the initial prognosis had him missing most if not all of preseason camp. Instead, Huff enjoyed a strong summer of rehabilitation and has been practicing regularly. The junior from Ralston started 13 games last season at right guard. He has been practicing on both the right and left sides in preseason camp.
Looking into the future
Redshirt freshmen Keith Williams, D.J. Jones and Mike Smith have made big impressions already. Indeed, it could be hard to keep the 6-5, 310-pound Williams off the field this season, as he is pushing for time at left guard. And don’t forget about sophomore Jacob Hickman, a utility-type lineman who started against Missouri last season.
Telescopic view
Offensive line coach Dennis Wagner has extra bounce in his step these days because he finally has the depth in his line that he longed for when he took the Husker job in 2004. He likes the fact that players are battling to make the travel roster — he can take 11 linemen on the road. He likes the fact that NU can still function at a high level even with an injury or two. He likes the fact he can afford to have his true freshmen sit out as redshirts. As for this season, the line is considered one of the team’s foremost strengths.
Grade: Four stars
- Defensive Line
Shining stars
Ndamukong Suh figures to be Nebraska’s next big star along the defensive line. He’s a third-year sophomore who’s extremely strong and could be a dominating force at nose tackle. In a back-up role last season, he had eight tackles for loss, including 3½ sacks. Alongside him at defensive tackle is Ty Steinkuhler, who can also slide over to base defensive end. The talk of fall camp was defensive end Barry Turner, who bulked to 270 pounds. He’ll be at open end.
Ready to blast off
Keep an eye on junior Zach Potter. Coaches praised Potter for his great improvement, and he’s got the unenviable task of replacing first-round NFL Draft pick Adam Carriker. Junior Clayton Sievers, a converted linebacker, will play defensive end and battle Turner for playing time. Senior Brandon Johnson and juco transfers Kevin Dixon and Shukree Barfield figure to provide depth inside.
Gazing into the future
Coaches are pleased with the development of Ben Martin, a redshirted freshman from Lincoln Southwest. He’s playing defensive tackle.
Telescopic view
Don’t write off the defensive line. That’s been the message throughout fall camp. On paper, outsiders point to this position as a weakness, citing Nebraska’s loss of four starters, two drafted by the NFL. However, there is talent — with Suh and Turner, in particular. For sure, it’s a versatile group that will give first-year defensive line coach Buddy Wyatt several options.
Grade: Three stars
- Linebackers
Shining stars
Senior Corey McKeon is the heart and soul of the Blackshirts — an emotional leader who last year fought through injuries. He has 30 career tackles for loss at the MIKE position. Senior Bo Ruud is another returning starter but moves from the WILL to the SAM, where he replaces NFL-bound Stewart Bradley. That transition, by all accounts, has gone well.
Ready to blast off
Senior Steve Octavien says he’s the healthiest he’s ever been — both physically and mentally. Octavien, who’s battled two years of injuries, will start at the WILL and also be able to come off the edge as a pass rusher in obvious passing downs. Versatile senior Lance Brandenburgh can play any linebacker spot, and sophomore Phillip Dillard, who missed last year with an ACL injury, will play behind McKeon.
Gazing into the future
Linebackers coach Kevin Cosgrove said all four true freshmen — Blake Lawrence, Latravis Washington, Austin Stafford and walk-on Thomas Grove — have the ability to contribute in some manner.
Telescopic view
Could this be the season Nebraska stays healthy at linebacker? Nobody’s been immune to the injury bug in recent years — ACLs, badly-sprained ankles, broken arms and legs. The biggest factor could be Octavien, who promises to do more than show flashes. If he lives up to expectations, this crew could be great, instead of just good.
Grade: Four stars
- Secondary
Shining stars
Love them or no — and Nebraska fans have left little gray area here — seniors Cortney Grixby and Andre Jones are the team’s top two cornerbacks. Grixby had 11 pass breakups to lead NU last season. Jones, slow to adapt to becoming a sudden starter in the wake of Zackary Bowman’s season-ending injury last August, had a strong spring. Tierre Green returns at strong safety — the first time in his playing career he begins a season at the same position he ended the previous year.
Ready to blast off
Bowman, injured again in March, may return by late September, but will he be the same player after two knee surgeries? Junior college transfer Larry Asante, a sophomore, could be the big, physical playmaker Nebraska has been seeking at safety. Another juco guy, Armando Murillo, will provide depth at corner. Sophomore Rickey Thenarse and senior Bryan Wilson will figure into the safety mix.
Gazing into the future
True freshmen Prince Amukamara and Anthony Blue are working at cornerback. Amukamara, in particular, has shown flashes of strong play in fall camp.
Telescopic view
Nebraska’s pass defense last season, even with two bookend NFL Draft picks applying a pass rush, was below par. The Huskers ranked 79th nationally. With the D-line revamping, that puts more pressure on the secondary. Cornerbacks coach Phil Elmassian said the emphasis in fall camp was on making more big plays and allowing fewer. For the first time in his four-year NU tenure, Elmassian isn’t breaking in a new starter at cornerback.
Grade: Three stars
- Special Teams
Shining stars
Most of Nebraska’s key special teams players are back. Dan Titchener returns after handling all but two of Nebraska’s 68 punts last season (for a 39.9-yard average). Cortney Grixby and Terrence Nunn will again handle punt returns. Tierre Green and Marlon Lucky have kickoff return experience, but it’s likely Lucky, a main running back, won’t see as much action on returns.
Ready to blast off
Look for Andre Jones to join the mix on kickoff returns. True freshman kicker Adi Kunalic has a strong leg — reports of 60-yard field goals surfaced in fall camp — and will battle Jake Wesch for kickoff duties. For field goals and extra points, Kunalic is targeted to replace Jordan Congdon, who left the program.
Gazing into the future
As is usually the case, a slew of newcomers have been getting opportunities on various special teams roles.
Telescopic view
The biggest change in college football this season is undoubtedly the new kickoff rule: Kickoffs have been moved from the 35 to the 30. That figures to benefit a Nebraska return unit that ranked 112th nationally last season. But what about the kickers? They had a hard enough time reaching the end zone from the 35. That’s where Kunalic’s strong leg could be a factor.
Grade: Three stars
- Schedule Analysis
There's no dodging this tricky schedule
BY CURT MCKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star
Sunday, Aug 26, 2007 - 12:08:54 am CDT
Now that Nebraska has reclaimed the Big 12 North Division, there’s bound to be a new measuring stick used to chart the Huskers’ progress under Bill Callahan.
It’s called wins and losses.
In light of NU’s tricky 2007 schedule, let me suggest you tread carefully under that premise.
Even Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione would agree on that point.
When talking earlier this summer about the Aggies having to play at Miami, Texas Tech, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri, Franchione said “If we manage this schedule, we won’t have to justify anything at the end of the year. But, you know, there’s a lot of teams in our conference with tough schedules.
“I look at Nebraska’s schedule. They’ve got some challenges, to USC and Wake Forest and Nevada, and going to Texas. That’s the life in a BCS Conference.”
Franchione left out Nebraska’s critical Oct. 6 contest at preseason North Division favorite Missouri and, undoubtedly, there will be other unexpected tussles that pop up. Remember how fortunate the Huskers were to beat Kansas at home last season?
At a glance, Nebraska’s 9-5 mark of 2006 looks no more impressive than the 8-4 season of 2005. But based on winning the North title, few would argue that the sum of Callahan’s third season wasn’t better than his second.
Now, the Huskers believe they have their best team since Callahan’s hiring. For certain, they’ll have more opportunities than ever to prove it.
Wake Forest is out to prove last year’s surprising Atlantic Coast Conference championship was no fluke. And an early-season home game against NU gives the Demon Deacons a national stage.
USC, a program that simply inserts the next All-American to replace one lost to the NFL, is most people’s choice to be the BCS champion.
Missouri has all of its top offensive skill-position players back from a team that racked up the nation’s eighth-best yardage total in 2006. And the Tigers no longer have doubts about whether they can beat Nebraska — they’ve done that in convincing fashion each of the last two meetings in Columbia.
Texas? The name pretty much tells all you need to know about that challenge. But if it doesn’t, consider that sophomore quarterback Colt McCoy is projected to be the Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Year. Or that Longhorn fans, apparently short on concerns, have taken to nitpicking about whether running back Jamaal Charles can carry the load. All Charles did last year was average 5.3 yards per rush.
See what I mean about measuring sticks?
