If you hopped off the Nebraska bandwagon, it’s time to hop back on because Adrian Martinez is going to be special.
Nebraska dropped to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten with Saturday’s 36-31 loss to Ohio State but freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez gave Huskers fans something to feel good about.
Forget about moral victories, they don’t exist in sports, but you can find a number of positives despite the outcome of games. Nebraska played No. 10 Ohio State tough and was a play away in the fourth quarter from potentially upsetting the Buckeyes.
The Huskers defense forced Dwayne Haskins into some questionable decisions, including an interception in the end zone, and limited the passing game with the exception of one big strike to Johnnie Dixon.
What was most encouraging for Nebraska continues to be the development of true freshman quarterback, Adrian Martinez, who threw for 266 yards and a touchdown on 22 of 33 passing.
He showed the composure and poise of a three-year starter who’s made a pair of visits to The Horseshoe. He didn’t let the moment get too big for him or appear rattled like someone who overslept the morning of a big exam. He’s going to be a special player when he gets more time to work with Scott Frost and gains invaluable reps and game experience.
Fox sideline reporter and columnist for The Athletic, Bruce Feldman, noted how good Martinez looked against Ohio State.
Since a 56-10 loss at Michigan on Sept. 22, Martinez has accounted for 14 total touchdowns to only four interceptions. That’s the type of weekly improvement that Frost has to be encouraged with and what Huskers fans should take away from this loss to Ohio State.
Nebraska fans know this program wasn’t going to be rebuilt overnight, but it’s performances like this, albeit, in a losing effort, that is going to bring Nebraska back to national prominence and to the top of division standings.
FOX studio analyst and former Heisman Trophy winner, Matt Leinart, was encouraged with what he saw from Frost’s team against Ohio State and thinks he’s building something special.
Nebraska hosts Illinois and Michigan State the next two weeks before finishing on the road at Iowa. The Huskers won’t be playing for a bowl game this year, but look how Martinez continues to grow in the final three weeks and how the team rallies around him.
They believe in him as a future leader of this program.
They’ll be playing the role of spoiler the rest of the way and a win against either the Spartans or Hawkeyes will go a long way toward adding more fuel to the hype train that will pick up steam in 2019.