Case Keenum

Case Keenum

refer to caption

Keenum during warmups while at Houston in 2011
No. 17 Los Angeles Rams
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1988-02-17) February 17, 1988
Place of birth: Brownwood, Texas[1][2]
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school: Abilene (TX) Wylie
College: Houston
Undrafted: 2012
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
  • C-USA Freshman of the Year (2007)
  • C-USA All-Freshmen Team (2007)
  • C-USA Second-team All-Conference (2008)
  • C-USA Offensive Player of the Year (2008)
  • Second-team All-America (2009)
  • 2× C-USA First-team All-Conference (2009, 2011)
  • 2× C-USA Most Valuable Player (2009, 2011)
  • 2× Sammy Baugh Trophy (2009, 2011)
  • 2× Top 8 Heisman Trophy voting (2009, 2011)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2015
Passing attempts: 455
Passing completions: 258
Percentage: 56.7
TD–INT: 15–9
Passing yards: 3,023
Passer rating: 79.8
Player stats at NFL.com

Casey Austin "Case" Keenum (born February 17, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football at Houston, where he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing yards, touchdowns, and completions.

In the 2008 college football season, Keenum ranked first nationally in total offense and second in total passing yards.[3][4] As a result of his on-field contributions to Houston's success, Keenum was named to several All-American lists. He is the only quarterback in Division I FBS football history to have passed for more than 5,000 yards in each of three seasons. On October 22, 2011, Keenum became the Football Bowl Subdivision's all-time leader in total offense. On October 27, 2011, Keenum became the all-time leader in total touchdown passes by an FBS quarterback. During that game he threw for nine touchdowns and 534 yards.

Keenum threw for 1760 yards and 9 touchdowns in the 8 games he started for the Texans, before being waived on August 31, 2014. Keenum was picked up by the St. Louis Rams the next day and was on their practice squad. He re-signed with the Houston Texans on December 15, 2014 after their starting and backup quarterbacks were injured. On March 10, 2015, the Rams traded a draft pick to the Texans for Keenum.[5]

High school career

Keenum played football for Wylie High School in Abilene, Texas. During his high school career, he passed for 6,783 yards and 48 touchdowns and rushed for 41 touchdowns and 2,000 yards.[6] Logging 42 starts at quarterback, Keenum posted a career record of 31–11.[7] In 2004, Keenum led Wylie in the game-winning drive for a 17–14 victory over Cuero High School of Cuero, Texas in the Texas Class 3A Division I championship game.[8] This is Wylie's only state championship to date as of the end of the 2015 season.[9] In addition to being recruited by Houston, Keenum was recruited by Baylor, North Texas, and UTEP,[6] although Houston was the only university to offer a scholarship.[8] Keenum also earned varsity letters in basketball and track during his high school career.[7]

Name Home town High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Case Keenum
QB		 Abilene, Texas Wylie HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 4.68 Jan 27, 2006 
Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 69 (college recruiting)   Rivals: 91 (college recruiting)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College career

2006 season

Keenum began his college career at the University of Houston during the 2006 season. During his freshman season, decorated senior Kevin Kolb held the starting quarterback position for the Cougars, leading the coaching staff to redshirt Keenum for the season. The 2006 Cougars won the Conference USA championship, and Kolb was drafted by the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.

2007 season

In fall camp before the 2007 season, the Cougars held a de facto quarterback competition to fill the starting spot vacated by the departure of four-year starter Kevin Kolb. The competition swung between Keenum and sophomore Blake Joseph throughout two-a-days and during much of the season, with each player displaying a different set of strengths and weaknesses. Keenum made his first collegiate appearance on September 1, 2007 when the Cougars opened the season at the Oregon Ducks. He threw for 179 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-27 passing and added 47 rushing yards on nine carries against the Ducks. Against C-USA rival Tulane Green Wave in the second game, Keenum threw for 185 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-21 passing, leading Houston to a 34–10 win. In the third game of the year against the Colorado State Rams, Keenum came on in relief of starter Blake Joseph and accounted for four touchdowns.[10] For this performance, Keenum was recognized as CollegeSportsReport.com's Division I FBS National Performer of the Week. Keenum played at quarterback in all thirteen games of the season, starting in seven. Late in the season, the UH coaching staff finally tabbed Keenum to be the regular starting quarterback over Blake Joseph. Keenum's outstanding pocket presence and efficient passing won out in the end over Joseph's stronger arm and running ability.

2008 season

Keenum with Houston against Air Force in 2008

During the 2008 season, Keenum became the second player in school history to complete over 5,000 passing yards in one season. He also led the nation in total offense, and was the national runner-up in passing yards, behind Texas Tech's Graham Harrell.[4] The Houston Cougars would show many signs of improvement as a whole, as they won their first bowl game since 1980 with a win over Air Force, and defeated two nationally ranked opponents. Following the season, Keenum would win the 2008 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year award.

