Husker Spring Preview: Which QB has the Right Stuff?

As spring practice approaches, Nebraska head coach Mike Riley will have his 1st chance to implement his new offense. So what kind of offense will it be? It appears it will be some type of West Coast/Pro Style Hybrid, but Riley also said that he will adapt his offense to meet the Husker’s current talent. What we really want to know is does Nebraska have a quarterback with the right stuff to lead us to the Promise Land?

Dec 5, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Mike Riley poses for the media at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

It’s safe to say that Riley likes to have his quarterbacks throw the ball. While at Oregon State, there was only one time where the rushing offense ranked higher than the passing offense (2007). Riley has had 3 QBs drafted by NFL teams, but only 2 ever amounted to anything. Their best completion percentages at Oregon St.: Derek Anderson (54.2%), Matt Moore (66.3%), and Sean Canfield (67.93%). Sean Mannion will most likely be drafted by one of the NFL teams in 2015 also. His best completion percentage, 66.3%.

Is there a Husker quarterback that can achieve the passing success these Oregon State quarterbacks did? I hope so!

So before we can decide which Husker QB will deliver us to the Land of Milk and Honey we first need to look at all the players involved in our journey. Red-shirt junior and current starter, Tommy Armstrong. When I think of Armstrong I am reminded of the the Katy Perry song “Hot and Cold,” because that is exactly how he played last season. Last season his completion percentage was 53.3%, and threw for 2,695 yards with 22 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Armstrong’s completion percentage is o.9% lower than Derek Anderson’s percentage at OSU. During Anderson’s last 2 years, Beaver passing offense was ranked 6th, and 7th in the nation. Both Armstrong and Anderson were nationally ranked recruits so perhaps Coach Riley and Coach Langsdorf will help teach Armstrong how to connect on the passes that really matter and to play consistently (like he did against USC). Something to keep in mind though, in 2012 Riley never recruited Tommy Armstrong to come play at Oregon State.

The only other Husker QB to have any game experience is Ryker Fyfe. It’s not much. Bo was not one for giving the back-ups much playing time. In the limited time Fyfe played at Nebraska he has thrown 11 times, but only completed 5 and scoring 1 TD (completion percentage of 45.5%). Ryker seemed to be Bo and Beck’s number one back-up, but he lacks any real experience to put him in the drivers seat. And Mike Riley never recruited Fyfe to play for Oregon State.

Aug 30, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Ryker Fyfe (17) looks to pass during the second half against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Memorial Stadium. Nebraska won 55-7. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Johnny “Tebo” Stanton is certainly the most intriguing of the three in my book. Stanton had a banner junior year in high school winning the state championship and breaking Carson Palmer’s record for total yards. His senior year did not go as planned. Early in his senior campaign Stanton suffered a season ending ACL injury. He had already committed to play at Nebraska, and NU chose to honor the scholarship. Had his senior year gone as expected, Stanton would most likely would have been courted by more of the top schools in the nation. Oh yeah, and Mike Riley must have seen something in Stanton because Oregon State recruited him offered him a scholarship.

The other 2 Husker scholarship QBs on the roster are both red-shirt freshmen from Florida and both have experience playing for high school championships. Zack Darlington is a coach’s son which gives him a history of coaching time, but he also has a history of concussions which is a little unnerving. AJ Bush is intriguing because he opened up a lot of eyes on the scout team in practice making him a dark horse candidate.