Hercules

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So how did Martinez, a redshirt freshman, beat out last year's starter, Lee, and a former blue-chip recruit in Green to become the first freshman to start a season opener in the history of Nebraska football?

 

Watson chalks it up to Martinez's competitiveness. The best hate to lose and work to make sure they don't. Watson got to know him and quickly saw Martinez fit the description.

By far the best part of this article. Out of everyone on the team, it's absolutely gotta be the QB who possesses this quality. Take the competitiveness away from Frazier or Frost, and our teams in the 90s aren't nearly as dangerous or successful...and maybe not even national champs.

 

IMO "hate to lose and work to make sure they don't" was the one thing Crouch didn't possess, at least not to the level of Frazier or Frost. If Martinez plays with the same firey competitiveness as them, we're golden.

 

Disagree.

 

Crouch didn't have 50% of the talent on his teams as Frazier & Frost did (except the 99 defense....they "should" have been in the NC game). It amazes me that he never gets credit for carrying NU on his back for three years.

 

I would have to agree with bshirt here (don't hold that against me ). Frost and Frazier had some of the best OLs ever assembled in the history of CFB. Frazier had LP and Frost had AG. Not that Crouch did not have talent or talent around him, the man was the only one out of the three to win a Heisman, but Frazier and Frost had more.

I'm not comparing the talent on those teams. I'm talking about the "want to win at all costs" quality these guys possessed. There's no question Crouch possessed a certain level of fire and desire out there - he was a successful QB, so he defenitely had some competitiveness. I just always got the feeling he didn't quite have the same level of competitiveness as his predecessors, who would do anything it took for their team to pull out the win.

 

You can counter all you want that I'm wrong about Crouch, but personally this is how I felt when watching these three QBs. So good luck changing my mind 'cause it's made up.

Crouch was a gamer, but guys like Frazier, Frost, Wistrom, Peter Bros had a competitive fire that was at the core of that mid-90's run. That '95 team, thanks to Frazier and Christian Peter, didn't like beating teams - it liked DESTROYING teams. They would go out with the same mindset against Pacific that they did against Florida. They took pleasure in demoralizing, humiliating, and embarrassing their opponent, not just winning. Crouch wasn't cutthroat like those guys were, regardless of the talent around him.

One of the reasons the Holiday bowl victory was so elating for Husker fans is that it was a return to that mid-90's feeling. Suh and company came out with a chip on their shoulder. They didn't just want to beat Arizona, they wanted to CRUSH them. They wanted to prove, without a sliver of a doubt, who the real men were on that field. It was the first time the team came onto the field with that kind of attitude since the 90's.

They just need to transfer that feeling, that anger and fire, to every single week, day, and rep of this year. That's what made those mid 90's teams so special (besides the freakish talent they had).

Anybody in Omaha/somebody with Cox Cable catch this?

 

 

Teddy Greenstein, T'magic in his own right, was gushing over Taylor.

 

Both guests said he was the real deal. I believe Teddy said it is nice that NU has a QB faster than Eric Crouch.

 

 

schuhbdoo magic

Faster than Eric Crouch?

 

Do they have anything to back this up? I'm not saying they're wrong or proclaiming they're idiotic, but Crouch was ridiculously fast and not just against the WKU's of the world. Seems like lofty praise for one game..

Faster than Crouch.......I seriously doubt it.

T-Magic is fast, man. To give you a reference point, he's somewhere between a snake and a mongoose. And a panther.

Idaho (1-0) at Nebraska (1-0) Sept. 11, 12:30

 

Here’s The Deal... This will be an interesting measuring stick for Idaho. After years of being among the dregs of college football, the Vandals came up with a shocking 8-5 2009 season, finishing with a Humanitarian Bowl win over Bowling Green, and they blew away North Dakota 45-0 to start 2010. Idaho isn’t going to beat Nebraska, but it’ll be important to see how competitive this game will be. Old Idaho loses this by 50, but this is a feisty group that knows how to win now and it should provide more than a light scrimmage for a Husker team that might be looking ahead to the trip to face Jake Locker and Washington. The Huskers dispatched of Western Kentucky 49-10 to start the season, and Idaho represents the only game in the first five against a 2009 bowl team until Texas in mid-October.

