Player Bio: Sam Keller

ASU: Fiery and tenacious athlete who was on the verge of a record-setting season before having it cut short due to injury...joins sophomore Rudy Carpenter as members of the most talented and accomplished quarterback tandem in all of college football...was arguably the nation's most potent and productive quarterback during the first month of the 2005 season...burst onto the scene with two 400-yard and two 300-yard passing games among the year's first five contests, and was mentioned among early-season Heisman Trophy candidate debates...plays the game with an infectious enthusiasm and toughness...earned honorable mention All-America recognition by Street & Smith's...ranked as the sixth-best quarterback in the nation by Lindy's and the 11th-best at his position by Phil Steele...ESPN.com ranks him as the 12th-best quarterback to be eligible for the 2007 NFL Draft...named to several preseason first-team All-Pac-10 lists...regarded by Lindy's as having the strongest arm in the Pac-10 Conference...rated as the 10th-best NFL talent in the conference by that same publication...regarded as the Pac-10's best passing quarterback by Street & Smith's...has played in 19 career games with eight starts...has completed 220 of 378 career passes (58.2 avg.) for 3,018 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions...as a starter, has averaged 316.9 passing yards-per-game and has thrown 23 touchdown passes...owns the second-highest career completion percentage in school history, and has the lowest career interception percentage (.0291) in ASU history (301-400 attempts), having thrown only 11 interceptions among 378 career passes...added 10 pounds of muscle to his frame during the his off-season rehabilitation and training, and maintains a sturdy, 240-pound presence in the pocket...changed his jersey number from No. 9 to No. 2 to honor Angelo Richardson, a former high school teammate and 2006 ASU signee who remains paralyzed after an accident earlier this year...earned Hard Hat Player honors for his work in the team's winter strength and conditioning program.

2005: Started the season's first seven games before suffering what ultimately proved to be a season-ending hand injury in an attempt to stiff-arm Oregon's Haloti Ngata on Oct. 8...spent a majority of the first half of the season as one of the nation's leaders in passing yards and touchdown passes...completed 155-of-264 passes (58.7 pct.) for 2,165 yards with 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions on the season...one of only 13 players in ASU history to surpass the 2,000-yard mark in passing...despite missing nearly half the season, he led the team in passing attempts and touchdown passes, and finished tied for 28th nationally and ranked fourth in the Pac-10 in scoring passes...his 20 scoring throws stand as the sixth-highest single-season total in ASU history...had a team-leading 270.6 passing yards-per-game average, which would have ranked third in the Pac-10 had he played in enough games...posted a 145.78 passer efficiency rating, which would have ranked him fifth in the Pac-10...ranked seventh in the Pac-10 in total passing yards...during a three-game stretch in September, he posted there of the season's top 79 single-game passing yardage performances in the nation...had the season's 12th-best single-game performance in the nation against No. 5 LSU, establishing career-bests by completing 35-of-56 passes (62.5 pct.) for 461 yards and four touchdowns...registered the 34th-highest single-game total in the nation against Northwestern, completing 20-of-31 passes (64.5 pct.) for 409 yards and four touchdowns...submitted the nation's 79th-highest single-game total at Oregon State, completing 19-of-36 passes (52.8 pct.) for 365 yards and four touchdowns...during that three-game stretch, he completed 74-of-123 passes (60.2 pct.) for 1,235 yards and 12 touchdowns, without throwing an interception...his 56 passing attempts without an interception against LSU established a new ASU single-game record...three four touchdowns in each of the season's first four games...completed 14-of-24 passes (58.3 pct.) for 208 yards, with four touchdowns and two interceptions in the season opener against Temple on Sept. 1...completed 26-of-45 (57.8 pct.) fpr 347 yards, with two touchdowns and five interceptions against No. 1 USC on Oct. 1...tied his career-high in passing attempts (56) against No. 25 Oregon, and completed 31 passes for 277 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions...saw his last action of the season at Stanford on Oct. 22 completing 10-of-16 passes (62.5 pct.) for 98 yards, while playing in only the first half.