When we last saw the Huskers in action, they were ending the 2006 season with a nice-try effort in a 17-14 Cotton Bowl loss to Auburn. But that result left them 0-4 against top-10 opponents and, not coincidentally, their four-lowest point totals of the season came against those foes.
USC, which could have the nation’s speediest defense and will have Heisman Trophy candidate John David Booty controlling its offense, and Texas will carry similar status when they play Nebraska again this year. Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas A&M (who precede the Longhorns during a brutal month of October) all figure to be among or pushing to break into the top 25.
Thus, to enter November with most of its goals intact, NU could very well need to play at top-10 caliber.
“We’re getting there,” Callahan said in the immediate aftermath of the setback to Auburn. “I’ve got a lot of confidence going into next season that we’ll break through at some point. There’s no question in my mind about that.”
Of course, all his confidence comes with no guarantee, assuming the Huskers approach top-10 level, that their record will be measurably better.
As Franchione noted, such is the way of the world for most teams trying to show progress while playing in a BCS conference.
- More on Sam Keller
Keller puts his past at ASU behind him
BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Sunday, Aug 26, 2007 - 12:08:54 am CDT
A half-sleeve grips Sam Keller’s left upper arm. It’s as much a part of his Nebraska football attire as his sweat-stained green practice jersey, or the athletic tape Keller peels away from his right shoe following each practice.
Helmet, shoulder pads, sleeve. But only on the one arm. The arm where Keller wears a tattoo mural. It honors a friend, Nick Promessi, who died in a car accident when Keller was a freshman at Arizona State.
It’s not Keller’s only tattoo. He has several, each for a reason, each he’s happy to wear.
Wear, but not display.
“I feel like, right now, I don’t need to be flashing them all over the place,” Keller said. “I’m not necessarily trying to cover up who I am; I’m just trying to look the part.”
Keller first met Angelo Richardson at a high school football camp in Michigan. Both were from the Danville, Calif., area but attended different high schools. Keller eventually swayed Richardson, a talented receiver, to transfer to San Ramon Valley High and become his teammate. He later convinced coaches at Arizona State they needed an explosive, athletic receiver like Richardson, who’d become an All-American in junior college.
“I fell in love with that kid,” Keller said. “I love that guy.”
Richardson never played at ASU. On March 4, 2006, Richardson attended a party with friends in San Francisco. A fight broke out, and Richardson was struck by a stray bullet.
He still can’t walk today.
To help Richardson, Keller’s father, Mike, along with family friend Doug Mather, formed the Angelo Richardson Fund. Donations helped pay for Richardson’s six-week stay at Baltimore’s Kennedy Krieger Institute, a top facility for spinal cord injuries.
Keller had also intended on wearing his fallen friend’s old number — 2 — during his senior season at ASU.
That season never happened. Yeah, Keller could’ve probably requested No. 2 in red this season in Lincoln.
He didn’t. Keller’s reasoning?
“Starting over,” he said.
Perhaps that’s why Keller’s half- sleeve is white. Clean, pure, fresh.
Keller reflects deeply about Promessi and Richardson. He talks about perspective, about life being short. He realizes he’s fortunate to have a second chance.
So what if Keller endured turmoil and controversy? So what if he felt betrayed? So what if last season was a humbling experience of playing scout-team quarterback and cheering from the sideline in street clothes?
“That sent me right back down to earth,” Keller said. “You better believe it.”
So what if the first words Corey McKeon uttered to Keller were “you’re the dumbest person I know,” a tongue-in-cheek chastisement for leaving the girls, sunshine and parties of Arizona for, well, Nebraska.
“There are things going on in this world,” Keller said, “that are a lot bigger than you.”
This is the part where Keller waxes poetic about life beyond football, about football just being a game, right?
Wrong.
If anything, life’s events have made him focus even more on the sport.
“Football is what I’ve got,” Keller said. “Football is what I love and what I’m good at. What you have and you love, you need to embrace. You realize what you love to do, and you get a fresh start at it.
“That’s why I’ve attacked this thing like I’ve never attacked anything before.”
Sam Keller arrived in Lincoln already humbled. He was emotionally weary. He was lonely. He holed up for several days in The Cornhusker Marriott, on his dad’s dime, then settled into his North Lincoln apartment.
All the time, Nebraska football fans were raving about their lucky catch. The cocksure, gun-slinging, California-cool quarterback that got jobbed out of a job at Arizona State. The 2007 season couldn’t get here soon enough … and the 2006 season was still a week away.
Fans also wondered whether they should be concerned. (If he’s such a prize, why did his Arizona State teammates suddenly shun their one-time captain?) They heard he liked to party. They saw the Internet pictures of girls pawing at a smiling Keller.
Meanwhile, Keller was back in his room, watching TV, thinking and reading books.
About the Civil War.
“You have to hit rock-bottom,” Keller says, “before you can come back up. I had to build it back up little by little.”
Nebraska players had heard about Keller and his impending arrival. They knew an NFL-type quarterback had fallen into Bill Callahan’s lap. They’d also heard about the Tempe freakshow.
“You never know,” Nebraska linebacker Bo Ruud said. “Anybody comes in here, you’ve always got to feel them out.”
That took Ruud all of a couple minutes. Said he liked Keller instantly. Still does.
So, if one of Nebraska’s own — a Lincoln kid, a team captain, a crowd favorite — can warmly embrace Keller …
“I don’t now what Arizona State was thinking, exactly,” Ruud said. “I don’t know why you’d want to let that guy go.”
Says McKeon: “But look what happened to them (the Sun Devils). Their season went to the (toilet). That Carpenter kid, he hasn’t done (anything). He’s back, but he got his (behind) kicked.
“Everyone (at ASU) wants Sam back now.”
That “Carpenter kid” would be Rudy Carpenter. He’s beginning his junior season, and his second full season as Arizona State’s starting quarterback.
On Aug. 19, 2006, a day after ASU coach Dirk Koetter named Keller his starting quarterback, Carpenter and his father met for two hours with Koetter.
The Carpenters, Mike Keller said, issued an ultimatum: Rudy’s your guy, or Rudy’s gone.
“They said Sam wasn’t the leader he needed to be,” Mike Keller said. “They were campaigning for themselves.”
The decision became one of business: Keep a budding quarterback with three years of eligibility, or lose him for only one more season of Keller.
Koetter called a meeting of the team unity council. Mike Keller said it was to “justify his decision,” although he said he’s heard that only player in that meeting (out of some 15 or 16) supported only Carpenter.
Still, Koetter flip-flopped and chose Carpenter. Sam Keller chose the first road out of Tempe.
“I wasn’t going to stay there,” the quarterback said. “There was no way I was going to stay there. I had to go.”
With the help of his father, a sports management consultant with football ties across the country, Keller quickly began searching schools that would welcome an NFL arm with one year of eligibility in 2007.
It was a blurry, emotional, costly week in late August that landed Keller in Lincoln — several days, a few tears and about $5,000 later.
Worth every penny, Mike Keller said.
Of course, the new guy on Lincoln’s campus had to answer about 213,291 questions about what really happened in Tempe. Keller said he’s shared the sordid details with some. Publicly, he’s calling it a business decision that’s made him a better person.
“It’s a blessing in disguise,” McKeon said. “He’s here. He’s going to be the starting quarterback for the University of Nebraska, and he’s going to lead a great team.
“What does he care about ASU?”
Dirk Koetter was fired after ASU went 7-6 last season. Carpenter had an up-and-down season, throwing 23 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He told reporters last spring, after the fact, that two separate hand injuries hurt his performance, and that he had confidence issues.
Koetter, now the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, declined an interview request for this story, but in February told the Journal Star that his change in decision had absolutely nothing to do with any off-field issues involving Keller. In fact, Koetter said he’s “a big fan” of Keller and commented on his toughness.
Said Keller about his former coach: “I can remember a lot of great times with him. You spend a lot of time with a guy, you don’t just hate him after something like that happens.”
ASU sports information director Mark Brand said Carpenter won’t talk anymore about last year’s fiasco, saying it’s “in the past.”
But Carpenter recently told the East Valley (Ariz.) Tribune that he believes many people still see him as “Rudy Carpenter, the man who made Sam Keller leave and got Coach Koetter fired.”
If people knew the whole story, Carpenter said, then they might see him differently.
“I swear to God, I couldn’t care less what (Keller) or his dad or anybody else is doing,” Carpenter said.
“I hope Sam does well this year, and he and his dad get whatever they want to get accomplished. But I don’t care about them.”
Keller said he doesn’t hold any ill feelings toward Carpenter. Life is too short, he said, to hold grudges.
