Nebraska names true freshman Adrian Martinez starting QB
Martinez is a true freshman. Iirc he was a 4 star out of Cali. Won the job over the better passing option in Gebia.
August 26th, 2018 at 11:52 AM ^
They play Akron, Colorado and Troy before visiting the Big House on 9/22. Don Brown is going to be in his nightmares for a long time after that game.
August 26th, 2018 at 4:53 PM ^
Payback for the Denard Robinson injury/Russell Bellomy WTF game.
August 26th, 2018 at 11:52 AM ^
Well they're obviously going 0-12
August 26th, 2018 at 12:00 PM ^
Disagree. Offensively, Nebraska could very well give teams headaches, but their D will not be good. Kid looked pretty good in their Spring game. Granted he was going against a Nebraska defense that looked bad.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:12 PM ^
Well, we know he'll "outhit" the other two freshman QBs starting in the league. .
August 26th, 2018 at 11:56 AM ^
Poor kid
August 26th, 2018 at 11:59 AM ^
After he comes home from Ann Arbor, he’s going to be checking under his bed for Gary and Winovich every night.
Poor bastard.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:23 PM ^
With Bush right up in his grill.
August 26th, 2018 at 11:59 AM ^
Just sent this link to my Nebraska buddy. His response, “Yeah, we are in deep shit”
lol
August 26th, 2018 at 12:00 PM ^
I think this is a smart move by Frost. They will be better in a couple of years by getting him on the field now.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:06 PM ^
I agree--assuming he doesn't get killed this year.
August 26th, 2018 at 5:04 PM ^
Brandon Peters says hello...
At least A-Mart has some wheels.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:12 PM ^
yup... same feeling here.
this was a long term move... Nebraska fans will give Frost a long leash, but all fanbases have a finite amount of patience.
Martinez will take his lumps, but by year 3, he'll know that offense inside out...and should be going toe to toe with Wisconsin in the B1G West
August 26th, 2018 at 4:00 PM ^
Yes, to a degree
RichRod could go 3-9 in his first year but 15-21 over three years guaranteed his exit.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^
I agree Frost is looking 2-3 years down the road. He knows he doesn't have the team to challenge this year, so he will sacrifice a few games(possibly), to ensure a brighter future. Harbaugh should have done this last year with Peters after Speight sucked in the Spring scrimmage.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:59 PM ^
The OL was the problem, not Speight. Plus the loss of so many offensive contributors. You don't choose Peters over Speight. Maybe over O'Korn, but not over your starter who played well the previous year.
August 26th, 2018 at 1:23 PM ^
Played well the previous year, against the bad teams. He was horrible against IOWA, OSU, And FSU. Speight wasn't going to lead UM to any B1G Championship.
August 26th, 2018 at 1:32 PM ^
I can’t believe some people are still saying this. Yes, the OL was bad. But QB play was just as bad, if not worse.
August 26th, 2018 at 2:22 PM ^
Oh please. Go back and watch those games. Just the first game alone against Florida Speight had 5-6 actual good throws. Every single other throw was either too high, too low, behind the receiver, way over his head, or a perfect pass to the other team. Speight was just as much a problem as the O-Line.
August 26th, 2018 at 2:33 PM ^
True. Speight was not good. Hasn't been good since the shoulder injury.
He was better than the two other people who played QB last year.
I wish we had gone to the triple option last year after O'Korn proved that Purdue was a fluke.
August 26th, 2018 at 4:14 PM ^
Oh, the constant shoulder injury excuse. Dude couldn't throw a quarter into the ocean when it mattered most, regardless of a shoulder injury to his non throwing shoulder.
August 26th, 2018 at 8:46 PM ^
...BECAUSE of the injury to his non-throwing shoulder...
August 26th, 2018 at 3:36 PM ^
100% agree. I said that all last year. Peters would have been pretty good by end of season if he had started from Game 1.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:02 PM ^
No relation to former Husker Taylor Martinez. Now 3 B1G schools are going to be starting true freshmen QBs in their opener (Minnesota, Rutgers).
August 26th, 2018 at 12:05 PM ^
To be fair Scott Frost said both QB's will play. Gebia is a red shirt freshman anyway, and nebraska is installing a new playbook. I don't think it really matters which QB starts in this situation, as it was going to be an uphill battle for Nebraska no matter what.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:07 PM ^
....and so begins his journey to greatness....as a grad transfer to another conference.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:17 PM ^
How is there no update on Tarik? Either he's out or not? I need to know!!!
