Huskers Add Quarterback to Roster

Lincoln? The Nebraska football team logged its second practice of the week Wednesday with a two-hour half-pad workout inside Memorial Stadium. Following practice, Head Coach Bill Callahan officially announced the exciting addition of senior quarterback Sam Keller, a 6-4, 230-pound transfer out of Arizona St.

 

“Sam Keller has joined our football team,” Callahan said. “He’s here, he’s a Husker, he’s excited to be here and we’re excited to have him. He’ll get settled tonight and acclimated to our football team and he’ll join us tomorrow.”

 

Keller will redshirt this season due to NCAA transfer rules before becoming eligible to play his senior campaign in 2007. When asked what appeal Nebraska would have to a quarterback, Callahan touched on the opportunity to compete for a starting job as well as Nebraska’s use of the West Coast Offense.

 

“He looks at Nebraska as an opportunity,” Callahan said. “What’s really exciting is that in talking to Sam (Keller) and his family, he wants to come in here and compete just like anyone else. He wants to earn his stripes and earn his role, and he’s willing to sit out a year and prepare himself for the competition in the spring.

 

“I think we have a unique circumstance here and a unique opportunity for guys to come in here and compete. I think the offense in itself is a lure in terms of what we have to offer and what it can do for a quarterback and how it can progress his potential for the years after college football.”

 

Keller started the first seven games for the Sun Devils in the 2005-06 season before enduring what was ultimately a season-ending hand injury against Oregon on Oct. 8.

 

The Danville, Calif. native completed 155-of-264 passes (58.7 percent) for 2,165 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions, putting him amongst the nation’s leaders in passing yards and touchdown passes for the first half of the season.

 

With just 10 days remaining until the Husker’s season opener against Louisiana Tech, offensive coordinator Jay Norvell touched on the team’s move from the intensity of fall training camp to the focus on detail that comes with game-week preparation.

 

“Practice was great today,” Norvell said. “We practiced a lot of third-down situation plays, which is a normal Wednesday for us. This is kind of a bridge week for us, switching our focus from fall training camp to (first game opponent) Louisiana Tech. We’re just beginning to introduce coverages and fronts to them in regards to Louisiana Tech, so we’re slowly getting into it.”

 

According to Norvell, this week allows newcomers and veterans alike to adjust to the game-week schedule that will begin on Monday.

 

“This is kind of an introduction to a game week to our players, with meetings and practices, so they can get used to it for next week when we play for real,” Norvell said. “We probably won’t scrimmage this week. We scrimmaged a lot in training camp and now we’re just trying to get execution and timing for the ballgame. Tomorrow will be a red zone day and we’ll review situations on Friday and have a mock game on Saturday.”

The Huskers return to the practice field Thursday afternoon for their third practice of the week.