Redshirt freshman QB Taylor Martinez impresses in Red-White game, QB competition underway in Nebraska.
Nebraska’s Taylor Martinez stole the headlines in the Huskers’ Red-White game on Saturday afternoon. The redshirt freshman QB filled in for injured starting QB Zac Lee. Lee underwent off-season elbow surgery on his throwing arm in early January which sidelined him for all of Nebraska’s spring practice. Husker faithful assumed that Lee would still have the starting job secured by the time of his return but it now looks as if a full blown QB competition is underway in Lincoln, NE.
Martinez put on a performance for the ages by throwing for 79 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing for a game high 60 yards in the annual spring game. Even more impressive, Martinez’s two touchdowns came on his first three possessions of the game. While his passing performance impressed, it was his quick feet and fast decision making that caught many off guard.
While his performance surprised the majority of the estimated 78,000 fans attending the scrimmage, the Nebraska coaching staff knew exactly what they had in the redshirt freshman. Nebraska offensive coordinator Shawn Watson effervesced about Martinez’s potential following the game: “He’s got a skill set that, honestly, you can’t coach,” Watson said. “He can put his foot in the dirt and just go. He’s an instinctive runner. If something breaks down, he can make something big from it for us. And he’s just getting better and better as a passer.”
The QB situation at Nebraska just got a little more interesting. Even though incumbent quarterback Zac Lee led the Huskers to the Big XII title game last season, it was his all too familiar abhorrent play in the same game that cost them the win over the Texas Longhorns. Lee put together an unimpressive 2009 campaign in which he passed for 2,143 yards, 14 TDs, and 10 INTs. He finished the season with a pedestrian 58.6 completion percentage as well. The race will end for now as Saturday’s game wrapped up Nebraska’s spring football, but look for it to pick right back up in August when they hit the field for fall camp.
