Running QB at NU?

np_husker

Starter
By BLAIR KERKHOFF

The Kansas City Star

MANHATTAN, Kan.

http://www.kansascity.com/2010/10/07/2289567/a-running-quarterback-at-nebraska.html

Wake up, Nebraska fans, and pretend the nightmare that was much of the previous decade never happened.
You know, the years when running became a sin and fleet-footed quarterbacks were seen only in Hall of Fame ceremonies.

Those days are over.

And the final Big 12 North race may be as well after Nebraska’s 48-13 thumping of Kansas State with a virtuoso performance. Quarterback Taylor Martinez is that good, rushing for 241 yards and four touchdowns, although few Pac-10 programs thought so.

The redshirt freshman from Corona, Calif., would have considered staying close to home, but the Pac-10 develops strong-armed quarterbacks. Martinez is about legs — the craziest in college football this side of Denard Robinson.

And won’t that make a dandy Big Ten game next season, Martinez and Nebraska versus Robinson and Michigan? Circle Nov. 19, 2011, in Ann Arbor.

Anyway, the Pac-10 passed on T-Magic, and Nebraska couldn’t believe its good fortune. Coach Bo Pelini is about defense, but when his brother and assistant coach, Carl, who did the heavy lifting of recruiting, told him about this left-coast speedster, Pelini knew he would soon be connecting with Nebraska’s glory days.

The program that won three national championships in the ’90s — engineered by Tommie Frazier and Scott Frost — and reached the BCS championship game with Heisman Trophy-winning Eric Crouch, ran away from that offense and its identity. No more.

It started when Nebraska reached out to the architect, Tom Osborne, who returned as athletic director.

“He brought back the things this program needed,” said Matt Davidson, a wide receiver on Nebraska teams of late 1990s and now an analyst on the team’s radio broadcasts. “And it’s turned around awfully quick, faster than I thought it would.”

What’s happening now with the quarterback is different, this zone-read business. Nebraska doesn’t run over defenses as much as it completely avoids them.

Take the Cornhuskers’ third and fourth snaps of the second half.

Nebraska took the second-half kickoff and looked abysmal on first and second down. Martinez turned the wrong way on a handoff, than launched a deep pass that had no chance.

Third-and-10 from the 20. From the shotgun snap, Martinez dropped a step and took off. Untouched 80 yards later, he had his third touchdown and Nebraska had a 24-3 lead.

“First time we ran it, I got stuffed. I made a wrong read,” Martinez said. “We talked about it at halftime and ran it again.”

Just like that.

The next time the Huskers got the ball, K-State wasn’t about to let Martinez embarrass its defense.

With every defender eyeing Martinez, he put the ball in the stomach of Roy Helu Jr., who romped 68 yards for a touchdown.

Granted, Martinez and the Cornhuskers weren’t operating against one of the great defensive walls of college football. Kansas State entered the game last in the Big 12 and No. 102 nationally in average yards surrendered per game. Two weeks ago, Central Florida freshman quarterback Jeff Godfrey offered a clue when he punctured the K-State defense for 99 yards.

But allowing more than 400 rushing yards? Sadly for the Wildcats, Thursday resembled the program’s “ugh” years.

One of the amazing aspects of Kansas State’s growth from nation’s most downtrodden program to national championship contender in coach Bill Snyder’s first decade was how well the Wildcats were playing perennial power Nebraska almost immediately. Although some of the games were one-sided, the programs no longer existed in different universes.

It seemed that way on Thursday. After Martinez’s fourth touchdown run, this from 41 yards, Nebraska led 45-6 and held a 536-212 advantage in total yards.

Was Bo Pelini running it up? You’ll recall in 2003 he accused Snyder of as much and got in his face after the Wildcats’ lopsided victory in Lincoln.

But if there a reason to pile on Thursday it was to impress pollsters. Nebraska entered the game ranked sixth in the USA Today coaches poll. The first Harris poll will be out Sunday, and these are components for the BCS standings. The Huskers need strong legs to jump over those in front of them.

Legs like those that carried Martinez and the rest of the Cornhuskers to an easy victory — one that seemed like old times.
 
What’s happening now with the quarterback is different, this zone-read business. Nebraska doesn’t run over defenses as much as it completely avoids them.
Valid point. But, the zone-read, like every other play, starts with the big bodies up front, and if memory serves me correctly they trample defenders when they execute properly.

 
Back
Top