2009 season

Keenum led the Houston Cougars to a 10–4 record in 2009. Keenum finished the 2009 season with 48 total touchdowns and over 5,800 total offensive yards. His play helped Houston upset then #5-ranked Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and later Mississippi State. Houston played East Carolina on the road in the Conference USA Championship, but lost the game in the final minute. Houston faced Air Force in a rematch of the previous year's Armed Forces Bowl. However, this time, Air Force emerged victorious. In cold, windy conditions, Keenum threw 6 interceptions in the game, and was held to only one touchdown. Keenum finished the season, though, with over 5,800 yards of total offense and 48 touchdowns.

2010 season

Keenum was in a position to challenge more than one major NCAA division one passing record at the start of the 2010 season, including career passing yards and touchdowns. However, after throwing for a total of 636 passing yards and three touchdowns in three games, Keenum tore his ACL during the Cougars' third game of the season against UCLA. The injury ended Keenum's season, and Houston would finish 5–7.[11] Keenum earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Houston Bauer College of Business in December 2010.[7]

2011 season

On January 14, 2011, the NCAA granted Keenum a sixth year of eligibility. Prior to the 2011 season, he was named the 2011 Conference USA Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the third year in a row. On October 27, 2011, Keenum set the all time passing touchdowns record by throwing for 9 touchdowns against Rice.[12][13] Keenum also enrolled in the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences studying for a master's degree in physical administration with a concentration on sports administration.[7] On November 19, 2011, Keenum set the record for career completions in a 37–7 win over SMU.[14] The Cougars had a record of 12–0 coming into the Conference USA Championship. However, the Cougars were defeated by Southern Miss by a score of 49–28. Keenum completed 41 of 67 pass attempts for 373 yards through the air, two touchdown passes, and two interceptions. After the loss, Houston played Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl. They won by a score of 30–14. Keenum passed for 532 yards, and threw three touchdown passes and no interceptions.

College career statistics

Keenum accepting the College Football Performance Award for 2009 at Hofheinz Pavilion
Year Passing Rushing
Comp Att Yards TDs Int Rating Att Yds TD
2007 187 273 2,259 14 10 147.6 103 412 9
2008 397 589 5,020 44 11 159.9 76 221 7
2009 492 700 5,671 44 15 154.8 60 158 4
2010 42 64 636 5 5 159.3 4 71 0
2011 428 603 5,631 48 5 174.0 57 35 3
Totals 1,546 2,229 19,217 155 46 160.6 300 897 23

College awards

Professional career

NFL Scouting Combine

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 01⁄2 in 208 lb307⁄8 in91⁄8 in 4.82 s 1.63 s 2.72 s 4.28 s 6.87 s 32.5 in 8 ft 7 in 18 reps
Bench press, shuttle, and cone drill values are from Houston Pro Day;[15] all other values are from the NFL Combine[15][16]

Despite his many awards and success in college, Keenum was projected as a late draft pick, with the major factors for his low stock being undersized at 6 feet, a possibility to only be able to play in a spread offense, and was granted a medical redshirt once in his college career. After Keenum went undrafted, he chose to stay close to home and signed with the Houston Texans.[17]

Houston Texans

After being signed as an undrafted free agent, Keenum was placed on the Texans practice squad, where he spent the entire 2012 regular season.

In 2013, Keenum was placed on the Texans' 53 man roster as a 3rd string quarterback behind starter Matt Schaub and 2nd string quarterback T. J. Yates.[18] On October 17, head coach Gary Kubiak announced that Keenum would be the starting quarterback over backup Yates in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday October 20, after starting quarterback Schaub was unable to play due to an injury.[19] In his pro debut on October 20, Keenum threw his first career touchdown pass, a 29 yarder to DeAndre Hopkins.[20] In the end, Keenum completed 15 of 25 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown, along with a 110.6 passer rating, the highest by a Texan quarterback in the season. However, Houston lost, 17-16.[21] On November 3, Keenum threw three passing touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts, all three to Andre Johnson in the first half. Keenum also had 350 passing yards and 26 rushing yards, despite the Texans losing 27–24. Keenum was 0-8 as a starter for the Texans in 2013.

St. Louis Rams

On August 31, 2014, Keenum was waived by the Texans to clear a roster space for recently acquired quarterback Ryan Mallett. He was claimed off waivers the next day by the St. Louis Rams. He was waived by the St. Louis Rams on October 28, 2014, in order to make room on the roster for newly acquired safety Mark Barron. He re-signed to the team's practice squad on October 30.

Second stint with Texans

On December 15, 2014, Keenum was signed off the Rams practice squad back to the Houston Texans.[22] He filled a roster spot after starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick broke his left leg in a game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 14, 2014, and on December 21, 2014 he won his first NFL game beating the Baltimore Ravens 25-13. On December 28, 2014 he won a second consecutive game with the Texans against the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-17.

Second stint with Rams

On March 11, 2015, Keenum was acquired from the Texans for a 7th-round pick in 2016.[23] It was announced by head coach Jeff Fisher that Keenum would be the backup quarterback to recently acquired Nick Foles.[24] On November 16, the Rams named Keenum the starting quarterback after announcing that they had benched Foles.

