How do you slow a player like Houston’s Case Keenum?
Georgia State coach Bill Curry didn’t think it was a problem he would have to worry about.
When Curry and athletic director Cheryl Levick discussed scheduling Saturday’s game, Keenum had no eligibility remaining.
“He didn’t cooperate,” Curry said.
No, but not by choice.
Keenum was injured last season and took a medical redshirt. That led to a sixth season of eligibility. Now Curry faces the problem of trying to slow one of the more prolific quarterbacks in NCAA history when the Panthers take on the Cougars at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Really, Curry said he has no experience from which to draw because he said Keenum doesn’t remind him of any quarterback he has ever coached or played against.
“I thought he would look like somebody,” Curry said. “I’ve got these guys catalogued.”
Watching Keenum is like watching a teenager manipulate Madden 2012: He seemingly knows what the defenses are going to do before they finish lining up, and he knows exactly which play to call to do maximum damage.
“He’s a great player and fun to watch, if you weren’t playing against him,” Georgia State defensive coordinator John Thompson said.
Consider Keenum’s accomplishments:
He is fourth on the NCAA’s FBS (formerly Division I-A) all-time passing yards list (14,705).
He needs 2,368 passing yards to become the NCAA’s all-time leader. He has passed for 1,137 this season in wins against UCLA, North Texas and Louisiana Tech.
He already has more wins (27) than any quarterback in Cougars history, which includes Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware and Heisman finalist David Klingler.
So, how do the Panthers slow Keenum?
Do they blitz every down, or do they drop eight players back and make Keenum dink-and-dunk his way down the field?
Louisiana Tech took advantage of a lot of pressure and some turnovers to race to a 34-7 lead last week. Keenum responded by leading the team to 28 consecutive points in the final 20 minutes and a 35-34 win.
“Watching what Houston did in the Louisiana Tech game was one of the most fascinating football laboratory things I’ve ever done,” Curry said with a tone of admiration. “He had a terrible game in the first half, but quarterbacks talk about how the game slows down, he slows down the game for everybody.”
So, how do they slow Keenum?
“There’s nothing that we’re going to show him that he hasn’t seen,” Thompson said. “He’s exceptionally accurate, and he’s just calm. He’s got so much composure back there that we just have to play hard and go make plays.”
To keep the game close, Thompson said they must rotate players in and out more frequently in the first half to keep them fresh later. Curry said his defenders need to break on the ball with great precision, take great angles, tackle well and try to knock the ball out more.
Lastly, defensive end Christo Bilukidi said they must stop the run first. Until they do that — and the Panthers are giving up more than 200 yards per game on the ground — Keenum may not have to pass.
“It’s going to be a challenge to go against a Heisman contender,” he said.
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