Why Idaho Might Win: What happened to the Nebraska pass rush? Without Mr. Suh on the inside, the Husker defensive front wasn’t exactly frothing at the mouth against Western Kentucky registering just one sack and two tackles for loss while being ripped up by RB Bobby Rainey for a career-high 155 yards. With Deonte Jackson hurting with an ankle injury, Princeton McCarty and Kama Bailey will have to carry the rushing load, but the key to the attack will be veteran QB Nathan Enderle, a borderline pro prospect who has been smoking-hot over his last three games going back to last year with nine touchdown passes and just one pick. Idaho isn’t going to be intimidated by Nebraska.

Why Nebraska Might Win: What happened to the Nebraska pass rush? It’ll show up this week. It wasn’t that the Husker defense was awful against WKU, but it wasn’t the great performance a group of this caliber should’ve come up with. This week will be when everyone up front starts to shine against a porous and rebuilding Vandal offensive front that gave up four sacks and six tackles for loss against North Dakota and might get Enderle killed this week. Idaho might have veteran offensive playmakers, but they’re not going to get a chance to show what they can do.

What To Watch Out For: As if the Husker Nation wasn’t buzzing enough, the one glaring question mark might have been answered in one scintillating performance against a bad team. It was Western Kentucky and it was only one game, but true freshman Taylor Martinez looked the part of the type of quarterback who can be the one who takes the program to another level. While he’s a decent passer and completed 9-of-15 passes for 136 yards, “T-Magic” is at his best on the move tearing off 127 yards and three scores, hitting home runs from 46, 19, and 15 yards out, on just seven carries. If he can be that good on a consistent basis, it’s uh-oh time for the rest of the Big 12.

What Will Happen: Martinez will have another great game against a porous Idaho defense, but star safety Shiloh Keo will come up with a huge performance with at least ten tackles. The Vandal offense will be game, but it’ll have a hard time getting the chains moving with half the Husker defensive front sitting on Enderle’s head.

CFN Prediction: Nebraska 52...Idaho 20 ... Line: Nebraska -28.5

Must See Rating: Boardwalk Empire – 5 ... Going the Distance - 1 ... 2.5

 

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1000186.html

 

I agree about the pash rush getting better this game. I highly doubt they will score 20 points. Im going to guess around 10-15 pts.

Wow unbelievable. Can't believe this thread got legs. Cody is a QB. Why wouldn't he be a QB? He was recruited to run this style of offense. Not only that but there is some undertone that he does not fit the part. This kid is a good QB at that. Big, tough, can both run and throw very well.

 

I concur, I can't believe this thread got as far as it did. Cody will be a great QB, he is developing well and will see significant play time in his career. Maybe not as a starter but a contributor either way.

It's not that I think that he's not a good QB, and it's not that I think he doesn't fit the part. I do think he's a good QB, I thought he looked very good the other night.

However, you always want to try to get your best players on the field. Bobby Newcombe was a QB, but was too valuable of an athlete to sit on the sideline, so they moved him to WR (Both Solich AND Osborne did this).

I don't think this thread has much to do with Cody not being a good enough player. This thread is about him being such a good player, and such a good athlete, that you want to think creatively and try to get him on the field one way or another. That's my opinion, anyways.

I've thought about this too... If Martinez becomes the guy, which I think he could, and we can maintain a lot of depth at QB without Green, I'd definitely be open to it. If for no other reason than the fact that McNeil, Paul, and Kinnie are all gone after this year... It's gonna be like 2009 all over again, when we lost Swift and Pederson... Not looking forward to that, especially with the schedule we have next year.

Green's athletic, and he's got the frame. I'd be at least intrigued by a move to WR, though certainly right now it seems he should be at QB.

