Top 5 Husker Quarterbacks of All-Time

The great lore of Nebraska football has taken many shapes over the last century.

There is no more evidence to this statement than after a review of the quarterback position. Power Option, Speed Option, West Coast, Spread, Zone-Read, Power Dive, Naked Bootleg, Flash Reverse. Is there anything the QB's of the Big Red haven't been asked to do since the first snap against the Omaha YMCA in 1890?

When discussing the greatest quarterbacks to ever don a Cornhusker jersey, it's clear the criteria are blurred. What stats mean the most? Passing efficiency? Rushing touchdowns? Total offense? Winning percentage? Let's not forget about the intangibles - leadership, confidence, and game management.

Knowing the styles of offensive college football have changed drastically in the last few decades, it seems a blend of quantitative and qualitative factors should determine the best quarterbacks in Husker history.

#5 - Joe Ganz

Quantitative: 3,826 Total Yards (Season - NU Record); 227.8 Pass Yards Per Game (Career - NU Record); 25 Pass TD (Season - NU 2^nd All-Time); 157.4 Pass Efficiency Rating (Career - NU Record) (Source: huskers.com); Holds 23 NU School Records

Qualitative: Heart, Respect of Teammates

Reasons He's Not Higher On List: 18 Career INTs, Only one full season as a starter, No wins vs. Top 10

Notes: Easily the most debatable pick on the list. The most obvious victim of Ganz being on this list is Zac Taylor. Taylor led Nebraska through a new era in play calling (Bill Callahan/Jay Norvell/Shawn Watson). Behind Ganz, Taylor has the 2^nd and 5^th best total yards in a season and has the school record for passing touchdowns in a season (26). Zac's grit and determination helped lead the Huskers to the Big 12 Championship Game in 2006, something Ganz never accomplished. Other victims are Dave Humm (1972-73) who put up big passing numbers in a run-heavy era and Vince Ferragamo (1975-76) who was a 1^st Team All-American according to Football News. How in the world could Joe Ganz (no post-season honors) be in front of Ferragamo (1^st Team All-American)? Well, the 23 NU school records were just too much to ignore. So for today, Joey is lucky #5. Tomorrow, who knows?

#4 - Eric Crouch

Quantitative: 7,915 Total Yards (Career - NU Record); Fourth, Eleventh, and Sixteenth best Total Offensive Yards (Seasons - NU); 20 Rush TDs (Season - NCAA Record for QB); 59 Rush TDs (Career - NCAA Record for QB); 2001 Heisman Trophy Winner

Qualitative: Speed, Escape-ability, Durability

Reasons He's Not Higher On List: Attitude, Game management, Completion %

Notes: Obvious victims of Crouch being on this list are Jamaal Lord and Bobby Newcombe. Why Lord? In the same genre of play calling (Frank Solich/Barney Cotton era) Lord had surprisingly similar rushing stats as Crouch and had the third and ninth best offensive seasons in NU history, outranking Crouch's top season. Why Newcombe? Crouch's spat with Newcombe and eventual walk-out on the team during the 1999 season moved Coach Solich to choose Crouch in the ongoing QB battle, leaving Newcombe as a wide-out and kick return specialist. Still, Crouch is the fastest QB in Nebraska history and he led the team to a Big 12 Championship in 1999 and the National Championship Game in 2001. Nebraska has yet to accomplish either since Crouch graduated in 2001.

#3 - Scott Frost

Quantitative: 1997 2^nd Team All-Big 12; QB Position Record Holder in Performance Testing, Strength Testing, and Combined Index; 1997 Johnny Unitas Award Finalist; 1.95% Interception Percentage (Career - NU Record); 155 Consecutive Attempts-No Interceptions (Career - NU Record)

Qualitative: Strength, Determination, Guts

Reasons He's Not Higher On List: Started career at Stanford, Passing yardage

Notes: The obvious victim here is Turner Gill. Gill was the beneficiary of a Heisman Trophy winning running back (Mike Rozier) and a No. 1 overall NFL draft pick wide receiver (Irving Fryar). Not that being field general of "The Triplets" should count against Gill, but these were huge assets attributing to Gill's success. In fairness, Frost benefited from his defensive teammates in 1997, a squad that dominated opponents for most of the season. In the end, the play that defines Frost's career is a tipped catch that led to a National Championship. The play that defines Gill's is a tipped incompletion that stopped a National Championship. A different bounce would mean a different Top 5. That being said, if Nebraska had one game to play, and Scott Frost was available, it would be tough to pick against the guy. Winning for Coach Tom Osborne meant everything to him.

#2 - Jerry Tagge

Quantitative: 1971 1^st Team All-American (Football News); 1970 Honorable Mention All-American; 5,283 Total Yards (Career - NU 6^th All-Time);

Qualitative: General on the field, Ball distribution, Quick-strike ability

Reasons He's Not Higher On List: Not a four-year starter, The1970 team had a tie to USC

Notes: The obvious victim here, once again, is Vince Ferragamo. Ferragamo did not have the benefit a game-breaking teammate like Johnny Rodgers or a stout defense like the 1971 squad. Still, Tagge's accomplishments on the field were nothing short of incredible. He led the Huskers to a game-winning drive against mighty Oklahoma in "The Game of the Century." It was a defining moment for a legendary quarterback. Tagge was a fierce competitor and an outstanding game manager. He went on to lead the 1970 and 1971 teams to National Championships.

#1 - Tommie Frazier

Quantitative: 1^st Team All-American; Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Winner; Countless Player-of-the-Year Awards; 1995 Heisman Trophy Runner-Up; 9.17% Pass TD Percentage (Career - NU Record); 156.1 Passer Rating (Season - NU 3^rd All-Time); 5,476 Total Yards (Career - NU 3^rd All-Time); 43 Pass TD (Career - NU 3^rd All-Time)

Qualitative: Winner, Confidence, Leadership, Clutch

Reasons He's Not Higher On List: N/A

Notes: Tough to argue with the 2 undefeated National Championships and a 33-3 career record. Had 36 rushing touchdowns to go along with his 43 passing TDs. The guy just found a way to win games. Yes, he played on great teams. Yes, he had an awesome offensive line. Yes, he had an arsenal of running backs at his disposal. But when it was gut-check time at the Orange Bowl for the 1994 Title, it was Frazier who exorcised the demons for Coach Tom Osborne and marched down the field to win the game. It was also Frazier who rushed for an astounding 199 yards in the throttling of Florida for the 1995 Championship. There simply has never been a Nebraska Cornhusker who dominated the quarterback position like Touchdown Tommie Frazier.

Sources:

www.huskers.com

http://www.huskers.com//pdf5/638046.pdf

http://www.huskers.com//pdf5/637823.pdf

http://www.huskers.com//pdf5/637825.pdf

http://www.huskerpedia.com/1890s.html