“It isn’t really easy,” Keller said, “but you feel really good when you’re able to (let go).
“Bygones are bygones. The hard part is over. This part right now, that I’m in right now, it’s just unbelievable. It’s the greatest thing.”
Keller then motions with his arm, the one with the white sleeve, and looks toward the field at Memorial Stadium.
“I mean, look where I ended up? Is that such a bad deal?”
- The World Herald looks back at the chain of events that brought Keller to Nebraska.
Sacked at Arizona State, Keller gets back up
BY DIRK CHATELAIN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Sam Keller sat on a bench outside his Tempe, Ariz., apartment one year ago. He sipped Bud Light.
He wore a T-shirt and shorts, but the August desert heat was hard to escape. It stays up deep into the night.
Keller had gotten used to that heat in three years at Arizona State. He'd made his name as a college football player in that heat.
But on this Saturday night he felt cold.
Midnight, 93 degrees
For three years he was a Wild West gunslinger who could walk into a Scottsdale bar and stop conversations. That's Sam Keller.
Girls pursued him, asking for pictures and hugs. Guys envied him, noting his sharp features and strong right arm. At ease on one of America's most heavenly campuses, where everybody knew him. Team captain. Face of the program. Heisman candidate.
1 a.m., 92 degrees
Humility finds us all eventually. Keller sobbed into the early morning. Football had broken him. Teammates had betrayed him. And that wasn't the worst part. No, the worst part was he had to empty what remained of him in order to restore what he could be.
He had to leave these people, this place. He was 21, and he had to jump on a plane bound for a different kind of desert. He had to give up Doc Holliday for Father Flanagan.
Fifty-four Saturdays later, Sam Keller will initiate a rite of autumn on the prairie and complete a personal journey. He will break the huddle at sold-out Memorial Stadium and take his first snap as the most unusual Nebraska quarterback of our time, a hired gun who showed up at Bill Callahan's door when the coach needed it most.
Keller offers Callahan an NFL-caliber quarterback, the program's first in 30 years. Callahan offers Keller one season to resuscitate his dream. They came together because of that Saturday in August.
2 a.m., 90 degrees
Keller finished his beer, hugged his friends and went to bed. He closed his eyes on the day that changed his life.
Like the desert heat, he wouldn't sleep.
Biding his time
In Sam Keller's first collegiate start, the 2004 Sun Bowl, he threw a touchdown pass. He turned to his sideline, put his hands together and took a bow. Most quarterbacks conceal emotion. Keller oozed it like sweat.
He pointed to the crowd. He led celebrations. He rode momentum.
Keller opened the 2005 season at Arizona State with one of the best Septembers by a quarterback in recent memory. He threw for 1,443 yards in four games. He threw 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
"Going into the big games, you could see the fire in his eyes," said former teammate Chris MacDonald.
Against LSU, he outplayed future No. 1 draft pick JaMarcus Russell.
Against defending national champion USC, the Sun Devils took the lead with six minutes left when Keller marched them downfield for a touchdown. That was his last highlight as an ASU quarterback. USC came back to win, and a week later, he scrambled on third down against Oregon and tore a ligament in his thumb. A week later, coach Dirk Koetter benched him after a poor start against Stanford. Surgery sidelined Keller the rest of the year.
Freshman reserve Rudy Carpenter took over, torched Pac-10 defenses and finished 2005 as the top-rated passer in the country. A quarterback duel awaited in 2006.
They had different styles. Carpenter analyzed every scenario, asked every question. Keller has a sharp mind, but he was "black and white," said Roy Wittke, who coached Keller at ASU from January to August 2006. "Tell me what you want and point me to the field."
Wittke coached Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in college. He says Keller has superior physical skills.
"He's as tough an individual as I've seen play that position," Wittke said.
During fall camp 2006, coach Koetter offered his two quarterbacks an opportunity to split snaps. Both balked. They wanted to win the job.
On Friday, Aug. 18, Koetter gave the nod to Keller. Three years Keller had waited to make it his team, and finally it was. He dined in celebratory fashion with friends and family.
Keller didn't know it, but it may as well have been a going-away party.
The meeting
Coach Koetter had a problem on his hands by Saturday morning.
The No. 1 quarterback decision did not sit well with Carpenter. According to a person close to the situation, Koetter had met with Carpenter and Carpenter's father the morning after picking Keller. They had expressed Carpenter's intention to transfer.
The same morning, Keller attended a routine meeting with players and coaches. Afterward, they dispersed by position to dissect Friday night's scrimmage.
Coach Koetter ordered about a dozen players into a room where quarterbacks typically met, contrary to previous reports that have said players called the meeting.
It was a cross section of team leaders, old and young. Neither quarterback was present.
A player who attended the meeting, who spoke on the condition he not be identified, said the coach explained his dilemma to the group of players. Koetter didn't want to take away Keller's starting spot, especially after Keller lost it because of an injury. But he didn't want to lose Carpenter, who had three years of eligibility to Keller's one.
And there was another factor: He had learned of rumors of Keller's off-field behavior that, if true, raised questions about his dedication to the game.
Players started talking, sharing opinions. Two seniors raised concerns about Keller. They said they'd heard of him socializing late at night. They implied, said the player at the meeting, that Keller spent too much time partying to lead the Sun Devils. They offered few specifics. The accusations started an argument. The volume rose.
"It was hard to deal with," said the player. "You had guys in there who had Sam's back, and you had guys who wanted to throw Sam under the bus because they wanted Rudy to be quarterback. The entire time, the coach didn't want our team to be torn apart."
Earlier in Keller's college career, he was a night owl like a lot of underclassmen, said the player at the meeting.
"He'd come out on two or three hours sleep and torch everyone in practice," he said. "Everybody wondered, 'Sam, how do you do it?'"
Even so, Keller said he was 100 percent devoted to football. "No question about it. I lived for (football), loved it," Keller said. "But there were elements of that atmosphere that were just irresistible, just going out and having a good time. Most of the time, all the time, it was with my teammates anyway."
Friends attribute the perception of Keller as a party magnet to his celebrity status at one of the country's top party schools.
"He's just got that presence about him," said MacDonald. "That's just Sam Keller. . . . He's a big, physical guy. He's going to stand out anywhere he goes. Not only that, but his attitude, he has an ability to talk to anybody."
The players meeting lasted about an hour. Some players defended Keller. Some backed Carpenter. But, according to the player at the meeting, they agreed on one point: A quarterback distracted by extracurricular activity was a ticket to trouble.
That seed of doubt about Keller was enough to sway the group. Players — not Koetter — decided to go with Carpenter. Those in the room took a vow of secrecy, agreeing not to talk about what had happened.
A couple of hours later, Coach Koetter called another meeting, this time with the quarterback he'd recruited. Keller broke down and cried.
He called his parents, who were traveling back home. Come back, he said. They returned and met with the coach late that afternoon. Keller's father demanded that Sam be able to face his accusers. Koetter said no.
They gave Koetter one day to change his mind. He didn't. Sunday, the Kellers asked for a scholarship release. Sunday night, the coach made his announcement: "It's simple. I made a mistake on the quarterback situation and I'm changing my mind."
By that time Keller's father, Mike, was contacting schools that might need a quarterback in 2007, including Nebraska. The elder Keller was an All-American at Michigan and a former Dallas Cowboys linebacker. He'd worked in professional football front offices most of his adult life. He didn't know Bill Callahan personally, but the two had mutual friends. Mike Keller knew Callahan's protégé, Harrison Beck, had just transferred.
Wednesday, Aug. 23, Sam Keller got on a plane bound for Omaha.
Starting over
Roommates at Arizona State knew him as "Ice Man," a "Top Gun" fanatic who blasted Journey and Doobie Brothers. Last fall in Lincoln, Sam Keller didn't have roommates. After football practices, he called his parents, called his friends, called his girlfriend. He read Clive Cussler and Sun Tzu until time came to turn out the lights in his one-bedroom apartment.
It was the life of a football mercenary. Keller wanted to play in the NFL, and a dozen Saturdays in 2007 were his chance. Without the game, he'd be . . . he's not sure. Football's all he's ever known. A firefighter, maybe. "My best friend in high school, his dad's captain of a firehouse."
He didn't regret leaving the desert — "Why would I want to stay there? I had no place there" — but he considered those first weeks rock bottom. Small victories lifted him: home games during which he got to be on the sideline; winning over friends on the team like Bo Ruud and Corey McKeon; his girlfriend moving to Lincoln in October.
He stayed out of the spotlight as best he could. He listed his credentials only when someone asked. He kept his mouth shut at practice — except during scout team drills.
