For two seasons, Steve Schnur was about as consistent a quarterback as any team could hope for.
All Schnur did was lead the Northwestern football team to the Rose Bowl in 1996 and the Citrus Bowl in 1997 — two of the only three New Year’s Day bowl games in the Wildcats’ history.
Schnur started every game during both of those seasons. In 1996, he directed an NU offense that scored a school-record 42 touchdowns. He passed for 17 of those scores — an NU record — and threw for 2,632 yards, the second best single-season total in school history.
When Schnur graduated in 1997 he not only left with memories of the two bowl games and Big Ten titles, but he also took any semblance of consistency the Cats had at the quarterback position.
The three seasons that followed featured a combination of overthrown passes, interceptions and quarterback substitutions. And during this down time, the Cats went a combined 11-24, including a 3-8 mark in their most recent campaign.
But this is a new spring, a new year and a new century. And going into Saturday’s spring scrimmage, NU has a relatively new quarterback, junior Zak Kustok, who second-year coach Randy Walker expects will make people forget the blunders of Tim Hughes, Chris Hamdorf, Gavin Hoffman and Nick Kreinbrink.
“Zak’s the guy,” Walker said. “We made a huge investment last year when he got eligible by playing him. I thought he was the guy last August. I think with his work ethic and the time he’s invested, he’s got a great chance to be a good player.”
Kustok came to NU before last season started, but the NCAA forced him to sit out four games because of his transfer from Notre Dame.
He made his NU debut in the first quarter of the Cats’ 33-14 loss to Minnesota, and started every game thereafter.
But Kustok was allowed to take all the snaps in only one game — the Cats’ 23-21 win over Iowa.
“I feel like the position’s mine now,” Kustok said. “I’m not worrying as much about fighting for the position as going out and beating the opposing team.
“I feel a lot more comfortable this year. Last year at this time, I wasn’t throwing to receivers who were moving targets. I would just grab my dad and go out in the backyard. But he can’t run or anything so I was throwing to a stationary target.”
At the start of this spring, it looked like junior Nick Kreinbrink, who started the first five games for NU last season, would slip into the backup role. At least until highly touted quarterback recruit Tony Stauss arrives at school this summer.
But after the first week of spring ball, Kreinbrink bolted for the baseball diamond, leaving third stringer Bob Barz a chance to take the second-string position for now.
“I’m very excited about the chance,” Barz said. “Now I’m getting to throw routes and actually do something in practice. And I pay more attention in team meetings.”
With a consistent performance at Saturday’s spring scrimmage, Barz should lock up the backup position going into next season.
But he, and possibly even Kustok, may be looking over their shoulders in August when Stauss joins the team.
“I make it my goal every year to recruit or develop somebody to beat the (starting quarterback) out,” Walker said. “I don’t ordain the quarterback. I don’t say you’re the quarterback, put the crown on.”
A student at Horlick High School in Racine, Wis., Stauss turned away offers from Boston College and Wisconsin to come to NU.
As a senior, he threw the ball 505 times and recorded 303 completions, both state records. His strong arm could be a quick fix for a Cats’ offense that threw the ball only 318 times last season.
“(NU) is going to more of a throwing attack on offense and I think it plays right into my strengths,” Stauss said. “I just want to go in and compete and see what happens. I want to be a person the program can build around.”
With the spring season coming to a close Saturday, the Cats seem to have more promise behind center then they have had since the glory days of not so long ago.
If that promise ends up playing out on the field, NU’s struggles over the past three years could be easily forgotten.
