By Jay Heater
Arizona State football coach Dirk Koetter drew sharp criticism for the way he handled the naming of his starting quarterback last month. Cal quarterback Nate Longshore was asked how Jeff Tedford handled a similar situation. "I guess I never even thought about it," said Longshore, who held off Joe Ayoob and Steve Levy in a three-headed competition. "He's the coach, and I'm the player." That's exactly why Koetter's decision - he named former San Ramon Valley High School star Sam Keller the starter, then changed his mind two days later, going with Rudy Carpenter _will continue to be examined if the Sun Devils stumble. Although Koetter disputes the notion that his players forced him to change his mind by lobbying for Carpenter, the situation drew speculation that the players picked their own quarterback.
Complicating matters for Koetter was that Keller, who was a senior, packed his bags and headed to Nebraska, which was more than happy to accept a quarterback of his quality. Danny Sullivan, a true freshman from Los Gatos High School, is now the backup quarterback. Cal faces ASU on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, and it will be the first major test for the Sun Devils and Carpenter. Arizona State has beaten Northern Arizona, Nevada and a struggling Colorado team to go 3-0. If Carpenter continues to play like the guy who led the nation in passing efficiency last season and who has completed 63.2 percent of his passes in 2006, the whole matter will die. But if he is hurt or struggles, ASU fans might wonder why they don't have two veteran quarterbacks on the roster. Certainly, making such decisions can keep coaches awake at night. "You are never 100 percent sure you made the right decision," said Stanford coach Walt Harris. "There's always the risk that you are wrong. But that's what you get paid to do. You are trying to do whatever you can to help your team win."
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