August 26th, 2018 at 1:40 PM ^
Probably find out around 6 at the open practice.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:27 PM ^
I think Nebraska will be far more competitive than last year and their offense will be productive. Their defense will lag for another year because they lack depth.
We rightfully mock the “out hit” comment by Frost, but he will demand the effort and physicality to tuarnaround the program. They gave up in multiple games last year and looked small/slow/weak. That will change - just not enough to win a lot this year without the necessary talent.
I expect a 3-year turnaround to really challenge UW in the West and Martinez will have a lot of experience by then.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:32 PM ^
As a Nebraska hero, Frost has 2 or 3 seasons to right the ship before the fans turn on him. If this Martinez kid is well-suited to run the kind of offense Frost wants, it's a smart move to just dive into it and take his lumps now.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:46 PM ^
This is sort of Frost's MO - short-term pain for long-term gain. I'm glad Michigan sees them early in the year.
August 26th, 2018 at 4:04 PM ^
I thought his MO was to hit harder
August 26th, 2018 at 12:47 PM ^
Well there's a win. Thanks Scotty.
August 26th, 2018 at 12:48 PM ^
But how hard does he hit ?
August 26th, 2018 at 12:49 PM ^
I think a lot of the media may be missing the boat on Nebraska. They have good personnel there and a coach who is already one of the best at getting the most out of his players. The division isn't all that strong. Nebraska concerns me more than Wiscy, Sparty or even PSU at this point.
This development obviously means he is going toward his preferred spread offense but with the kind of QB who traditionally gives Michigan fits. I don't like Frost at all, but I do respect his ability to win.
Here's hoping Don Brown's defense is up to the task against them.
August 26th, 2018 at 1:04 PM ^
Nebraska will probably be the type of team that has its moments, both good and bad. There may be good moments that surprise people, but I don’t think that puts them anywhere near Wisconsin or PSU.
August 26th, 2018 at 1:10 PM ^
"Nebraska concerns me more than Wiscy, Sparty or even PSU at this point."
It's possible that Frost might eventually turn Nebraska into the Nebraska of yore, but putting them above WI, MSU, or PSU in 2018 is goofy.
August 26th, 2018 at 1:17 PM ^
More like Certifiable
August 26th, 2018 at 1:29 PM ^
Yeah, I'm completely lost on that comment.
I usually worry about teams playing better than their actual ability against Michigan because it's happened many times. But with that said, they definitely don't concern me more than PSU, Wisconsin and MSU.
August 26th, 2018 at 2:54 PM ^
Even Northwestern. Nebraska is a home game.
August 26th, 2018 at 5:46 PM ^
Hey guys,
This is great form, because if he doesn't know where it's going, then neither does the defense.
August 26th, 2018 at 7:44 PM ^
No true freshman has ever started a season opener before for Nebraska, although Tommie Frazier (1992) did by mid-season.
The end game is finding a guy who can run Frost's spread like Milton did at Central Florida and Mariota did at Oregon, read a defense on the fly and take advantage of the defensive weaknesses this scheme uncovers.
Martinez is Frost's and the staffs hand-picked recruit. A guy they think fits perfectly in this system. With a rebuilding year that you want to use to lay the foundation for the future. and Huskers have one of the B1G's best receiver corps.
13 newcomers between offense and defense listed on the initial depth chart.
4 NE starters, and 4 NE kids who are very young, on 2nd team. Largest roster in the B1G and the walk-on program, which was always Nebraska's secret sauce, is back in full swing. 3 walk-ons awarded scholies this week. AD is considering adding another women's sport to offset any Title IX issues.
Nebraska going back to what works for Nebraska, but also some tweaks and changes to tradition. Frost is the guy who can get away with that and the fans are the most united since the firing of Frank Solich.
For all the hype about the Frost offense and shiny new QB, the return of the Blackshirts is just as important for getting back to the "real" Nebraska. He and the AD are on the same page which hasn't happened for far too long - Michigan fans can appreciate how discord there can affect things...the conditioning and strength program, the Diaco hiring, and rugby tacking are three examples of AD meddling.
Michigan is predicted by everyone to have an outstanding season, Nebraska will be up and down and likely take some lumps and surprise sometimes in an unpredictable 2018 season. Best of luck except against the Huskers, GBR!