huskernumerouno Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Pelini says Martinez is ready to go' StoryBy BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Monday, October 18, 2010 11:45 pm My link One game, he's electric and sensational and every other word of adulation that comes with your Heisman Trophy hype kit. The next game, he's benched in the second half. Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez has ridden this roller coaster two times already this season. Washington? Wipe-the-drool-from-your-face fantastic. South Dakota State? Oh, that's right, he's a freshman. Kansas State? School-girl-giddy, record-setting awesome. Texas? Drawing board, please. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said Monday he's not concerned about Martinez and his ability to come back from low points. But he did sound like a coach who wonders if he let the yo-yo get a teensy bit too close to the cement. "When you look back at it, I don't know if that was the right thing to do," Pelini said of his staff's decision to bench Martinez in the second half of Saturday's 20-13 loss to Texas. The Longhorns held Martinez to 21 yards on 13 carries, dropping his season rushing averages to 126.3 yards per game and 9.4 per carry. Martinez, victimized by dropped passes, was 4-of-12 passing for 63 yards. "Taylor wasn't the only problem. We were just looking for a spark. It was a tough situation for a young guy," Pelini said. "You live and learn as a head coach. You don't know if that was the right decision to make, but it was the decision that was made and you move forward. But he's in good spirits and he's ready to go." This much is certain: Martinez remains Nebraska's starting quarterback. Period. Paragraph. "I have confidence in Taylor Martinez. I'll just leave it at that," Pelini said. "I have tremendous confidence in that guy." Pelini said he and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson made a joint decision to pull Martinez on Saturday after Nebraska's first two series of the second half resulted in three-and-outs. Watson said he was sensing frustration in his young quarterback and didn't want problems to snowball. Martinez fumbled on his last carry of the day, and his final two pass attempts fell incomplete. Senior Zac Lee played the remainder of the game and led the Huskers on one scoring drive -- it covered 16 plays and 83 yards and resulted in a field goal. In his previous home game, Martinez lost a fumble and threw two interceptions in a closer-than-expected victory against South Dakota State. Coaches pulled him after his second interception with 11 minutes remaining. Pelini and Watson said then they had confidence in Martinez, and the redshirt freshman responded with a 241-yard rushing performance on national television against Kansas State. So what happens Saturday, when No. 14 Nebraska plays at No. 17 Oklahoma State? The roller coaster appeared headed in the right direction after Monday's practice. "Taylor acted like a true leader," starting tackle Jeremiah Sirles said. "He came out to practice, took his reps. He didn't say a word about (the Texas game) to me. I haven't heard him say a word about it to anyone else. I think he just learned from it like the rest of us did, and he's going to come back just as strong. Reach Brian Rosenthal at brosenthal@journalstar.com or 402-473-7436. Quote Link to comment
Hunter94 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Okie light will defense us the same damn way......they will take away the zone read, Watson better have some adjustments ready right away! screens, QB draws, half back passes.....shovel passes, something. Quote Link to comment
Nebula Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Okie light will defense us the same damn way......they will take away the zone read, Watson better have some adjustments ready right away! screens, QB draws, half back passes.....shovel passes, something. Watson can make all the adjustments in the world. If we fumble the ball away in our red zone and drop more passes than the total number of emperors during the reign of the Roman Empire, we ain't gonna win. Quote Link to comment
teachercd Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Good call on the QB draw, I dont remember one during the UT game. I would think that screens would work too. If you have two guys spying on the QB and in theory bracketing him as he moves or rolls out, then you could think you could roll to one side a few steps and screen the other way. Quote Link to comment
huskered17 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 This offense works if you catch some passes. Our receivers do that and Martinez, has a good day against Texas. Changing around the offense won't work, if no one can hang onto a pass. GBR!!! Quote Link to comment
HuskerfaninOkieland Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Okie light will defense us the same damn way......they will take away the zone read, Watson better have some adjustments ready right away! screens, QB draws, half back passes.....shovel passes, something. Okie Lite, fortunately, doesn't have the same caliber defense as Texas does so hopefully Martinez and Co can make a few things happen. Their rushing defense is decent but scoring defense and pass defense aren't something to brag home to mom about. 73rd in Scoring Defense, 58th Pass Efficiency Defense (114th in Pass Defense), 38th in Rushing Defense and 92nd in Total Defense. Quote Link to comment
suh_fan93 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 If only that headline read: Pelini says Watson is 'ready to go' sub headline: 'Pelini gives Watson his blessing to explore other interests'. Quote Link to comment
Magic Man Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Yeah watson brought lee in to pass then we ran the zone read 400 times...sorry wats i forgot lee could run that last year...taylor will be fine our o will be fine we catch 4 of those drops we win that simple well be alright GO BIG RED Quote Link to comment
The Maudfather Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Lucky for us, OSU's defensive ends aren't Sam Acho and Eddie Jones. I expect us to have a lot of success against Okie Lite Quote Link to comment
ESPY Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Good call on the QB draw, I dont remember one during the UT game. I would think that screens would work too. If you have two guys spying on the QB and in theory bracketing him as he moves or rolls out, then you could think you could roll to one side a few steps and screen the other way. Only one QB draw was called, and it was on the 1st possession of the game on a 3rd and 18. Martinez flew past the Dline and came up 2 yards short of a 1st down, so a 16-yard gain on that draw. That play definitely should've been used more often. Worked like a charm. Quote Link to comment
Landlord Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Yeah watson brought lee in to pass then we ran the zone read 400 times...sorry wats i forgot lee could run that last year...taylor will be fine our o will be fine we catch 4 of those drops we win that simple well be alright GO BIG RED What does last year have to do with anything? He did a damn fine job running it this year. Quote Link to comment
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