Nebraska QB Keller out for season with shoulder injury

Oct 29, 2007 - 7:00 PM LINCOLN, Nebraska (Ticker) -- Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller will miss the remainder of the regular season with a shoulder injury, the school announced Monday.

Keller suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 28-25 loss to Texas. Nebraska coach Bill Callahan did not reveal any details concerning the injury.

A senior, Keller was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dismal season for the Cornhuskers (4-5), who are just 1-4 in Big 12 Conference play.

Playing in his first full season since transferring from Arizona State, Keller started all nine games for Nebraska, completing 63 percent of his passes for 2,422 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

"I'm appreciative of (Keller's) efforts," Callahan said Monday during a conference call. "He's a good kid, a classy individual. He was a real leader for us during some troubled times."

Keller came from Arizona State last year after a bizarre turn of events in Tempe.

Named the MVP of the Sun Bowl after leading the Sun Devils to a comeback victory over Purdue to cap the 2004 season, Keller started 2005 by throwing for 2,165 yards and 20 TDs in the first seven games of the season before a hand injury ended his campaign.

After being tabbed as the starter for Arizona State last season, Keller was suddenly replaced when then-coach Dirk Koetter changed his mind two days later and went with Rudy Carpenter.

Callahan said Monday that junior Joe Ganz will start at quarterback this coming Saturday against eighth-ranked Kansas.

More of a scrambler than Keller, Ganz has 27 rushing yards on just three carries this season and also has completed 3-of-4 passes for 75 yards and a TD. Ganz appeared in five games last season, passing for 122 yards and three scores in limited action.

Keller's injury marks the latest disappointment in a disastrous season for Nebraska, which is mired in its first four-game losing streak since 1961. The Cornhuskers suffered a 45-14 defeat to Oklahoma State on October 13, their worst home loss since 1958.

The school fired athletic director Steve Pederson on October 15 and replaced him the following day with coaching legend Tom Osborne, who guided the Cornhuskers to a 255-49-3 (.836) record and national championships in 1994 and 1995.

Nebraska did win the Big North title last year with a 9-5 record before losing to Oklahoma in the conference championship game and falling to Auburn in the Cotton Bowl.