"He's up in every receiver's face getting into them about their scout-team routes," said Ruud, an NU starting linebacker. "Seven-on-seven scout team. To say it's a meaningless drill . . . nobody wants to be doing it, especially the scout team. He's going hard core. . . . And this is mid-December outside in the cold."
Before Keller transferred, the crucial fourth season of Callahan's tenure appeared hazy.
How could the coach rebuild the Huskers to national prominence without a qualified quarterback?
Named NU's starting quarterback earlier this week, Keller recognizes a different kind of heat in Nebraska, where people admire and critique their quarterbacks like politicians. At times, he must resist what feels natural.
Take downtown Lincoln. You can occasionally see him at a bar, but he's careful to keep his nose clean, to protect his reputation.
"Whenever I take a picture with somebody, I put my drink down," he says.
Bars will always be there, Keller says. Football won't. Coaches have encouraged him to take fewer risks on the field, too. Don't try to make the perfect throw when you can make the easy throw. Move the chains. Destroy a defense's spirit with consistency, not with highlights.
Keller's reward for waiting, for falling in line, is crystal clear to him: "The hard part is over. This part right now, the part I'm in right now, is just unbelievable. . . . Being able to play pretty soon."
Resist what feels natural.
He tried last fall to avoid watching Arizona State. Rudy Carpenter performed like a shell of the player he was in 2005. The Sun Devils' offense sputtered. ASU went 7-6. Dirk Koetter got fired.
Keller says he doesn't think about that fateful Saturday, or the teammates who accused him of wrongdoing. Dwell on it, ponder it, lie awake trying to figure it out and it'll tear you apart. So he tries to forget. He tries to forgive.
Some things are harder than winning a quarterback job, harder than throwing a football in front of 80,000 people.
The 80,000 on Saturday, that's what enables him to let go. That's what allows him to sleep through the summer heat.
"Look where I ended up. I'm at Nebraska."
- Zac Taylor, the QB who saved Bill Callahan'job for the past 2 years, discusses Keller.
NU Football: Taylor weighs in on Keller
BY RICH KAIPUST
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN — It wasn't until Zac Taylor's fourth game as Nebraska's starting quarterback that he first threw for more than 200 yards or fired more than one touchdown pass.
"I think that first game is just what you have to get out of the way," Taylor said. "But when I came in, I hadn't played against USC and I hadn't played against LSU, and he has. That's a whole different ballgame when you've played in front of 80,000 people before, whereas I played in front of 3,000 at Butler County Junior College. That's a whole different story."
Keller could start taking aim at some of Taylor's single-game and single-season school records when the fifth-year senior starts his first game next Saturday against Nevada. Nobody but Taylor has held that job since he arrived in 2005 and began his 26-game stay as the Huskers' quarterback.
Taylor has seen Keller gain steam through preseason camp, watching every practice as a member of the NU video staff.
"You can tell he's learning something new every day," Taylor said. "You don't learn this offense overnight, and that's something he's known he's had to do. Every practice really helps him out."
Keller hasn't played since midway through his junior season at Arizona State in 2005. But his 19 games of NCAA Division I-A experience, including eight starts, exceed Taylor's credentials when he transferred from Butler to NU and unseated Joe Dailey.
In that regard, Taylor can understand the fanfare that's followed Keller. It even started when he arrived last August and redshirted as Taylor was putting together a season worthy of Big 12 offensive player of the year honors.
"I think he did some big things when he was down there at Arizona State, so people expect big things here," Taylor said. "It's going to be exciting to watch, and I know that Sam can lead us and he can help this team accomplish all its goals.
"He walked into a great situation. He's got a lot of talent around him and a lot of guys who have played in some big games. This team wants to win some championships — he knows that — and that's what he wants to do as well."
Taylor said there isn't much difference between how Keller and he fit the NU offense. Physically, he said Keller is bigger and more mobile, meaning maybe a few more plays made with his legs.
"But, really, you're going to see the quarterback in this offense do the same things over and over," Taylor said. "New quarterback, new year . . . same things.
"I think he just likes how laid out this offense is. There's lots of completions to be made. It's not like that in every offense, so I think he likes the fact that there's an answer to every play and every defense."
Taylor returned to NU after being released by Tampa Bay in July. With him around, Keller has had a mentor of sorts, something he said before camp that he would be sure to use.
His "mentor" has left some nice targets, too, establishing NU school records for passing yards in a game (431) and season marks for yards (3,197), completions (237) and touchdowns (26).
"He could shatter everything I did," Taylor said. "That's definitely something I would expect."
- Random musings
Steven M. Sipple: Will the stars align?
Sunday, Aug 26, 2007 - 05:06:40 pm CDT
Nebraska will lose Oct. 6 at Missouri, but all will not be lost for the Huskers.
Because they will win in the end — the Big 12 North Division championship, that is.
How does fourth-year Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan’s program take the all-important next step?
Capture the Big 12 title game, something Nebraska hasn’t done since 1999.
Make no mistake, Nebraska has a decent chance to end that drought this season. The Huskers actually had a good chance to end the drought last season. But the chances get better in 2007.
After all, the Huskers practically own the Alamodome in San Antonio, where they have a 5-0 record since 1997.
Call me crazy, but I think Callahan can be particularly dangerous calling plays in a controlled environment (read: a dome), where wind, rain and cold can’t disrupt the critical timing elements of his West Coast attack. That’s not to say Callahan’s West Coast attack suffers miserably in the elements; I just think the system and a dome have the potential to create a perfect storm, if you will.
And maybe that’s what it will take for Nebraska to beat either Texas or Oklahoma for the Big 12 marbles.
If the opponent is Texas, think of Sam Keller zipping lasers into the Longhorns’ suspect secondary.
If the opponent is Oklahoma, Nebraska should have a significant advantage at quarterback.
Of course, I mistakenly thought Nebraska’s advantage at quarterback would be the difference in last year’s Big 12 championship game in Kansas City, Mo., where Oklahoma’s Paul Thompson rose to the occasion in the Sooners’ 21-7 triumph. Now, OU for the third year in a row must break in a new quarterback, this time redshirt freshman Sam Bradford.
Sophomore QB Colt McCoy returns to lead Texas. Last season, the Longhorns were careful not to ask too much of McCoy, who emerged from relative obscurity to throw 29 touchdown passes compared with seven interceptions. With most of its skill players on offense back, Texas likely will open things up this season.
Meanwhile, all Nebraska will ask of Keller is to lead Nebraska to a breakthrough season. That probably means beating Southern California or Texas in the regular season and prevailing in San Antonio. The Huskers came close against some big boys last season. For the sake of public confidence in Callahan, the Big Red needs to knock down the door against a marquee opponent or two.
At the very least, Nebraska needs to capture the Big 12 North.
And even that will require some elbow grease.
Missouri has a better offense than Nebraska (and Texas and Oklahoma, for that matter). The Tigers probably have a better kicking game than the Huskers. Yes, Mizzou will edge NU on Oct. 6.
But the Tigers’ weaknesses on defense ultimately will be their undoing.
I see Nebraska scratching out a win Nov. 23 at Colorado to finish with a 6-2 record in the Big 12.
I see Missouri losing to Kansas the next day at Arrowhead Stadium to finish with a 5-3 record.
Yes, this season could be tough on Big Red fans’ tickers.
During preseason camp this month, Nebraska players broke team huddles with the battle cry “national champions!” The Huskers have a championship mindset, said senior linebacker Lance Brandenburgh.
Confidence is hardly ever a bad thing. But Nebraska should nix those national-title dreams and concentrate on winning the Big 12, for that would represent significant forward progress for Callahan and company.
- Ex-Nebraska hot shot QB recruit/hard rocker/flake-job, Harrison Beck looking to start for NC State this year.
Ex-Husker QB Beck hoping to start for Wolfpack
By JACK DALY / For The Lincoln Journal Star
Sunday, Aug 26, 2007 - 12:08:54 am CDT
RALEIGH, N.C. — Harrison Beck will find out in the next 24 hours if his decision to transfer from Nebraska to North Carolina State produces the desired result.
After dropping few hints in the preseason, Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien will spit out the name of his starting quarterback Monday. Beck has been competing with incumbent Daniel Evans and redshirt freshman Justin Burke for the job.
“I think as a competitor, you want to start, you want to play, you want to show what you can do,” Beck said Thursday when asked if he needs to start to justify his transfer.
“I was recruited highly. I don’t want to be the guy that was recruited highly and never gets the chance to play.”
