Ex-Wyoming QB Stutzriem headed to ISU

Becomes favorite to lead Sycamores’ offense; went 2-2 in four starts for Wyoming in ’08

By Todd Golden

TERRE HAUTE — Chris Stutzriem knew he needed a change when the coach who recruited him, Joe Glenn, was fired by the University of Wyoming in November 2008.

His journey took him to Indiana State where he hopes he is the man behind center when ISU breaks what is now a 26-game losing streak.

Truth be told, Stutzriem, who becomes the immediate favorite to be ISU’s starting quarterback this fall, has bigger dreams for the Sycamores.

“The goal is to win every game and I think that’s achievable here,” Stutzriem said.

“It’s going to take a lot of hard work, and we’ll have to accomplish a lot during the off-season, but once we get the first win, that’s the biggest thing. After that, everything starts taking care of itself. It’s easier to play within yourself, which is what we need to do.”

Clearly, the personable Stutzriem oozes confidence. In his one season playing for Wyoming, a FBS school, he made four starts.

The 4-8 Cowboys won half of their games with Stutzriem at the helm, including a memorable 13-7 win at Tennessee on Nov. 8.

“I going into every game thinking we’re going to win. That was reinforced when we played Tennessee. They put on their helmets the same way we do,” said Stutzriem, who completed 8 of 16 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown against the Volunteers. “It was a big win. They were going through some hard times, but we went in there and we did what we were supposed to.”

Overall, Stutzriem — who hails from Lawton, Okla. — completed 55 of 98 passes for 660 yards with five touchdown passes and five interceptions for Wyoming.

His best outing came in a 35-10 win over San Diego State on Nov. 1 when he had a QB rating of 232.44. His season rating was 119.33.

Stutzriem’s transfer should solidify a position that was in flux for much of the 2008 season. Four different Sycamores (Matt Seliger, Chuck Dowdell, Calvin Schmidtke, Ryan Roberts) started at quarterback last season.

ISU averaged 73.4 passing yards per game in 2008, far and away the worst in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Seliger is the only one who remains at quarterback and redshirt freshman Travis Johnson is the only other quarterback currently on the roster. Dowdell transferred, Schmidtke was released and Roberts was moved to wide receiver.

Stutzriem is 6-foot-4 and is 235 pounds. ISU runs a pro-style offense and Stutzriem’s desire to remain in a pro-style offense motivated him to leave Wyoming. He was released from his scholarship in March.

“I’m a bigger guy, so I like the pro-style offense [ISU runs]. My motto is ‘get the ball into the athletes’ hands.’ I like pro-style, I like the option to change the play at the line, I like the offenses they use on Sunday’s,” Stutzriem said. “I like the guys on this team. They’re great guys, there’s no bad characters and it’s a good football atmosphere.”

Stutzriem was highly recruited coming out of Lawton Eisenhower High School. He committed to Wyoming early and maintained his commitment despite interest from Oklahoma State and Stanford after he had already declared his intention to go to the Laramie, Wyo., school.

He sat out one year as a redshirt in 2007 before making his debut in 2008.

Stutzriem said his primary motivation to transfer was Wyoming’s coaching change. Glenn, the coach who recruited Stutzriem, was fired and replaced by Dave Christensen, who intends to implement a spread offense.

“When I got my release from Wyoming, I looked at a lot of Division I-AA schools. I looked at rosters, I looked at everything from school pictures, to uniform types to cheerleaders,” Stutzriem said. “I send out my release forms to some coaches. I just waited for phone calls back, started talking more seriously to some schools and set up a couple of visits.”

Stutzriem visited ISU just before its spring game on April 18. The way ISU coach Trent Miles’ runs the program reminded him of the way Glenn ran his at Wyoming.

He ultimately chose ISU over Southern Illinois and Massachusetts in the FCS ranks. Division II Texas A&M-Commerce; and Northwest Missouri State were also in the mix.

“I think it was Coach Miles and his staff that convinced me. They are very family-oriented. Coach Glenn was that way at Wyoming. There’s more to football than wins and losses. I liked the fact that they’re turning things around here. They’re headed in the right direction, that all appealed to me,” Stutzriem said.

Stutzriem, a sophomore, will have immediate eligibility. Transfers from FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) to FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) programs are not required to sit out a year.

Stutzriem will enroll at ISU for summer classes, so he will be able to immerse himself in ISU’s offense as soon as possible. Stutzriem also said he’s taking summer classes because he’s motivated to graduate early. He’s already been sent an ISU playbook to go over so he can get himself acquainted with terminology.

As for the starting job, Stutzriem

“I’m looking at coming in and competing with the other guys … may the best man win. Hopefully the offense here suits me and I think it will,” Stutzriem said.

ISU’s coaching staff declined comment until Stutzriem’s scholarship papers become official, which should occur as soon as today.

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