As the UND football program begins to prepare for the No. 1 team in the country and in-state rival North Dakota State, head coach Bubba Schweigert was non-committal Monday afternoon about his starting quarterback for the weekend.
Week 1 starter Nate Ketteringham, who started all 11 games in 2018, was injured last Saturday in a 47-7 win over Drake at the Alerus Center but suffered a leg injury in the third quarter and didn't return.
Ketteringham, a transfer from Sacramento State and 2019 team captain, spent the second half against Drake on crutches on the sideline. His right leg was wrapped and knee in a brace.
"We're looking at Nate one day at a time here," Schweigert said. "We just move forward from here and keep evaluating that."
UND also announced Monday that practices would be closed to the public this week.
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Ketteringham was 19-for-25 for 152 yards and a touchdown before going down following a first-and-20 pass for Garett Maag that resulted in a pass interference call on the first drive of the second half.
Filling in for Ketteringham against Drake was senior backup Andrew Zimmerman, who went 7-for-9 for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
"We feel bad for Nate, when guys go down," UND senior running back James Johannesson said. "Zimmerman went in there and did his best. He was ready for the moment."
Zimmerman, a 6-foot-2, 216-pound Monroe, Wash., native, was named team captain in 2018 despite his backup role.
As a sophomore at UND in 2017, he appeared in four games. He went 21-for-41 for 339 yards and three touchdowns. Zimmerman, who received his most extended action against Montana and Sacramento State, saw playing time after injuries to starter Keaton Studsrud.
Prior to UND, Zimmerman played one season at Fresno City College, where he started the final six games and threw for 1,351 yards and 17 touchdowns. His first season of college football was spent as a redshirt on the 2015 Eastern Washington roster.
UND and NDSU will kickoff Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Fargo.