No matter what happens, Beck said he won’t kick himself for leaving Nebraska — “I don’t miss Lincoln at all” was the way he put it.
After a freshman season in which he completed one pass for 21 yards in limited action against Kansas State and Colorado, Beck impressed teammates and coaches during the first days of camp last August.
Then he disappeared.
His mother, Evelyn Beck-Bothwell, told the Lincoln Journal Star that Beck was disappointed Joe Ganz received a majority of the snaps behind then-starter Zac Taylor.
Beck is less forthcoming.
“It was really a personal decision,” he said. “I just wanted to leave Nebraska, and I knew some of the coaches that were here. I love the new coaches we have now ... and I’m really happy with my decision.”
As a touted high school prospect in Florida, Beck played for John Davis, whose son, Jay, was N.C. State’s starting quarterback a couple of years ago. That connection helped lead Beck to Raleigh, where the path to starting looked relatively clear.
That all changed when N.C. State lost seven straight games to conclude last season. The school fired Chuck Amato and replaced him with O’Brien, which meant Beck had to impress a new coaching staff.
His numbers in scrimmages — 7-of-26 in the spring game, 7-of-20 with four interceptions in the two fall scrimmages where statistics were released — have been spotty. But since his competitors haven’t separated themselves either, Beck is still in the hunt.
If he gets the job, Beck thinks his Nebraska experience will be one of the reasons why.
“I’m glad I went out there,” he said. “It was a great experience for me.
“I really appreciated learning from Zac Taylor. I appreciate it a lot more now than when I was young — I was only 17, so I was a little different then. I was a little more non-appreciative. I wanted to play real bad when I was there. I look back at it now, and I’m really glad I got to sit and watch Zac Taylor and all he did for me.”
- Steve Octavien feature
Octavien is in high spirits
BY MITCH SHERMAN
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN — Steve Octavien is a phenomenon.
Not sure? OK, quick, name one player ever at Nebraska to generate so much excitement through his performance in one quarter — against a Division I-AA opponent, at that — only to disappear for an entire year.
And name one from any school who re-emerged after more than 13 months to play like a Butkus Award winner against the No. 5 team in the nation before sliding again into the shadows.
That's Octavien, the Huskers' explosive and freakishly strong yet injury-prone weakside linebacker.
The 6-foot senior from Naples, Fla., plans to redefine his career at NU this season by simply staying on the field. Octavien, slated to start Saturday as the Huskers host Nevada at 2:30 p.m., said his improved mind and body condition will allow him to display more than just glimpses of greatness.
"I feel very confident," he said last week as the Huskers wrapped up training camp. "I feel great — mentally, spiritually. All I'm doing is trying to work hard and not have any regrets. I'm just happy to play ball."
It's been a frustrating two years in Lincoln for Octavien. He came to Nebraska as a junior college star out of William Rainey Harper College in Palatine, Ill., in 2005 and immediately won a starting position.
In the season opener against Maine, Octavien made a tackle in the backfield on the first play, two for losses in the first quarter and four stops in all. Then he suffered a broken leg.
Last year in preseason camp, Octavien reported overweight. He missed several weeks after an appendectomy. He strained his hamstring while running downfield on the opening kickoff against Southern California.
A month later, Octavien registered 10 tackles as Texas visited Memorial Stadium. He forced a fumble, broke up a pass and spent much of his day in the UT backfield, twice tackling Longhorns for losses.
"Sometimes I feel unstoppable," Octavien said. "In that game, I had that confidence. Without a doubt, I was in a zone. I know what it feels like because it happened all the time in junior college. I'm out there and I know that I won't be stopped. There's nothing anybody can do about it."
Late in Nebraska's 22-20 loss to Texas, Octavien sprained his ankle. He never looked like the same player again last year.
Octavien said he underwent a transformation after the season, spending a good amount of time with ex-Husker Matt Penland, the team's spiritual adviser.
"I wasn't taking care of my body," he said. "I was off spiritually. That was a real big thing."
His teammates and coaches notice a difference. Octavien said he weighs 238 pounds, on track to open the season at his ideal size of 235.
If history is an indication of what can happen when Octavien is healthy, look out. Early in camp, middle linebacker Corey McKeon said Octavien "blew up" 330-pound left tackle Carl Nicks on several blitzes.
"That's nearly impossible to do," McKeon said.
Octavien bench presses more than 500 pounds. He exceeds super-strong nose tackle Ndamukong Suh by benching 465 pounds in sets of two.
"If I compare with somebody, they tell me it would have to be (Adam) Carriker," Octavien said.
Look for Octavien this fall to play a bit like Carriker, the disruptive former Husker and first-round NFL draft pick who starred the past two seasons at defensive end. Some NU defensive alignments call for Octavien to play a hybrid end position.
"Coming off the edge, that strength helps a lot," he said. "I can move tackles. I can throw them around."
What everyone wants to know, though, is how will Octavien stay healthy?
He said he's not worried about it, and that's the first step.
"If I get injured this year," he said, "there's nothing I can do about it."
Additionally, his improved state of mind will help. For example, last year before the USC game, Octavien felt pain in his hamstring two days before the Huskers traveled to Los Angeles. He ignored it.
One day before the game, he could hardly run downfield. Still, he didn't tell NU trainers or his coaches.
"I was hoping (the pain) would go away," he said, "but I knew it wouldn't."
This year, he's taking a new approach.
"He stayed healthy in camp, and that's a key for him," defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said. "He's a playmaker. He's improved as a linebacker."
Octavien, despite all the talent and all the promise of two years ago, has started just two games in two seasons. It's not exactly the career for which he had hoped.
But the way Octavien sees it, he's been granted a final opportunity. It begins Saturday.
"He looks full strength," McKeon said. "Steve doesn't seem like a liability anymore."
- Notes from the weekend
Red Report: Adi or Alex?
By the Lincoln Journal Star
Saturday, Aug 25, 2007 - 09:35:38 pm CDT
Husker coach Bill Callahan was in good spirits Saturday, pleased with his team’s practice, even laughing off a joke about his Chicago White Sox being in last place.
Among the more interesting things from Callahan: It is wrong to assume strong-legged Adi Kunalic has won the field-goal kicking job. Alex Henery, the freshman and former Super-State soccer standout at Omaha Burke, also has a strong leg and is still in the race.
Asked who he’d line up for a 35-yard field goal today, Callahan said: “I still battle that in my own mind right now. I’m undecided right now. I just want to watch both kids compete. I’m really excited and encouraged by Alex Henery and by Adi. Both those guys have done very well in camp.”
Callahan said Kunalic kicked a 57-yard field goal the other day. Not to be outdone, Henery went out and kicked one from 50-plus, too.
“We’ve got more distance in our kicking game, not only in our placement kicks, but also in our kickoffs, so that’s encouraging, to see the field get changed because of that,” Callahan said.
When it comes to handling kickoffs, the competition is less interesting. Callahan said the true freshman Kunalic is in the lead.
“We just have to see how he measures up when game time comes around.”
Praise for the young
A couple of freshmen have added optimism to Callahan’s view of the team’s tight end position.
Most noteworthy was his mention of redshirt freshman Dreu Young of Cozad. Callahan had not brought up Young’s name with the media before his praise Saturday.
“Dreu Young excites me, as does Mike McNeill because of their ability as pass receivers,” he said. “They’re still getting better as run blockers, but their strength is as downfield receivers.”
McNeill is a redshirt freshman from Kirkwood, Mo. He and Young are both big targets, each standing 6-foot-4.
Callahan likes the diversity those guys can bring to packages alongside seniors J.B. Phillips, Josh Mueller and Sean Hill.
“I think that was the deepest position going into training camp and it still is,” Callahan said.
By the numbers
3: The number of catches by Husker tight ends last year that covered 20-plus yards.
Scouting report
QB Sam Keller
Last year’s scout team player of the year for Nebraska is this year’s starting quarterback.
And last year’s starting quarterback, Zac Taylor, said Sam Keller is a very focused player who sincerely enjoys his job.
“He likes to be vocal, he likes to show a lot of enthusiasm,” Taylor said. “Guys have responded well to that.”
Does Taylor have any advice to offer Keller before Saturday’s season opener?
“He doesn’t really need my advice,” Taylor said, smiling.
“Your first game, you’re going to make mistakes, and I think he knows that. You can’t put too much pressure on yourself to go out there and do too much.”
Said senior linebacker Corey McKeon of Keller: “You’ll be surprised. He’s not afraid to attack defenses.”
McKeon said players have been surprised by Keller’s leadership, and how he talks to the team.
