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LINCOLN — What? No bodyguards?
Zac Lee walked freely through fan day at Memorial Stadium on Saturday as if he were one of the multitude of fans wearing their red jerseys for someone important to sign.
He came upon a group of small boys. He said, “How's it goin' guys?'' They nodded. As the new starting Nebraska quarterback walked past, one of the lads whispered, “I think that's Zac Lee.''
Regular-guy Zac then headed inconspicuously toward the locker room, spied a teammate coming out of the dining hall and asked, “What's for lunch?''
If Bo Pelini is smart, he'll get this guy a taste-tester.
The first day of the rest of Zac Lee's life arrived on a sweltering Saturday in Football Town, USA. And as media and fans began to put face to name, it seemed like a good time to point out the two most important jobs for the new guy this season.
One: Don't get hurt.
Two: Don't wreck the car.
It's really that simple. Lee is a mystery man. Oh, he looks the part. He has dashing good looks, has a solid 6-2, 215-pound frame, is fast and, according to teammates, has a “cannon'' for an arm.
But nobody — including his coaches — knows what Lee will do when the curtain goes up and the lights come on, particularly at season-shaping trips to Virginia Tech, Missouri, Baylor, Kansas and Colorado.
Here's what we do know: Lee's fingerprints will be all over how NU does this season. How Lee performs will be the difference between 7-5 and 9-3.
The Huskers should be able to win their share on a strong defense and stout run game. But this bunch won't be good enough to just hand the ball off and win in the Big 12. In the close ones, the quarterback will have to make a play with his head, his arm and possibly his legs.
The good news for Lee is, he doesn't have to be great. He just can't be terrible.
He doesn't have to make incredible plays. He just can't make bad ones.
That seems to be an understood theme among Lee's teammates.
“If we run the ball that will take a lot of pressure off Zac,'' said left tackle Mike Smith. “He needs to know he won't have to make every single play and throw for 300-plus yards every game.''
Senior receiver Menelik Holt added: “I'm sure they won't put too much on his plate. We have Q (Quentin Castille) and Roy (Helu) so why not give them some rushing yards?''
Lee is having none of that talk, which is good. You want your quarterback to want the game in his hands, even when he's only been a part of two Nebraska games in 2008 in mop-up duty.
“I expect (Shawn Watson) to keep pushing, keep developing things, maybe throw some new wrinkles in there,'' Lee said. “I think we'll attack people the way we need to attack them, by their strengths and weaknesses, and not by our experience or inexperience.''
How much rope Watson gives Lee will be entirely up to Lee. And though Watson and Pelini crave a quarterback-run game dimension, the lack of experience behind Lee probably means Lee won't get many carries.
Nebraska's offense could end up looking a lot like Watson's 2001 version at Colorado, with bruising backs and playmaking tight ends and a quarterback who puts the ball in the right hands. But there will be a learning curve, especially with new starters at quarterback and receiver.
One thing Holt already likes about Lee: The son of former NFL quarterback Bob Lee isn't afraid to throw it across the middle.
“He will throw it,'' Holt said. “Joe (Ganz) was more reluctant. He would take his guarantees (high percentage throws), stuff he was more comfortable with.
“Zac is a guy who will take his guarantees but he'll also step out of the box, out of his shell, when it's permissible and see how far he can go. That's something that's going to allow for a lot of big plays. I'm sure Coach Watson will have him under wraps, so he can't cost us anything.''
Watson has compared Lee to Joel Klatt, a fiery leader and playmaker and one of his favorites during his days at Colorado. It's too soon to tell on Lee's leadership skills. So far, he comes off as one of the guys, not the guy in charge.
Then again, he didn't blink in the spotlight on Saturday, whether he was signing a fan's red boot or walking through the masses.
“I don't think a lot of people really know who I am,'' Lee said.
That will all change very soon.
Contact the writer:
444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com
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