Edit: My bad, Kinnie's actually a junior. So at least we'll have him back.

I got a giggle, I did. I think mostly he's ticked because he lost some chips on the spread:

 

Nebraska has proved one thing: nothing. Wait until Taylor Martinez plays against an actual F.B.S. defense with some actual F.B.S. athletes who were recruited by some actual F.B.S. programs. No offense, Western Kentucky. Nebraska fans, before getting too excited about your so-called new, explosive offense with the second coming of Eric Crouch, let’s try to keep our feet on the ground long enough to play some real competition.

 

Full disclosure: Narby Nation did lose widgets taking the points against the Huskers this weekend. Barely. But in the words of W.C. Fields, ‘if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.’ And try again we will. As an aside, W.C. Fields, like me, was a hard drinking egotist. Next topic, please.

 

Notre Dame proved the same thing as Nebraska: zero. All of the Narbies in Narbyville hate the Irish almost as much as Nebraska (but less than Virginia Tech, since I mentioned it). Can I ask a question: is there anything more annoying than an auburn-haired Notre Dame co-ed in an extra large green t-shirt overly excited about beating Purdue, 23-12? I think not.

 

Read the full rant here.

Eh, he's really only saying that our opponent was so bad that we still really don't know anything about our team... Which I generally agree with.

i thot yoshi looked a little slow/lost, which was a huge disappointment for me.

After re-watching the game, I thought Yoshi looked fine. Obviously he's not as familiar with the offense, but I thought he played well, and there were several plays where he knocked his guy into oblivion.

On the other hand, Ricky Henry made a LOT of mistakes. Hope to see that improve this weekend, he was perhaps our best OL at the end of last season.

I don't really know what's so impressive with TMart's HS footage. He put together some decent runs, but his throwing technique looks like garbage.

 

I'm not saying he's a bad player, just that there's no reason to be fawning over him so much. He played fine in the opener, but some of the stuff he does isn't gonna fly once we start getting into conference play.

 

If he develops into a really good qb and dominates the big 12, then great, I don't think anyone will complain about that.

 

I think by the end of the year, the Big 12 is going to be glad they don't have to deal with him anymore.

Oh, BROTHER.

Martinez gets his FIRST start, looks admittedly very good, and this is how Huskerboard reacts:

1/3 of the board deems Martinez the next Eric Crouch.

1/3 of the board whines about Zac Lee getting the bench.

1/3 of the board starts anointing Brion Carnes the next Frazier at QB.

Not only is this insane (and hilarious), but it also kind of feels like when we compare modern QBs to legends of the past, race is pretty much the deciding factor... How come Martinez can't be the next Frazier, or Carnes the next Crouch? .... FYI, I'm just kidding around... sorta...

1. Improved linebacker play

2. 0 blown coverages in the secondary

3. Fewer missed blocking assignments from the O-line

4. More pressure on the QB from the defensive line

5. Better takeaway-turnover ratio

Well i'm gonna throw this out there, if Boise State runs the table now, and walks thru their conference, then it's time to give em a shot. That time has come in college football. Theyve proved they deserve it in the past, and so did Utah. It's just time.

Boise State either needs to join a real conference, or become an independent and play a real schedule.

Nebraska might lose to Boise State if they played in a bowl game. But that's partially because Nebraska fought through the Big 12. Nebraska has to deal with a season of getting beat up, overcoming injuries, etc etc on a weekly basis. Boise State plays 1 big game like Texas will be, 1 game about like Washington will be, and then a bunch of Western Kentucky's. Of course they'll be able to give any BCS conference team a good shot when they can sit their starters in the 2nd half for 10/12 games in the regular season.

If they were to form an 8 team playoff, I don't even think Boise State would deserve a shot at that over 8 BCS conference teams. Like I said, play a real schedule, then they can play for championships. Until then, forgetaboutit.

If Ohio State played Miami and then went through the MAC, people would be in an uproar, but that's exactly what people are defending about Boise State.