“He bosses guys around like a quarterback should,” McKeon said. “That surprised a lot of guys.”
Taylor said he remembers a humble Keller that arrived in Lincoln a year ago and quietly went about his work.
“He’s part of our team now,” Taylor said. “He’s done everything everyone’s asked him to do. You have to respect him for that.”
Opponent watch: Wake Forest
On paper, the Demon Deacons look to have a trio of dangerous running backs. There’s senior Micah Andrews, back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, senior De’Angelo Bryant and sophomore Kevin Harris.
But on the field, with Wake Forest’s season opener at Boston College a week away, coach Jim Grobe isn’t yet wowed with what he’s seen from those guys.
“I think our running back group is a question for me right now,” Grobe told the Winston-Salem Journal. “I haven’t seen anybody just kind of blow everybody else away. I think we’ve got real good talent and real good kids, but that’s a group that I would like to be a little more assertive.”
The Demon Deacons have been using plenty of Band-Aids lately. The Journal reported that eight players would miss Saturday’s scrimmage. Grobe said of injured tight end John Tereshinski: “He hasn’t practiced since Moby Dick was a minnow.”
- Week 1 betting lines
NEBRASKA -19.5 v. Nevada
COLORADO -3 v. Colorado State
IOWA STATE -4 v. Kent State (Thur)
Missouri -5.5 at ILLINOIS
TCU -21.5 v. Baylor
GEORGIA -6.5 v. Oklahoma State
KANSAS -8.5 v. Central Michigan
TEXAS -37.5 v. Arkansas State
OKLAHOMA -41 v. North Texas
AUBURN -13.5 v. Kansas State
Texas Tech -9.5. v. SOUTHERN METHODIST
Other games of note:
CAL -5.5 v. Tennessee
USC -45.5 v. Idaho
Florida State -3 at CLEMSON
BOSTON COLLEGE -6.5 v. Wake Forest
UCLA -16.5 at STANFORD
RUTGERS - 31.5 v. Buffalo (Thur)
Tulsa - 6 at LA Monroe (Thur)
LSU -18.5 at MISS ST (Thur)
VA TECH -24 v. East Carolina
MIAMI -19.5 v. Marshall
WEST VIRGINIA -23 v. Western Michigan
Iowa -12 v. Nothern Illinois
WISCONSIN -14 v. Washington State
NOTRE DAME -3 v. Georgia Tech
ARKANSAS -25 v. Troy State
Preseason National Championship odds
USC +200
Michigan +600
West Virginia +800
LSU +800
Florida +800
Texas +900
Oklahoma +1500
- Chip Brown details all the big-time non conference games early on for the Big 12.
Hot start or early fall for Big 12?
Big 12 needs sizzling September to restore image
02:18 AM CDT on Sunday, August 26, 2007
We'll know about the strength of the Big 12 by the third week in September.
By then, nine key nonconference games involving Big 12 teams will be in the books.
Texas coach Mack Brown says nonleague games shouldn't be the barometer of whether the Big 12 is among the nation's best or not.
"We've played for the national title in five of the last seven years as a league," Brown said. "So that's pretty good."
Colleges
Nebraska coach Bill Callahan says things are cyclical. He remembers coaching under Barry Alvarez at Wisconsin in the early 1990s.
"The Big Ten was still hearing how it couldn't beat the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl," Callahan said.
The bottom line is, coaches can spin it all they want. If the Big 12 is to restore its good name after going 0-14 against ranked opponents from other conferences in 2006, here are the games that will make or break the league.
Oklahoma State at No. 13 Georgia (Saturday)
What's on the line: The Cowboys haven't had a signature nonconference win since beating No. 12 Arizona State to start the 1984 season under coach Pat Jones. That's the last time OSU beat a nonleague team ranked in the top 15. No one expects the Cowboys to go between the hedges at Sanford Stadium and win. But with only four starters back on defense, the Bulldogs had better not sleep on OSU's Big Three of QB Bobby Reid, RB Dantrell Savage and WR Adarius Bowman.
With a win: OSU would jump into the Top 25, grab all kinds of momentum and score an important win for the Big 12 against the Southeastern Conference, the bully of college football.
Prediction: OSU 20, Georgia 14 (Heck, Colorado almost pulled the upset last year.)
Kansas State at No. 18 Auburn (Saturday)
What's on the line: Much like Oklahoma State-Georgia, this is an important venture into Southeastern Conference territory for the Big 12 on opening weekend. Auburn has some important holes to fill on offense, including its top running back, receiver and four offensive linemen. The defense, however, is still plenty stout and won't hesitate to put pressure on sophomore K-State quarterback Josh Freeman.
With a win: Second-year coach Ron Prince would continue to build the momentum from 2006, when the Wildcats beat Texas and went from 4-7 (under Bill Snyder) to a bowl.
Prediction: Auburn 17, Kansas St. 10
Miami at No. 8 Oklahoma (Sept. 8)
What's on the line: The last time Oklahoma lost at home to a nonleague opponent – against TCU in 2005 – the Sooners were in a similar situation. They were starting a young, inexperienced quarterback against a fantastic defense. OU's new quarterback, redshirt freshman Sam Bradford, will have all he can handle against a veteran, nasty Hurricanes defense. This one could end up 7-3 if the OU defense doesn't create some short fields for the offense.
With a win: Bradford would gain immeasurable confidence heading into October's key clash with Texas.
Prediction: OU 17, Miami 14
No. 22 TCU at No. 4 Texas (Sept. 8)
What's on the line: The Horned Frogs are 3-0 vs. the Big 12 the last two seasons and will be undaunted about playing at Texas under coach Gary Patterson. Patterson will need a fast, senior-laden defense, led by pass rushers Tommy Blake and Chase Ortiz, to get after Texas and create turnovers. Otherwise, Texas simply has too much depth. Plus, UT is at home.
With a win: The Longhorns gain some confidence but not much else because they are expected to win.
Prediction: Texas 24, TCU 17
Colorado at Arizona St. (Sept. 8)
What's on the line: The Sun Devils aren't ranked, but under new coach Dennis Erickson, they will be a team to watch and are receiving votes in the AP poll. The Sun Devils are loaded with experience on offense. The Buffaloes had a disastrous first season (2-10) under coach Dan Hawkins, who is hoping his son, Cody, can quarterback the CU offense to more than seven TD passes – the team's total in 2006.
With a win: On the road against a quality if unranked opponent in the heat, a win could signal Colorado's return to respectability.
Prediction: Arizona St. 20, Colorado 14
No. 25 Texas A&M at Miami (Sept. 20)
What's on the line: We're assuming A&M will make it past Pat Hill's Fresno State Bulldogs, who went 4-8 last season, on Sept. 8 at Kyle Field. The Aggies' season could be made or broken on this Thursday night in the Orange Bowl against the Hurricanes. Dennis Franchione will have to scheme with the best of them to run on a defense that gave up just 67.8 yards per game on the ground last year (fourth nationally) and has seven starters back on home turf.
With a win: Fran ignites Aggieland and could set in motion a very special season.
Prediction: Miami 20, Texas A&M 19
No. 1 USC at No. 20 Nebraska (Sept. 15)
What's on the line: Only the top-ranked Trojans coming to Lincoln after having two weeks to prepare. (USC has a bye after opening with Idaho on Sept. 1.) The Big Red will be home underdogs, always a great position. In 2005, Nebraska fifth-year senior quarterback Sam Keller was 26-of-45 for 347 yards and two TDs in a 38-28 loss to USC while at Arizona State. Keller also threw five interceptions. He'll have to be error-free in the rematch.
With a win: The college football world gets rocked, and Bill Callahan has a defining win that buys him years of good will in Huskerland.
Prediction: USC 30, Nebraska 17
No. 19 Florida St. at Colorado (Sept. 15)
What's on the line: If the Buffaloes lose at Arizona State, it's possible FSU will make its first trip to Boulder with a false sense of confidence. FSU has up-and-down quarterback Drew Weatherford in a new scheme under first-year offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, a matchup the Colorado defense could handle. The real challenge will be CU's offense, which ranked 116th nationally in passing last season, scoring on a defense that returns eight starters and appears to be championship caliber.
With a win: Coach Dan Hawkins gets a signature win at home that excites the program, and his team starts to believe in him and itself.
Prediction: FSU 23, Colorado 13
No. 20 Nebraska at Wake Forest (Sept. 8)
What's on the line: The Cornhuskers have to win this game. Plain and simple. Yes, the Demon Deacons are the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champs. (Rolls off the tongue like thumbtacks, doesn't it?) But they got every break in 2006. Example: Wake was outgained by an average of 57.1 yards per game. Nebraska should have better talent, regardless of Wake's 14 returning starters, including nine on offense.
