Lincoln — Ron who? Ed who?
Zac Lee won’t say it, so I will: Who are these golden throats Ron Franklin and Ed Cunningham? Anyone ever heard of ’em?
A week after the two ESPN broadcasters unintentionally embarrassed Lee on national television by not recognizing his name, the junior quarterback spelled it in big, bold letters for all of college football to learn.
Zac Lee? He’s a heck of a quarterback, and maybe a better sport.
“A friend of mine texted me about it after the game,’’ Lee said after helping beat Arkansas State 38-9.
But what Lee did Saturday at Memorial Stadium was the stuff that had fans running for chat rooms and sportswriters searching for superlatives they haven’t worn out.
It wasn’t just that Lee completed 27 of 35 passes for 340 yards and four touchdowns (not including a 70-yard touchdown pass called back by a holding penalty) and ran seven times for 28 yards (not counting minus-17 on two sacks). It was how he did it.
There are probably some experts hanging out in a Legion Club or two who might beg to differ, but Lee has the strongest arm of any Nebraska quarterback I’ve ever seen — and that goes back to 1977.
To go with that, Lee is also likely the best pro prospect at quarterback around here since Vince Ferragamo carried Tom Osborne’s teams around on his right arm.
Lee doesn’t throw the ball, he e-mails it. He launches it like the guy who shoots hot dogs into the crowd. The ball zips right to the receiver on a straight line. He throws no-excuse passes. You have no excuse not to catch it.
He has an artist’s touch, drawing pretty, tight spirals like watercolors off a brush. And he put them in spots only his receivers could find — like a perfect first-quarter 43-yard pass that Curenski Gilleylen caught over his shoulder on the sideline.
Lee skillfully called audibles, ran with authority and no fear out of the pocket and on options and made it all look as easy as one of those backyard games in the jeans commercials.
Another veteran who has seen a lot of Husker quarterbacks was equally impressed.
“When you have a guy who can throw the ball like him and run the ball like him, what a dual threat,’’ assistant coach Ron Brown said. “I tell you, I like his demeanor, a lot of poise. He handles pressure well. He has resiliency. He bounces right back up.’’
And he doesn’t flinch when some folks toss around the words “quarterback controversy.’’
About that controversy: Forget it. There isn’t going to be any quarterback controversy. Some folks might have thought freshman Cody Green could make a move, but that was before anyone saw Lee on Saturday. Now there’s no reason to think Lee won’t keep his arms around this job for a long time, including next season.
“It doesn’t bother me,’’ Lee said. “My dad (Bob) told me so many stories, things that come with being a quarterback. He started and was a backup in the NFL, so he’s been through it. It’s part of the deal. He said, don’t worry about it, just play. Keep being you and you’ll be OK.’’
He was more than OK on Saturday. In fact, he was so good that he didn’t even get scolded when he broke a cardinal rule.
“He had a rare moment where he had a ‘scramble throw’ across his body, which is a ‘never’ rule,’’ offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. “There’s not a whole lot I can say about it because he made a great play.’’
And that’s the thing you took away from Saturday. Not that Lee is going to supplant Tommie Frazier or Jerry Tagge on Mount Rushmore. But he’s a maker of plays, big plays at times. He might try to force it at times, but most of the time he knows where the ball should go and he gets it there.
But what happens when the defenders come a little more stout? We find out next weekend at Virginia Tech. Lee welcomes the challenge because, as daddy always taught him, great quarterbacks have big-time wins, not big-time arms.
“That’s how quarterbacks are judged,’’ Lee said.
The jury is still out on Lee, but the evidence so far is overwhelming.
Contact the writer:
444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com
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