I agree and same thing if it was Nebraska. Boise State plays a weak schedule/conference and people want them playing in the BCS title game if they go 13-0 over a 12-1 Alabama, Ohio State, OU, Nebraska, Florida, etc. teams

 

You act like Nebraska is playing some rugged schedule this year, Texas is the only team on that list that probably won't end the year with 4+ losses. Boise still has to play Oregon State, Utah State (who pushed OU to the limit), and Fresno State (handled a Cincinatti team coming off back to back BCS games).

 

We play 5 or 6 teams that won't make a bowl. Do you think MU, KU, Iowa State or Colorado would walk through the WAC? Texas A&M, K-State and Texas, possibly.

 

WKU

Idaho

Washington (a loss to BYU)

South Dakota State

K-State

Texas

OSU

Missouri

Iowa State

Kansas

Texas A&M

Colorado

Here's the problem with defending Boise State... You just cited "Utah State" when discussing their strength of schedule.

For those others of you who are sentimental about the loss of the option at Nebraska (and still hopeful for its eventual return), Navy's offense is marching down the field on Maryland right now.

(on espn)...

Holy thread merge, batman....

 

Regarding the reality shopping comment, I'll lay out how I see it. Two possibilities:

 

1) Lee is really just a poor QB who had a lousy camp. In this case, it didn't take very much for Martinez to surpass him, as well as Green, since it's clear that both did.

 

2) Lee is the good, senior leader, consistent QB who improved on what we saw in the Holiday Bowl. Martinez is just that superstar that surpassed him. Green is another superstar who surpassed him. Martinez is ahead of Green.

 

3) Martinez beat out Green; Lee was not part of the conversation for whatever reason: he doesn't fit the style we run; coaches don't want to build the team around him; etc; etc.

 

I am going with 3 on the basis that we've heard Lee did not have a lousy camp at all. You can call this hearsay, but at the same time we rely on this kind of hearsay all the time to hear about who has a good camp or not. For example, you could say reports about that one killer scrimmage Martinez has was also hearsay, as well as reports about ones where he threw a ton of interceptions. Also in the same category I'd say, would be reports that Thenarse was making waves towards the end of camp (he got the start over PJ and West), that Cotton was really showing stuff at TE, etc, etc.

 

The reports on Zac Lee would have to be completely off base for 1 to be the case. That leads me to 3, but it does not necessarily mean that Zac was screwed out a job. There are legit reasons why Zac, despite having a lot of talent, could find himself third. The style of offense could be one he's not suited to run. He could be not getting along well with his teammates and not being the leader he needs to be. Or he could be viewed as soft by his coaches. Now we are getting more into "believe what you want to believe" territory.

 

By the way, none of these scenarios said anything about the relative separation of Martinez and Green, except that Martinez was ahead of Green. By how much? It seems we expect there to be competition over the next few games still, at least, between these two. And you know what they say about "when you have 2 quarterbacks"...

 

I suppose the bottom line I'm getting at is, all three guys we have are probably average. There's no savior among them. We have "depth", I suppose, compared to last year, but we don't have 2 or 3 star players at QB...just 3 average guys. 2 of them are going to be young guys that will make young player mistakes. So let's at least temper our expectations here.

I like how you laid out 3 possibilities, and then just completely ignored one of them. "The reports on Zac Lee would have to be completely off base for '1' to be the case. That leads me to '3.'" WTF happened to #2?

What we've heard all camp is that all 3 QB's improved, but Martinez passed the others up. This would basically be your #2 possibility, which, for whatever reason, you simply chose to ignore (i.e. reality shopping).

Wonder how long it's going to take the Lee posse to just GET OVER IT.

 

Trust me, it'll be a more enjoyable season the sooner you do.

 

Are the points we're trying to bring up seriously flying that far over your head?

 

Take a deep breath, take a step back, and then think this

 

"An unproven redshirt freshman starting over the now #3 senior QB who played hurt all last season and was still better than Green? Hmm, that's weird"

 

If TMart really is that much better then Green or Lee, then fine, whatever. Obviously we all want the best players on the field. No one is saying he's entitled to the position, and competition blablablabl, it's just that something about this just doesn't seem right.