With a win: Nebraska proves it can go into a semi-hostile environment and win a game it should.
Prediction: Nebraska 20, Wake Forest 14
- Larry Asante, get used to the name, he's a stud.
Asante is Big Red's big hitter
By BRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Aug 24, 2007 - 12:15:00 pm CDT
If you were looking for a guy who looked like he’d been through it, Larry Asante was the picture of him Monday afternoon.
Sweat soaked the Husker sophomore safety’s face. His limp was noticeable. “Just a bruise,” he says. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”
Juco ball wasn’t like this. A guy could get by with talent alone there. Here, there is more to it.
Here, football starts at 7 in the morning and ends at 9:30 at night.
Here is where Larry Asante has to make that nickname a coach gave him on the recruiting trail seem worthy.
The Assassin. That’s what the coach called him. Asante smiles. A bad name in most places. A good name for a safety who likes to rattle the rib cages of running backs.
“It just kind of stuck,” he says of the nickname.
Here’s why it sticks.
Go back to the first Saturday fall scrimmage. Freshman running back Marcus Mendoza has the ball, closing in on the sideline, but not to safety yet.
Asante, patrolling the middle of the field, sees opportunity. He hauls tail to meet him, picks up Mendoza and puts him down like his kid brother, the ball bouncing out of bounds.
The field becomes a collection of “oohs” and “aahs.”
Ask Asante about that hit and he starts laughing. “He said that was the hardest anybody’s ever hit him.”
Husker senior cornerback Zackary Bowman was standing on the sideline that day recovering from an injury.
“That was an eye-opener,” Bowman says. “Everybody was like, ‘We haven’t seen that around here in a while.’”
This is part of the reason as to why the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Asante is leading the parade to start at strong safety in next Saturday’s season opener against Nevada.
“It’s kind of like a rep that I’ve built up throughout playing football,” Asante says. “I come up and hit people. I hit ’em. I don’t try to injure nobody, you know what I’m saying, but I try to put a hurtin’ on the person.”
He’s admittedly come a long way since he arrived at Nebraska as a transfer in January.
He was a stat monger as a linebacker at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, racking up 76 tackles, 11 of them for losses, three blocked kicks and an interception.
Just read and react. It was so simple in junior college.
Then he got to Lincoln and lined up against Bill Callahan’s West Coast offense.
Shifts galore. His head was spinning.
“The first day of practice I had no idea what was going on,” Asante says. “It was too fast. Coach (Bill Busch) was saying, ‘Man, keep your head up. You’re going to pick it up.’ At the time, I wasn’t believing him. I was like, ‘Man, this is crazy, Coach.’”
He got crazy in the film room. He’d text message defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove with football questions.
Asante didn’t just want to know where he was supposed to be on the field. He wanted to know why he was supposed to be there.
“He doesn’t just freelance it,” says Busch, Husker safeties coach. “His work ethic to learn is incredible. He studies film as well as anybody that’s been around.”
Amazing what some film work will do. The game slowed. It’s simple again. Just read and react.
The hard work looks like it might pay dividends when the depth chart comes out.
Asante says he’s currently working with the top string at strong safety with senior Bryan Wilson backing him up. The snaps at the No. 1 free safety spot are going to senior Tierre Green with sophomore Rickey Thenarse behind him.
“I think we have a chance to have one of the top defenses in the nation,” Asante says. “We’re getting better every single day. That’s the improvement all across the board, at D-line, cornerbacks, linebacker, safeties. We know what everyone’s doing on the field.”
He played both defense and offense in high school in Alexandria, Va. He was a running back, a good one at that.
Now, he looks into the eyes of a running back before each play. The eyes of a running back tell all, he says.
“If it’s a pass block, he’s looking around scanning to see who he has to block,” Asante says. “If it’s a run, he’s looking at the gap he has to hit.”
Being a running back was fun but it lacked hitting, and he needs the hitting.
His limp gone Thursday, he talks about opportunities to blitz from his safety spot. There’s that smile again.
He wouldn’t enjoy rocking a quarterback like that, would he?
“Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Love it. Love it.”
- The NoTex Rant Top 25
#25 - Missouri
#24 - Hawaii
#23 - Oklahoma St.
#22 - Texas Tech
#21 - South Carolina
#20 - Boston College
#19 - Boise State
#18 - Rutgers
#17 - Cal
#16 - Ohio State
#15 - Tennessee
#14 - Michigan
#13 - TCU
#12 - Nebraska
#11 - Florida
#10 - Texas
#9 - Auburn
- #8 - Oklahoma
Has any team ever had a more bizarre year than the 2006 Oklahoma Sooners? Has anyone ever had so much success, with almost no one remembering it?
The program withstood the late-summer revelation that quarterback Rhett Bomar had been on a no-show job plan, had to deal with the soap opera that was the blown call on a late onside kick in a loss to Oregon, and will forever be known as the team that lost to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Oh yeah, and it won the Big 12 title.
If an 11-3 record and a BCS berth is a bad season, there are roughly 110 other teams that would love a similar misfortune.
However, OU plays for national titles, but is the program as strong as it was before losing back-to-back national championship games? Can Bob Stoops, who didn't run off to coach the Cowboys, Alabama or anyone else, as many feared, get the Sooners back on top? The answer lies under center, where it has for a while in Norman.
Two years ago, Bomar had to suffer through his apprenticeship. In 2006, Paul Thompson returned to the quarterback spot and acquitted himself fairly well. Now, it's up to Sam Bradford, Joey Halzle and Keith Nichol to lead a loaded offense. With Bradford winning the job, he'll be under the microscope all season long. But for a program that went through last year's adversity, simply finding a quarterback is a walk in the park.
Adrian Peterson may be in the NFL, but there are enough good backs around to tempt Stoops to go back to the wishbone. The offensive line returns four starters and plugs massive (6-foot-8, 350) JC newcomer Phil Loadholt into the left tackle spot. Wideout Malcolm Kelly is an All-America candidate, and there's good depth behind him. The defensive front seven took some hits, but the secondary is going to be excellent, and reloading is never a problem up front. If the quarterback position solidifies, and it should, Oklahoma will be right where it wants to be.
Ho hum, it might just be the Big 12 champion once again.
What to look for on offense: In a word, balance. The Sooners are going to look to run and pass in equal doses, and it would help a lot if Bradford comes around quickly. OU will be able to run the ball well, thanks to a great line and plenty of backs, led by Allen Patrick, providing a steady dose of last year's formula. Run well, get timely passing, win.
What to look for on defense: If the Sooners can fix their front seven, this could be a highly dangerous outfit. The question is not only whether the D can stop the run, but whether it can get pressure on the passer with just the front four. The Sooners had just 26 sacks in 14 games last year, hardly enough to be considered imposing, considering they had one of the nation's most talented, and deepest, defensive lines.
This team will be much better if... it improves its passing offense. As effective as Thompson became, the Sooners were still 70th in the country in passing. Without Peterson around to bull through eight-man fronts, the Sooner running attack will stumble at times if Bradford can't launch an effective downfield attack.
The Schedule: It's far better than it looks on paper. Considering Miami isn't Miami and has to come to Norman, that's not the non-conference nightmare it would've been a few years ago. The rest of the non-conference schedule is a joke, as the Sooners play North Texas, Utah State and at Tulsa, which will be like an OU home game. The one really tough game against the North, Missouri, is at home, while the only true Big 12 road games are at Colorado, Iowa State and Texas Tech. A three-game home stretch late in the year against Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Baylor might seal the South title, if the Sooners can beat Texas on Oct. 6th.
Best Offensive Player: Junior WR Malcolm Kelly. The 6-foot-4, 217-pound junior has to come back from a knee injury that cost him almost all of the Fiesta Bowl. If he's back to his old form, he'll be one of the Big 12's best receivers, as he comes off a 62-catch, 993-yard, 10-touchdown season, with three 100-yard games in his final four before the Boise State loss.
Best Defensive Player: Junior corner Reggie Smith ... or junior safety Nic Harris... or senior corner Marcus Walker. Smith started out at corner before moving over to strong safety and now will move back to corner. Wherever he plays, he's fast enough to always be around the ball. Harris was mostly a nickel back before turning into a whale of a free safety late in the year, finishing with 68 tackles, four interceptions and eight pass breakups. At 6-foot-3 and 226 pounds, he's an intimidating force who can do it all. It took Walker a few games before he became a starter, but he grew into the role, finishing with three picks and nine broken up passes. These three form the bulk of the nation's best secondary.
