Of all the stadiums in the Big Sky for Sacramento State to force its prized freshman quarterback into action, few measure up to the challenges provided by Bobcat Stadium.
Set aside for a moment the sieve-like Montana State defense of the past two seasons. On an October evening in 2015, the stadium filled with nearly 20,000 Bobcats clinging to the last remaining remnants of one of the most successful runs in program history. MSU still had a dynamic quarterback in Dakota Prukop leading an offensive machine that gave the faithful hope. When the full stadium saw Kolney Cassel go down on a violent Taylor Sheridan hit, most figured victory was well within reach. And they were right.
Nate Ketteringham could not do much that night. Just a few months before throwing his first college pass on that warm October evening, Ketteringham figured his freshman year was going to be spent buried deep on the Hornets’ depth chart. He spent the first half of the season clinging to his redshirt. He arrived for fall camp as the fourth name in a three-way competition that included a pair of FBS transfers.
A year later, that feeling has faded.
Sac St. quarterback Nate Ketteringham (6)/by Sac St. Athletics
Facing a 17-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter of this season’s matchup against Montana State in Sacramento, Ketteringham, now fully entrenched as the Hornets starter, led a furious comeback against the team he received his first playing time against. Sacramento State scored 20 fourth-quarter points to stun the Bobcats with a 41-38 victory, Sac’s lone win this fall.
“I get to see it every day in practice,” Sacramento State head coach Jody Sears said of his young quarterback’s resiliency in the face of what looked like a dire situation.
Ketteringham will be making his 12th start Saturday when Sacramento State travels to Washington-Grizzly Stadium to face 10th-ranked Montana at 2:30 Saturday afternoon. The story thus far isn’t following the script. But it’s nothing new for a program that touts Ryan Leadingham and Garrett Safron, a pair of four-year starters over the last 15 years, as two of the best quarterbacks in school history.
“They tell me a lot that I kind of remind them of them,” Ketteringham said earlier this week of the feedback he has received from fans and boosters.
He certainly looks the part: a Southern California kid who stands 6-foot-3 with sandy blonde hair and a big right arm that earned him three-star ratings from various recruiting websites as a prep standout.
Along the way Ketteringham’s story has run into some unexpected plot twists.
Going into his senior year of high school, Ketteringham’s father decided he would move the family north from San Diego to just outside of Los Angeles. It took Ketteringham from Westview High to Corona Centennial and into the thick of a two-quarterback system.
In the last year of his high school eligibility with little time to earn a Division I scholarship, the well-thought-of Ketteringham was now going to have split time with another quarterback. He wondered how it would work.
As it turns out, it played out just fine.
Sac St. quarterback Nate Ketteringham (6)/by Sac St. Athletics
As he rotated series with junior Anthony Catalano, the Huskies won the Pac-5 Division championship and nearly upset national power Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas in a season ending with 13 wins. Had it not been a loss to national power Concord De La Salle, Centennial would have won a CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) state championship.
“It’s taught me not to be selfish,” Ketteringham told the Los Angeles Times that season. “You have to give up some of your own stuff to benefit the team. It’s been a big learning year.”
He carried that lesson to a scholarship at Sacramento State, his only solid offer although he did receive interest from schools like Arizona, UCLA and San Diego State. He wrapped his first collegiate fall camp and looked forward to a season of scout team practices and long hours studying the playbook along with film of Big Sky defenses.
But the unexpected continued to define Ketteringham’s path.
Sophomore starter Daniel Kniffin went down in a loss to Eastern Washington and Ketteringham was moved to second on the depth chart.
“At that point I was thinking if anything happens then I’m the guy who has to go in and play,” Ketteringham remembers. “That’s the point I knew I had to get ready for it.”
Two weeks later, he was forced into action in Bozeman when reserve quarterback Cassell, an SMU transfer, went down with a shoulder injury. The game ended a 35-13 loss. He started the final five games, throwing for 1,410 yards, 11 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He threw for more than 300 yards against Idaho State, Cal Poly and Northern Arizona and added 296 yards against rival UC Davis in the season finale.
Sac State quarterback Nate Ketteringham (6)/by Brooks Nuane
“I love the kid. He’s a good competitor,” Sears said. “He’s had a few growing pains, but I like his heart and his work habits because he’s a great kid and a darn good football player.”
As Sears has alluded to, there have been growing pains during Ketteringham’s sophomore season. His coach said the quarterback sometimes sees too much and is indecisive. After Sac State dropped its first three non-conference games, Ketteringham was erratic early in a 14-7 non-conference loss to Big Sky member Weber State and was replaced by Cassel.
“We sat him in the first half so he could take a step back and see the field,” Sears said.
Since then, Ketteringham has been back in control of the Hornets offense, just as he was when Sac State forged the improbable fourth-quarter comeback win against MSU. That night, Ketteringham led Sac on a 96-yard drive to spark the rally, then stood in the pocket and lofted a perfectly placed pass to Jaelin Ratliff to draw Sac close, 38-34.
“We battled through a lot this season and last season so the ability for us to bounce was a stepping stone for us,” Ketteringham said.
Minutes later, in the face of a stiff rush, he dropped in another expertly thrown ball to Ratliff for a go-ahead touchdown with 17 seconds left on the clock. Sac held on for a 41-38 win.
What Ketteringham had been working for finally followed the script.
“He’s a hell of a competitor and I like the way he plays,” Sears said. “He bounces back, he’s tough. I’m anxious to see him get back out there and back at it this week.”
Kickoff between Sac State and Montana in Missoula is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
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