 

Half this board seriously seems to be deliberately misunderstanding what we're talking about, and it's getting ridiculous

It's not that we don't understand the points you're making, it's that there's nothing to back it up. You guys are just reality shopping (i.e. you don't like the reality you've been presented with, so you find a way to rationalize around it).

To a degree, I think all this 'best will play' talk is a self-fulfilling prophecy, from the coach's standpoint.

 

They committed to making Taylor the starter, and going forward with the offense with Taylor at the helm. Rather than commit to building off of Lee's work in the Holiday Bowl and his experience through all of last year.

 

Barring an injury at this point, it's highly unlikely we will see the Lee that the staff could have built this year's team around and committed to improving through his senior year. As with any quarterback, you will see improvement if you put him in the right position to succeed. If you throw him down to third string and build your future around two younger guys...well, I don't know. It's a tough road.

 

Taylor is going to be put into a position to develop and succeed, and it's reasonable to expect that he will, I suppose. It won't mean that if we had committed to Lee, and then worked in Taylor's wildcat package a la Leak/Tebow a few years ago, that we would not have been better off, both this year and in the long term. But for whatever reasons - dislike of Lee apparently being one of them - that's not the option that the coaches have deemed to be best.

 

In the end it's the decision we will have to live with (and probably will come to gladly accept, as bshirt always reminds me that I will), but I don't believe that such a decision should be immune to analysis or criticism, or explained away by "Taylor must have simply won an open competition."

 

In any case, it's highly unlikely that Taylor did flat out beat Lee (I'm not saying he didn't, since I don't know). But from Bo's comments about the gameplan with the QB rotation this game (Taylor, Cody, and then no set plan), to how Zac was used in game (garbage time, scout team), it could not be more apparent where Zac's standing is. So barring the possibility that we have two incredible young QBs who leapfrogged a senior by leaps and bounds, we have a scenario where the redshirt freshman was deemed to be a better option than the sophomore, with the idea of sticking with the senior out of the question. That's a judgment call the coaches can make, but it isn't Taylor flat out beating Lee.

 

^ Of course, one final note, to play devil's advocate, flat-out winning a QB race is hardly a guaranteed predictor of success (Keller).

There's a difference between criticizing a decision, and flat-out making stuff up in order to validate your own views and stroke your own ego (Not accusing you specifically, as I'm sure you've gotten your information somewhere else. But thus far I have not seen any real evidence that this was anything other than a more athletic freshman beating out a more experienced senior for a spot. I've only seen hearsay).

Well I obviously don't know for a fact

Then shut up.

Great Attitude

Read through his quotes in this article, and I don't think you'll worry too much. Great kid.

Idaho's defense has been pretty poor the last few years, and Washington has been in the PAC-10, where I'm not sure they even play defense anymore. I don't think we'll learn much about our offense until we play KSU or Texas. We will see how Martinez handles the elements a loud stadium brings to the table when we go to Seattle though, and that'll be worthwhile...

That said, I think we'll learn more about our defense each week. Idaho's offense has been solid for several years, they have one of the best NFL QB prospects in the country. Obviously we'll learn even more about our defense at Washington. It's practically a Godsend to play Kansas State the week before Texas, as no other team in the conference could offer a better opportunity to prepare for Texas' supposed running game.

he'll be fine. He's got alot of work to do but he's a gamer.

 

 

I don't see Turner competing with the South schools in the little 12 for years to come. He's a great coach in my mind, but I think he'll have a lot of 8-9 win seasons, but never anything more.

 

It'll be super hard for him to recruit the talent that the southern schools pull from their local neighborhoods.

Don't forget he's a Texan, though...

Journal Star article says he's expected to be on the practice field this week.

Link

Wonder how long it's going to take the Lee posse to just GET OVER IT.

Trust me, it'll be a more enjoyable season the sooner you do.