Zac Lee has played the role of scout-team quarterback at Nebraska.
NU quarterbacks Patrick Witt, left, Zac Lee and Joe Ganz. Witt began practice as the top backup to Ganz, but is being pressed by Lee. He even enjoyed his time there last year. But really, Lee would rather not do it again.
"It was fun to a point," Lee said as he opened preseason camp in a tight race with Patrick Witt for the No. 2 QB job, "but I want to be out there on Saturday."
Lee, a third-year sophomore from San Francisco, brings an impressive pedigree to Nebraska. He's the son of 12-year NFL veteran Bob Lee. Witt began practice as the top backup to senior Joe Ganz - a job the redshirt freshman earned during spring practice.
But it's a close race, one that has captured the attention of Shawn Watson, the Huskers' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. A year after Ganz lost out to Sam Keller in a preseason QB battle, the fight for second-string duty is on.
"Both of them, they're getting their timing right now," Watson said. "Even though they worked all summer, they haven't had the time against a coached look."
Witt and Lee split practice reps with the No. 2 offensive unit. Witt, usually candid and comfortable with the news media, declined an interview request this week, saying he didn't want to talk until he accomplished something on the field.
He spent most of last season confident he would redshirt, but for about two weeks his status was in doubt after Keller's late-season injury. Lee began last fall limited because of a knee injury and then settled into the scout-team job. His exposure to Nebraska's offense occurred in the spring.
According to Watson, Witt's knowledge of the offense and decision-making skills give him an edge.
"Both of us, obviously, are trying to work for that spot," said Lee, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound transfer from San Francisco City College. "We'll keep battling. Fall camp is a little marathon. You try to get better every day and try not to make the same mistakes today that you made yesterday."
Lee, who threw for 3,400 yards and 35 touchdowns as a juco freshman in 2006, said he expected his time at Nebraska to require patience.
"The thing that I've had all coaches tell me is that there are going to be good players wherever you go," Lee said. "Every school has four or five guys who are highly recruited. They're all good football players. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here. So I was prepared for what's happening."
Even after this year, nothing is assured for Witt or Lee. The No. 2 man this year figures to face competition from a group next year that includes Kody Spano, a true freshman, and committed Texas high school senior Cody Green.
Witt, 6-4 and 225 pounds, is the most physically impressive of the Nebraska quarterbacks in camp. He threw for 1,846 yards and 17 touchdowns as a high school senior in Wylie, Texas, two years ago before starting college one semester early in January of last year.
"Patrick has come back and been what I expected him to be," Watson said. "He's been really solid."
Of the Witt-Lee race, coach Bo Pelini said: "The competition is good. They're both playing well."
If there's an edge for Lee, it's his athleticism. He's considered the most adept of the quarterbacks in the run game. His arm strength is also a positive. Lee said Watson hasn't specialized any part of the offense to fit the strengths of the quarterbacks.
He said he's excited to see the look of Nebraska's offense under Watson.
A year ago, Watson held the same title, but coach Bill Callahan called most of the plays.
"Coach Watson's the man," Lee said. "He's running the show. As we go into the season, we'll learn even more and more how Coach Watson calls a game, what he does in each situation. You're going to see a lot of Coach Watson's personality. We're going to throw a lot at people."
Article courtesy Mitch Sherman of the Omaha World Herald
::The Razzi::
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