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MOSCOW, IDAHO-It's now been almost two years since Nathan Enderle last quarterbacked against a hostile opponent. The opponent that day was Lincoln East High School. And Enderle's North Platte club lost. In six days, Enderle will once again crouch behind center. But when he peers at the defense this time, the Idaho freshman will see the familiar maroon and gold uniforms of University of Southern California, the top-ranked team in the country.
( Editor's Note: The Idaho-USC football game will be televised on Fox Sports Net on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 9:15 p.m. CST. It will be played in the Los Angeles Coliseum.)
"I'm actually excited to play again," Enderle said when reminded of his long wait. "You never want to go out with a loss." There are many daunting aspects of the Vandals' matchup with the Trojans, but the fact that this will be Enderle's collegiate debut seems particularly harrowing. But the 19-year-old Nebraskan wasn't plucked from the corn field yesterday. After being signed by Nick Holt in February of 2006, Enderle finished high school early and took part in the Vandals' spring practice. He then sat out last season as a redshirt, and often quarterbacked the scout team in practice. This past spring, he gradually pulled ahead in a wide-open race for the No. 1 job (succeeding two-year starter Steven Wichman). So Enderle has been a college quarterback for a year and half. He just never had the chance to play until now. "The positive there is at least he has practiced against this competition level," UI coach Robb Akey said. "But he hasn't been out there with the bullets flying. And the first time that's going to happen, it's going to be against the No. 1 team in the nation. "There are going to be growing pains," Akey added. "But, hey, the kid has responded to things well." Enderle certainly looks like a quarterback. He checks in at 6-foot-5 and a nicely-proportioned 223 pounds. He appears to have decent arm strength and some scrambling ability. But before mentioning any of that, Enderle's coaches talk about his intelligence. "He's done a great job of picking things up," offensive coordinator Steve Axman said. "He's learning at a much more accelerated rate than you'd expect any quarterback would be able to." Enderle's burden should be lightened by Idaho's collection of running backs. Last year's top gainers, Brian Flowers and Jayson Bird, are both back. But they will have to make room for Deonte Jackson, an electrifying redshirt freshman who is the nephew of St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson. "With the physicalness of our league, we're going to need every one of them," Axman said. If Enderle can continue to acclimate himself - and if he can survive next weekend in Los Angeles - he could possibly be starting for the Vandals in 2010. Does he ever dream that far into the future? "I can't," he said. "We still have seniors on the team - this is their last year. So you try to be as good as possible, as soon as possible, to help them have a successful season and go out the way they want to. That's really how I look at it." (By Matt Baney of Lewiston (Ida.) Tribune Published Aug. 26)
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