LINCOLN, Neb. - It happened a year later than he thought it should, but the starting quarterback's job now truly belongs to Joe Ganz.
His sense of ownership shows.
"He's wanted to be the guy since he's been here, and he's put in a lot of time and a lot of hard work," receiver Todd Peterson said. "He realizes this is his season. It's going to be his offense, and he's going to do whatever needs to be done."
Ganz started the last three games in 2007 after Sam Keller was lost to injury. But it wasn't until the spring that Ganz really felt the job was his.
The fifth-year senior will be under center Saturday night when Nebraska opens the season at home against Western Michigan.
"I'm a little more excited, because going in now I know that I'll be playing the whole year," Ganz said. "I've reached the goal I had when I got here."
Ganz was seriously considering playing baseball at Eastern Michigan before former Husker coach Bill Callahan offered him a scholarship late in the 2004 recruiting season.
Ganz sat out as a redshirt his first year and served as a backup to Zac Taylor for two years. He was cast to the side in 2006 when hotshot recruit Harrison Beck arrived and got playing time ahead of him. Beck transferred.
Enter Keller, who transferred from Arizona State after a falling out with his coach.
Ganz battled Keller to a virtual draw in preseason practice last year, but Keller was given the job.
Ganz staved off the temptation to transfer, then proved to be quite capable in Nebraska's offense as the late-season starter. Ganz threw four interceptions in his first start, but the first didn't come until the Huskers went into desperation mode after falling behind 42-21.
The next week he threw no interceptions and set school records with 510 yards passing and seven touchdowns in a 73-31 rout of Kansas State.
In the final game, a 65-51 loss at Colorado, he threw three interceptions. He threw back-to-back picks in the third quarter, and both led to touchdowns that allowed CU to turn a 35-24 deficit into a 38-35 lead.
"I was just trying to make too many plays last year because we were down," Ganz said, "and I was trying to force things a lot more. This year, I had a good fall camp. I think I threw one or two interceptions out of however many reps I had, so I was pretty pleased. Hopefully I'll make better decisions, won't force as many throws and be closer in a lot of games."
Ganz's running ability gives opponents something else to consider when defending the Huskers. Ganz said he grew up imitating Tommie Frazier, the Huskers' 1994-95 national championship quarterback, in his backyard.
Ganz, to be sure, is no Frazier. And no one will mistake Nebraska's offense for the triple-option Tom Osborne employed. But Ganz is the best running quarterback the Huskers have had since Jammal Lord in 2003.
"I like to run the ball," Ganz said. "I don't want to run it 20 times a game, but however many coach dials up I'll be happy with. It's something I've done since high school, and I really enjoy running the ball and having the decision in my hand of what to do, so it kind of helps me get into the flow of the game a little more."
