If there is indeed a quarterback controversy at Nebraska and it appears there is at least one Lawrence resident favors sophomore Mike Stuntz instead of junior Jammal Lord.
“But I’m biased,” Dick Stuntz said.
Stuntz, who has been course superintendent at Alvamar Country Club for nearly two decades, is an uncle of the NU quarterback hopeful who came into Saturday’s game at Iowa State in the fourth quarter and showed he might be able to provide the Cornhuskers with a passing threat.
Mike is the youngest of three sons of Stuntz’s brother Wendell, an orthodontist in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Mike was an all-state signal-caller at St. Albert High.
On Saturday, Dick Stuntz was sitting in ISU Stadium with his brother, his sister and Mike’s two older brothers. That wasn’t anything new. The Lawrence man has attended Nebraska games with the other Stuntzes before.
What made this trip different, though, is that Dick Stuntz is an Iowa State graduate who knew the Cyclones had only one victory against the Cornhuskers in the previous two dozen years.
“Yes, I did have divided loyalties,” Stuntz confirmed. “I was sitting with all the Nebraska fans and I’m an Iowa State grad, and I had very mixed emotions. Then when Mike got in they weren’t divided anymore.”
In other words, blood is thicker than sheepskin.
“It was fun to see Mike get in,” Stuntz said. “I thought he did a nice job.”
It doesn’t matter, of course, what Stuntz thinks about his nephew’s performance. A decision on Nebraska’s starter for Saturday’s game against McNeese State will be made today, coach Frank Solich said on Monday.
“No question, Jammal is our best running quarterback,” Solich said. “At times he has thrown the ball well. But he really has not done a good job of taking care of the ball. Jammal needs to get to where he’s making better decisions.”
When push comes to shove, quarterback may just be the most visible problem of the Huskers who dropped out of the Top 25 polls this week for the first time in 21 years. For instance, NU was flagged 10 times in Ames and was guilty of five turnovers.
It’s possible the Huskers could pull out of their tailspin with the left-handed throwing, 6-foot-1, 200-pound Stuntz at the controls. Based on his heritage, however, young Stuntz probably should be a better golfer than a football player. His dad carries a two or three handicap and uncle Dick is a former Iowa State golfer who won the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America championship in 1993 and earned a berth in the quarterfinals of the 1988 USGA Mid-Amateur championships.
Dick Stuntz describes his nephew as a good golfer who isn’t all that serious about the sport.
“He throws left-handed, but he plays golf right-handed,” Stuntz said. “He does a lot of things with both hands. He’s almost ambidextrous.”
Perhaps ever more unusual, Mike Stuntz did not sit out as a freshman last season. That’s rare because Nebraska usually red-shirts its first-year players. Stuntz played in 10 games for the Huskers in 2001, mostly on special teams.
Although listed as a wide receiver, he didn’t catch a single pass. He did, however, throw a 65-yard TD pass on a reverse to quarterback Eric Crouch against Oklahoma, and rush for 25 yards on a lateral screen pass and fumble advancement.
Dick Stuntz hopes, he says, to catch a few more Nebraska football games this fall after spending many hours keeping the Alvamar course green during the prolonged drought in these parts.
“It’s been a hard-working summer,” Stuntz said, “but when it’s hot and dry like it’s been it’s manageable. Last summer was a lot tougher because we had periods of excessive rain and high humidity. All in all, I think all the courses around here had a pretty good year.”
Now if Mike Stuntz has a pretty good remainder of the year in Lincoln, it will be a really good year for Dick Stuntz.
If there is indeed a quarterback controversy at Nebraska and it appears there is at least one Lawrence resident favors sophomore Mike Stuntz instead of junior Jammal Lord.
“But I’m biased,” Dick Stuntz said.
Stuntz, who has been course superintendent at Alvamar Country Club for nearly two decades, is an uncle of the NU quarterback hopeful who came into Saturday’s game at Iowa State in the fourth quarter and showed he might be able to provide the Cornhuskers with a passing threat.
Mike is the youngest of three sons of Stuntz’s brother Wendell, an orthodontist in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Mike was an all-state signal-caller at St. Albert High.
On Saturday, Dick Stuntz was sitting in ISU Stadium with his brother, his sister and Mike’s two older brothers. That wasn’t anything new. The Lawrence man has attended Nebraska games with the other Stuntzes before.
What made this trip different, though, is that Dick Stuntz is an Iowa State graduate who knew the Cyclones had only one victory against the Cornhuskers in the previous two dozen years.
“Yes, I did have divided loyalties,” Stuntz confirmed. “I was sitting with all the Nebraska fans and I’m an Iowa State grad, and I had very mixed emotions. Then when Mike got in they weren’t divided anymore.”
In other words, blood is thicker than sheepskin.
“It was fun to see Mike get in,” Stuntz said. “I thought he did a nice job.”
It doesn’t matter, of course, what Stuntz thinks about his nephew’s performance. A decision on Nebraska’s starter for Saturday’s game against McNeese State will be made today, coach Frank Solich said on Monday.
“No question, Jammal is our best running quarterback,” Solich said. “At times he has thrown the ball well. But he really has not done a good job of taking care of the ball. Jammal needs to get to where he’s making better decisions.”
When push comes to shove, quarterback may just be the most visible problem of the Huskers who dropped out of the Top 25 polls this week for the first time in 21 years. For instance, NU was flagged 10 times in Ames and was guilty of five turnovers.
It’s possible the Huskers could pull out of their tailspin with the left-handed throwing, 6-foot-1, 200-pound Stuntz at the controls. Based on his heritage, however, young Stuntz probably should be a better golfer than a football player. His dad carries a two or three handicap and uncle Dick is a former Iowa State golfer who won the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America championship in 1993 and earned a berth in the quarterfinals of the 1988 USGA Mid-Amateur championships.
Dick Stuntz describes his nephew as a good golfer who isn’t all that serious about the sport.
“He throws left-handed, but he plays golf right-handed,” Stuntz said. “He does a lot of things with both hands. He’s almost ambidextrous.”
Perhaps ever more unusual, Mike Stuntz did not sit out as a freshman last season. That’s rare because Nebraska usually red-shirts its first-year players. Stuntz played in 10 games for the Huskers in 2001, mostly on special teams.
Although listed as a wide receiver, he didn’t catch a single pass. He did, however, throw a 65-yard TD pass on a reverse to quarterback Eric Crouch against Oklahoma, and rush for 25 yards on a lateral screen pass and fumble advancement.
Dick Stuntz hopes, he says, to catch a few more Nebraska football games this fall after spending many hours keeping the Alvamar course green during the prolonged drought in these parts.
“It’s been a hard-working summer,” Stuntz said, “but when it’s hot and dry like it’s been it’s manageable. Last summer was a lot tougher because we had periods of excessive rain and high humidity. All in all, I think all the courses around here had a pretty good year.”
Now if Mike Stuntz has a pretty good remainder of the year in Lincoln, it will be a really good year for Dick Stuntz.
