Keller
A week ago at this time, ASU had arguably the best quarterback depth in the country with senior Sam Keller and sophomore Rudy Carpenter, neither of whom were capable of leading the Sun Devils to a top-25 ranking and a finish near the top of the conference standings.
Now they’re a Carpenter injury away from the season becoming a disaster.
In other words, they’re in the same situation as Arizona, only the Wildcats have a redshirt senior in Adam Austin backing up Willie Tuitama, and the Sun Devils have a true freshman in Danny Sullivan, the only other scholarship quarterback on their roster, behind Carpenter.
Keller left the Sun Devils for Nebraska this week after ASU head coach Dirk Koetter named Carpenter the starter on Sunday, as he didn’t want to spend his senior year on the bench. After sitting out a redshirt this year, he will have one year of eligibility for the ‘Huskers.
Koetter reversed course after originally naming Keller the main man on Friday following a meeting with a player leadership group on Saturday when they voiced support for Carpenter.
It’s a gamble that will pay off for Koetter if Carpenter stays healthy, a move he had to make without risking the younger, more talented Carpenter’s status as a Sun Devil.
But if he gets hurt, the Wildcats will be the best team in the state.
Michael Schwartz
Sports Editor
Kovalcheck
After losing his starting job to freshman Willie Tuitama last season, Richard Kovalcheck bolted, taking advantage of a new NCAA rule that allows undergraduates to transfer and enroll in a graduate program at a different school without being forced to sit out the usual one year.
And what did it get him? The No. 3 job at Vanderbilt.
Kovalcheck, who was trying to replace Jay Cutler, the No. 11 pick in last year’s draft by the Denver Broncos, was recently described as “”a pure passer”” by the Nashville Scene.
And his new coaches at Vanderbilt said all the right things, telling him he’d be given a shot to play if he earned it.
But apparently, the “”pure passer”” didn’t earn it, as he sits behind sophomore Chris Nixon and redshirt freshman Mackenzi Adams on the depth chart.
What Vandy head coach Bobby Johnson apparently found out this fall is something most of this campus came to realize last season: When it comes to Division I football, Kovalcheck simply can’t cut it.
Ryan Casey
Assistant Sports Editor
Bomar
Working at a car dealership is sweet, especially when you don’t have to show up to work. Rhett Bomar, a former No. 2 recruit in the nation, was once the quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners. He was behind the wheel of one of the top programs in college football, but when it came to hopping behind the wheel and moving a car, Bomar was nowhere to be found.
His dad told the Oklahoman his son made an extra $5,000 to $7,000 “”working”” at Big Red Sports and Imports, or rather not working.
Bomar and his roommate, offensive lineman J.D. Quinn, were subsequently dismissed from the team for taking “”payment over an extended period of time in excess of time actually worked,”” according to what the school told ESPN.com.
Of course, Bomar has no need to worry about his finances. The recruiting bids have already begun for the future NFL prospect.
On the fan site Rhett-Bomar.com, Texas Christian head coach Gary Patterson is quoted as saying, “”Who in the United States wouldn’t be interested in Rhett Bomar as a player?””
Coaches, start your engines.
Roman Veytsman
Assistant Sports Editor