2004: Saw action in six games as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart...started the first game of his career vs. Purdue in the Vitalis Sun Bowl on Dec. 31...was named Sun Bowl MVP after completing 25 of 45 passes for 370 yards and three touchdowns (all career bests)...directed ASU's thrilling fourth-quarter comeback against the Boilermakers, completing all four of his passing attempts in the game-winning 80-yard drive...capped off the drive with a 19-yard TD pass to Rudy Burgess...completed 42 of 71 pass attempts on the season (59.2 percent) for 606 yards and five touchdowns...only tossed one interception on the year...part of an ASU passing offense that led the Pac-10, ranked fifth in the nation and set the school record with 317.3 passing yards per game...connected on eight of 13 attempts for 94 yards Nov. 26 at Arizona...came into the game for two drives in place of the injured Walter, a second-team All-Pac-10 selection...ended an 80-yard drive with a three-yard TD strike to Jamaal Lewis and nearly completed the comeback when a dropped pass stalled a drive at the UA 5-yard line...went 5-for-7 for 115 yards in ASU's Sept. 2 season-opener against UTEP...completed a career-long 68-yard touchdown strike to Burgess in the fourth quarter of that victory.

2003: Played in six games as a true freshman...saw most of his reps at the end of games as a back-up to honorable-mention All-Pac-10 honoree Andrew Walter...completed 23 of 43 passing attempts for 246 yards...threw his lone touchdown pass of the season Nov. 1 vs. California, connecting with Jamaal Lewis for 11 yards for the fourth-quarter score...turned in a season-high 63 yards on 6-of-10 passing in that game vs. the Golden Bears...had one interception...saw his first extensive playing time of the season Oct. 25 at UCLA in place of the injured Walter...played the second half against the Bruins, completing 11-of-21 passes for 79 yards.

HIGH SCHOOL: A 2003 graduate of San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, Calif....rated as the No. 25 quarterback recruit in the nation by SuperPrep Magazine...rated as the No. 30 prospect in the Farwest (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Washington) by SuperPrep Magazine...a member of The Tacoma News Tribune's "Western 100"...was the Red Zone Old Spice California State Player of the Year in 2003...was a 2001 Student Sports Magazine Junior All-America...listed as the No. 9 quarterback by Rivals.com...has an Insiders Magazine No. 37 rating...played in the California/Florida All-Star football game and completed nine of 13 passes for 105 yards and one touchdown...participated in the 2002 Air 7 Quarterback Challenge...Rivals Magazine No. 30 ranking overall in the state of California...a member of the Cal Hi Sports All-State Underclass second-team in 2001...made The Contra Costa Time's "Cream of the Crop" for 2002... won the Peter Villa Trophy for the Outstanding Player in San Ramon Valley in 2002...was first-team all-league (East Bay Athletic League) quarterback in 2001 and 2002...was All-ANG Newspapers (Oakland Herald) first-team quarterback in 2002...All-Contra Costa Times second-team quarterback in 2001 and 2002...2000 All-EBAL League second-team quarterback...was his team's offensive MVP in 2001 and 2002...compiled a 23-10-2 record as a starter...statistics as a senior included a 10-3 record, 210 completions, 333 attempts, 3,282 yards and 38 touchdowns with just five interceptions...also scored two touchdowns rushing...went 101-for-230 for 1,425 yards and 14 touchdowns, eight interceptions, two rushing touchdowns and one TD via a pass reception as a sophomore...threw for 7,388 yards and 80 touchdowns in his prep career...three-year starter (made 35 consecutive starts)...best game was a 444-yard and 5-TD game against rival Monte Vista HS...was also a four-year starter in basketball at San Ramon Valley High...coached by Dave Kravitz.

PERSONAL: Majoring in interdiciplinary studies (political science and history)...father , Mike (sports management consultant), and stepmother, Kimberly, live in San Ramon, Calif....mother is Melissa Sanders...his father was an All-American at the University of Michigan for Bo Schembechler and a third-round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys...his uncle also played at Michigan as well...has two sisters, Gabby (15) and Jessica (30)...his sister, Jessica, is married to Mark Chamberlin, who serves in the 101st Airborne and is currently in helicopter flight school in Alabama...hobbies include billiards and snowboarding...full name is Samuel Michael Keller.

CAREER HIGHS: Pass Attempts: 56, vs. LSU (9/10/05); Pass Completions: 35, vs. LSU (9/10/05); Passing Yards: 461, vs. LSU (9/10/05); Passing TDs: 4, four times, last at Oregon State (9/24/05). Completion: 68 yards, vs. UTEP (9/2/04).

Keller's Career Statistics

Sam Keller Class: Senior Hometown: Danville, Calif. High School: San Ramon Valley Height / Weight: 6-4 / 230 Position: Quarterback Experience: 3V

Keller's Game-by-Game Statistics