Near the end of the Rams' week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens, Keenum suffered a concussion that left him visibly wobbly but was not removed from the game for evaluation, leading to an investigation by the NFL and the NFL Players Association.[25]

Keenum recovered from the concussion, and led the Rams to three consecutive victories against the Lions, Bucs and Seahawks. He recorded a Rams record near "perfect game" vs the Bucs obtaining a 158.0 passer rating by going 14-17 for 2 TD's & 234 YDs in the last home game in the history of St Louis. The next week Keenum & the Rams traveled to Seattle to face the much tougher Seahawks at home. As an obvious underdog, he maintained his poise and gave the Rams their first win in Seattle since 2004. He had the team set up for their 4th consecutive win against the 49ers in the season finale, but the potential game-winning field goal by Greg Zuerlein (in overtime) was blocked. Keenum finished the 2015 season (5 games played) with 828 YDs, 4 TDs, 1 INT, with a 60.8% completion percentage.

In January 12, 2016, the Rams officially moved back to Los Angeles, California. It was announced via coach Jeff Fisher & GM Les Snead that Keenum would be the starting quarterback heading into training camp. On April 18, 2016, Keenum signed a 1-year first round restricted free-agent tender with the Los Angeles Rams.

Personal life

Born in Brownwood, Texas,[26] Case Keenum spent his childhood in Abilene, Texas, and is the son of Steve Keenum who served as an offensive lineman and later as head football coach and athletic director at McMurry. The elder Keenum, known for an aggressive passing offensive strategy, was also head coach at Sul Ross State, offensive coordinator at Tarleton State, and offensive line coach at Hardin-Simmons.[27][28][29]

Keenum, a Christian,[30] married Kimberly Caddell in June 2011; Kimberly is also a native of Abilene, Texas.[7][31]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Keenum, Casey Austin. "Texas, Birth Index, 1903-1997". FamilySearch.org. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Keenum, Case. "Player Stats". NFL.com. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  3. ↑ "NCAA Division I-A Football Stats 2008". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-12-14.
  4. 1 2 "Touchdown Club of Columbus To Honor Keenum As Player to Watch in 2009". Houston Cougars football. 2009-02-06. Retrieved 2009-02-25.
  5. ↑ Gantt, Darin. "Rams can’t trade for enough QBs, bring Case Keenum back". Pro Football Talk. NBCSports.com. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  6. 1 2 Youngblood, Daniel (December 27, 2008). "Wylie's Keenum proves detractors wrong". Abilene Reporter-News. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Case Keenum". Houston Cougars. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  8. 1 2 Jansen, Steve (April 28, 2011). "The final play". Houston Press. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Abilene Wylie Bulldogs". Lone Star Football Network. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Football Uses Second-Half Comeback To Knock Off Colorado State 38-27". Houston Cougars athletics. 2007-09-22. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  11. ↑ Case Keenum out with torn ACL, ESPN, September 19, 2010
  12. ↑ "C-USA Announces 2011 Preseason Football All-Conference Awards" (PDF). Conference USA. 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  13. ↑ "Houston Earns League-Leading Six Preseason All-Conference USA Selections". Houston Cougars athletics. 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  14. ↑ Houston Improves to 11-0 as Case Keenum sets completions record, ESPN, November 19, 2011
  15. 1 2 "Case Keenum". NFL Draft Scout. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Case Keenum Draft Profile". National Football League. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
  17. ↑ "casekeenum/2532888". NFL. April 29, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Yates edges Keenum for Texans' backup QB role". Houston Chronicle. 2013-09-06. Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  19. ↑ "Texans' Case Keenum to start at QB". ESPN. 2013-10-17. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
  20. ↑ http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap2000000266419/Keenum-s-first-TD-pass
  21. ↑ Zangaro, Dave (2013-10-20). "Texans' Keenum impresses in NFL debut". Comcast SportsNet Houston. Retrieved 2013-10-23.
  22. ↑ "Case Keenum is Returning to Texans". MyFoxHouston. 2014-12-15. Retrieved 2014-12-15.
  23. ↑ Simmons, Myles (March 11, 2015). "Rams Reacquire Case Keenum". StLouisRams.com. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
  24. ↑ http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/20969/case-keenum-has-rams-backup-quarterback-job-locked
  25. ↑ Wagoner, Nick. "NFL, NFLPA asking why Case Keenum played after appearing to sustain concussion". ESPN.com. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  26. ↑ "Case Keenum". NFL. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  27. ↑ Watson, Graham (2009-09-10). "Numbers add up for QB Keenum". ESPN. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  28. ↑ Hairopoulos, Kate (2009-10-23). "SMU prepares for Heisman candidate Keenum". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  29. ↑ "Head coach Steve Keenum". McMurry Indians athletics. Archived from the original on 1999-05-07. Retrieved 2009-11-04.
  30. ↑ Evans, Thayer (August 18, 2011). "Keenum's sixth year looks to be special". Fox Sports. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Caddell - Keenum". Abilene Reporter-News. April 25, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2012.

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