Big Sky Conference

Former Sac QB Ketteringham seeks fresh start

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College football can be fickle. One moment, you’re the hotshot freshman quarterback with all the potential in the world. The next, you’re the battered gunslinger getting pounded seemingly every time you drop back to pass while trying to salvage a sinking season.

Nate Ketteringham knows both sides of the coin well. And he’s only just now completing his second year at Sacramento State.

The former 3-star recruit from California powerhouse Corona Centennial came to Sac State in the mold of the next potential savior, a 6-foot-3 athlete with a strong arm and the ability to extend plays outside the pocket. He reminded some close to the program of Garrett Safron, who as a senior led Sac to seven victories and to the brink of the FCS playoffs in 2014, third-year head coach Jody Sears’ first at the helm.

A deep valley has followed that peak the last two years in Sacramento. Safron graduated. The staff brought in SMU transfer Kolney Cassel and Baylor transfer Alexis Robinson to compete with sophomore Daniel Kniffin and Ketteringham before the 2015 season.

By mid-season, Robinson was not an option, while Kniffin and Cassel both suffered injuries, accelerating Ketteringham’s learning curve. He was thrown into the fire at Bobcat Stadium against Montana State in Bozeman after MSU defensive tackle Taylor Sheridan effectively ended Cassel’s season with a vicious hit that dislocated his shoulder, negating his redshirt and anointing him the quarterback of the present rather than the future.

Former Sac State quarterback Nate Ketteringham (6)/by Brooks Nuane

Former Sac State quarterback Nate Ketteringham (6)

Ketteringham threw for more than 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns during the second half of his true freshman season, leading Sac State to its lone Big Sky Conference victory in the process. With the return of the talented quarterback along with the presence of All-Big Sky running back Jordan Robinson in the backfield and an influx of young talent that gained experience in 2015, the Hornets expected to take a sizeable step in Ketteringham’s sophomore season.

But potential never met expectations as the Hornets struggled to protect Ketteringham in the pocket and failed to show much fortitude defensively. By the time the dust settled, Ketteringham had been sacked a Big Sky-high 35 times, the Hornets ranked last in the league in scoring offense and 12th out of 13 teams in scoring defense, and the final 2-9 record included a season-opening loss to Division II Western Oregon.

In the off-season, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Paul Peterson — Ketteringham’s primary mentor and the top reason he chose to attend Sac State — was not retained, moving on to become the head coach at Snow College.

Sears and his staff brought in UNLV dropdown quarterback Kevin Thomson and Modesto JC transfer Wyatt Clapper to compete with Ketteringham. Former Eastern Washington and Washington State head coach Paul Wulff, Sac’s offensive line coach last season, replaced Peterson as offensive coordinator and wanted to go in a different direction it seemed to Ketteringham, resulting in the transfers taking almost all the repetitions during Sac State’s spring football practices.

The off-season also included Sac State athletic director Bill Macriss being fired and reassigned within the department.

Sac State head coach Jody Sears

Sac State head coach Jody Sears

The collection of uncertainties surrounding Sac State athletics compiled into Ketteringham deciding it was time for a change. The talented sophomore quarterback was granted his scholarship release on April 19. He has three years left to play his final two college seasons.

“’I would really like to thank Coach (Paul) Peterson, Coach (Tyler) Almond, and Coach (Jody) Sears for the opportunity at Sac State,” Ketteringham said on April 20. “Sometimes, things just change.

“My freshman year, everything was good. We weren’t really winning games but we were establishing things, building on youth and moving forward.

“Then sophomore year came and there was some coaching changes they brought in before the year started. It wasn’t until we were upset by Western Oregon that we realized there was a change in dynamic in the building. It was noticeable throughout the season and it kept pushing. It presented to me and some other people that it wasn’t the way the program used to be. I started to think it wasn’t the right fit for me anymore and that a change of direction, a change of plans was a better idea.”

A year after throwing for more than 300 yards against Cal Poly, Northern Arizona, UC Davis and Idaho State, Ketteringham managed to complete just 50 percent of his passes. He threw 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while getting hit more than any quarterback in the league.

“It was disappointing, a shock, a blow,” Ketteringham said of his sophomore season. “It was definitely not a good situation.

“I love my line, those are my dudes, they protected me and did the best they could. The offense struggled to get in rhythm all year long. We were under constant pressure from defenses and we couldn’t find an answer.”

Montana junior defensive end Tucker Schye smacks former Sacramento State quarterback Nate Ketteringham/ by Jason Bacaj

Montana defensive end Tucker Schye (44) hits former Sacramento State quarterback Nate Ketteringham (6)/ by Jason Bacaj

Last season’s high and low points for Sac State came against the Montana schools. Ketteringham’s high point of his sophomore season came when he threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-38 win over Montana State, one of just two league victories on the season for the Hornets. In a 68-7 loss at Montana, the Grizzlies piled up five sacks of Ketteringham and hit him relentlessly in the second of what would become four straight losses for the Hornets.

Despite the disappointing production, Ketteringham still has confidence in his abilities. He showed as much rallying Sac back from a 27-10 deficit in a 27-19 loss at Northern Colorado the week after the Montana loss, tossing four touchdowns in a 59-47 loss to rival Cal Poly in which the Hornets’ porous defense gave up 527 yards rushing and helping guide Sac to its second league, a 42-35 triumph over Portland State behind 262 yards and four touchdowns from Jordan Robinson.

“I came in young with not that much experience and I feel like I’ve developed over the last few years,” Ketteringham said. “I feel like I know defenses more than I did. The game has definitely slowed down. I have the ability to throw on the run and I feel like I can still play at a high level.”

Thus far in his Division I career, Ketteringham has completed 54.7 percent f his passes for 3,387 yards, 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He has also rushed for 258 yards and four touchdowns. He does not have any definitive options for where he wants to transfer initially.

“I’m basically open to everything, looking at my options and weighing the best ones, seeing where fits me best,” Ketteringham said. “The coaching staff is the biggest thing. I still have my redshirt year so I can go into a program, sit out and then play my last two years.”

College football can be fickle and Ketteringham knows that full well as he enters the second half of his career. But it can also be rewarding. And despite the struggles, his two years in California’s capital city, Ketteringham takes with him a collection of fond memories.

“I’ve developed some of my best friends here and it’s been a hell of an experience,” Ketteringham said. “It’s going to be disappointing to leave them. But they are all behind me and I will always be behind them. It’s definitely been a great experience here from the standpoint of the friends I’ve made and how I’ve grown as a man.”

Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.

About Colter Nuanez

Colter Nuanez is the co-founder and senior writer for Skyline Sports. After spending six years in the newspaper industry with stops at the Missoulian, the Ellensburg Daily Record and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the former Washington Newspaper Association Sportswriter of the Year and University of Montana Journalism School graduate ('09) has cultivated a deep passion for sports journalism during his 13-year career covering the Big Sky Conference. In August of 2014, Colter and brother Brooks merged their passions of writing and art to found Skyline Sports.

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