Key player to a successful season: Redshirt freshman Sam Bradford or ... Junior QB Joey Halzle... or true freshman Keith Nichol. While it's Bradford job for now, he'll have to perform to stay on the field. Bradford is the future star of the show with the most upside and talent, Halzle has the most experience in the system, and Nichol has a nice mix of skills to be the No. 2 man.
The season will be a success if ... OU wins the Big 12 title again and is in the hunt for the national title. There are several major issues to worry about, from the quarterback situation to the defensive line, but the overall talent is in place to make a run for the whole ball of wax. The schedule works out well enough for any team worthy of the BCS to get through undefeated or with one loss at most.
Key game: Oct. 6 vs. Texas. The last time OU lost three in a row to the Longhorns was 1997 through 1999. Losing to them two years ago was one thing (Texas had Vince Young and a national title team), but getting beaten 28-10 last year made this year vital to stop the bleeding. The momentum in the series has to turn back OU's way in what should, once again, be the game to decide the South title.
2006 Fun Stats
Third quarter scoring: Oklahoma 119; Opponents 47
Fumbles: Oklahoma 33 (lost 22); Opponents 23 (lost 14)
Rushing yards per game: Oklahoma 177.1; Opponents 98.7
Oklahoma Sooners
Team Information
Head coach: Bob Stoops
9th year: 86-19
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 25, Def. 20, ST 5
Lettermen Lost: 10
Ten Best Players
1. WR Malcolm Kelly, Jr.
2. CB Reggie Smith, Jr.
3. OG George Robinson, Jr.
4. FS Nic Harris, Jr.
5. DT DeMarcus Granger, Soph.
6. C Jon Cooper, Jr.
7. CB Marcus Walker, Sr.
8. RB Allen Patrick, Sr.
9. RB DeMarco Murray, RFr.
10. PK Garrett Hartley, Sr.
2007 Schedule
Sept. 1 North Texas
Sept. 8 Miami
Sept. 15 Utah State
Sept. 21 at Tulsa
Sept. 29 at Colorado
Oct. 6 vs. Texas
Oct. 13 Missouri
Oct. 20 at Iowa State
Nov. 3 Texas A&M
Nov. 10 Baylor
Nov. 17 at Texas Tech
Nov. 24 Oklahoma State
- #7 - UCLA
Every so often, things line up perfectly for good programs giving them a rare opportunity to have a great season when everything comes together at once. UCLA is staring at just such a convergence for the upcoming season.
Although the Bruins have lived in the long shadow of cross-town rival USC ever since Pete Carroll arrived in 2001, they've fostered a little momentum, courtesy of last year's landscape-altering upset of the Trojans and the return of all but two starters from that team. There were highs and lows in 2006, but last year was more about setting the table for 2007 and a possible run at a BCS bowl game than anything else. Of course, that raises the stakes for Karl Dorrell, who'll either quiet his critics or energize them if the Bruins disappoint and wallow in the middle of the Pac-10 pack.
While the well-stocked UCLA defense will be the anchor, the offense must locate some more firepower if this is going to be more than a schizophrenic team that can beat USC, yet still lose to Washington and Washington State in the same year. Part of the problem in Westwood has been a lack of continuity in the coaching staff under Dorrell, who is now on his fourth coordinator in five years. Jay Norvell was pried away from Nebraska in the off-season to dispense his knowledge of the West Coast offense and call plays for the first time in his career. His first big call, however, will involve the tight battle at quarterback between Patrick Cowan and Ben Olson, which could rage on through the summer.
In the land of stars, they might be lining up for UCLA to make a run at a 10-win season and a possible home game in January. The schedule and the depth chart point to a big year, but now the Bruins have to prove they've got the mental toughness to deal with elevated expectations for a change.
What to watch for on offense: There's just too much talent on UCLA for it to finish seventh in the league again in total and scoring offense. Former coordinator Jim Svoboda was knocked for being too conservative with his play calling, something Norvell hopes to address, while maintaining the Bruins' signature offensive balance. The Shannon Tevaga-led line returns four starters that'll open holes for versatile Chris Markey to burst through. Whichever quarterback gets the ball will benefit from the competition and the return of Joe Cowan, a big, sure-handed flanker that missed 2006 with a knee injury.
What to watch for on defense: In his debut as a defensive coordinator, DeWayne Walker whipped the Bruins into a very quick and very tough unit that attacked the line of scrimmage and created turnovers. He also proved to be a solid Xs and Os guy, who'll only get better with experience. Lighting quick end Bruce Davis headlines the defense, but he'll get plenty of help. The back seven is deep and talented, highlighted by the safety duo of Chris Horton and Dennis Keyes and cornerback Alterraun Verner, the budding star of the secondary.
The team will be far better if ... it improves its efficiency in the red zone. Only Penn State settled for more field goals than UCLA in 2006, which won't cut it against the upper half of the Pac-10. Plus, in place of rock steady kicker Justin Medlock steps freshman Kai Forbath, so even three points is no longer a lock.
The Schedule: It's not easy. There's not a breather in the non-conference schedule playing BYU, Utah (who'll each join TCU as the Mountain West superstars) to go along with Notre Dame. On the plus side, there are five Pac-10 home games including Oregon and Cal, but the Bruins have to go on the road to face Oregon State and USC. The only back-to-back road trips are to Washington State and Arizona, who didn't go bowling last year.
Best Offensive Player: Senior RB Chris Markey. Markey has seen his role increase each fall at UCLA, capped by last year's 1,000-yard, 35-catch season, his first out of Maurice Jones-Drew's shadow and as a full-time starter. A patient runner with good vision, he'll wait behind Bruin linemen before hitting the hole and popping a six or seven yard gain.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Bruce Davis. It took a couple of years of tinkering, but Davis, a virtually unblockable blur coming off the edge, has finally found a home at defensive end. The NFL can worry about him being a tweener when he gets there, but for now, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior is one of the quickest and most disruptive pass rushers in the country.
Key player to a successful season: Redshirt freshman PK Kai Forbath and/or junior Jimmy Rotstein. All Justin Medlock did was hit 28 of 32 field goals as a weapon that always came through when the offense bogged down. Forbath was a star recruit with a strong leg able to hit from well beyond 50 yards. Just connecting in the clutch would be good enough for the Bruins.
The season will be a success if ... the Bruins go to the Rose Bowl. That might be setting the bar a bit high considering that team from the other side of town will be cranked up more than ever after the way the 2006 regular season ended, but UCLA has the talent to be among the best teams in America right from the start. With three of the other top Pac-10 contenders, Cal, Arizona State and Oregon, all coming to L.A., the schedule, as nasty as it might be, works out just well enough to hope for a Rose Bowl shot going into the December showdown with the Trojans.
Key game: Sept. 29 at Oregon State. Of course the trip down the freeway to USC is the key game on the schedule, but in order for that to have much meaning for the Bruins in the Pac-10 race, they have to get by the Beavers early on. This should be the toughest road game until USC, so if they can win in Corvallis and go unbeaten at home, the title might be there for the taking.
2006 Fun Stats
Sacks: UCLA 40 for 270 yards — Opponents 21 for 151 yards
Fumbles: UCLA 29 (lost 9) — Opponents 19 (lost 14)
Fourth down conversions: Opponents 14 of 27 (52%) — UCLA 4 of 11 (36%)
UCLA Bruins
Team Information
Head coach: Karl Dorrell
5th year: 29-21
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 24, Def. 24, ST 1
Lettermen Lost: 12
Ten Best Players
1. DE Bruce Davis, Sr.
2. G Shannon Tevaga, Sr.
3. SS Chris Horton, Sr.
4. CB Trey Brown, Sr.
5. RB Chris Markey, Sr.
6. LB Christian Taylor, Sr.
7. QB Ben Olson, Jr.
8. DT Brighan Harwell, Sr.
9. DT Kevin Brown, Sr.
10. LB Reggie Carter, Soph.
2007 Schedule
Sept. 1 at Stanford
Sept.8 BYU
Sept. 15 at Utah
Sept. 22 Washington
Sept. 29 at Oregon State
Oct. 6 Notre Dame
Oct. 20 California
Oct. 27 at Washington St
Nov. 3 at Arizona
Nov. 10 Arizona State
Nov. 24 Oregon
Dec. 1 at USC
- Picks O'the day
Weekend record - 4-3
YTD - 128-109
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