- Thread starter
- #1
Jack_John_Mark
¿Cómo está usted?
- 60,089
- 2,186
- 173
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2010
- Location
- Lincoln, NE
- Hoopla Cash
- $ 100.00
- Fav. Team #1
- Fav. Team #2
- Fav. Team #3
Chatelain: Martinez delivers a happy ending - Omaha.com
LINCOLN — Taylor Martinez dropped back to pass, looked into the wind, the rain and an 11-point deficit. He fired.
Interception.
Advertisement
Then you heard it: boos. Lots of 'em. Unmistakable and unmerciful.
Bo Pelini heard 'em. (He raised his arm to the crowd and appeared to wave them off in disgust).
Martinez heard them, too. This may have been the low point of his 18 starts. This could have been the final blow to his confidence — and his career as starting quarterback.
Worse, this was looking like 2007 all over again. Another embarrassment in front of a national audience and several Husker legends on the sideline.
Then the quarterback did something few outside the Husker locker room anticipated. He looked through the storm of critics — Tommie Frazier, Jason Peter, Phillip Dillard, the girl in Spanish class, the boobirds and, yes, me.
He fired back.
He swallowed his anger, found his poise and rallied his team.
Martinez finished with 293 total yards, but he won't show up on any Heisman ballots for his performance. He didn't break any big runs. He didn't throw many perfect passes.
He did what good, veteran quarterbacks do: He took what Ohio State gave him. He made countless little plays. Moved the chains. Avoided turnovers. Kept momentum alive.
One second-half misstep from No. 3 and this thing would've been over. The mistake never came.
Afterward, Husker coaching intern Joe Ganz walked through the interview room. He summed it up like this.
"How 'bout that Taylor Martinez!"
Said offensive coordinator Tim Beck: "He's a special player. To endure what he's endured through the media and the press and the fans wanting to throw the towel in on him. I won't (throw the towel in). Coach Bo won't. Our team won't.
"I'm proud of the way he responded. Boy, he gamed it out tonight. Ain't no question about it. Made plays with his feet, made plays with his scrambling around, throwing the ball. You couldn't ask him to do any more than he did tonight."
Is Martinez the long-term answer at quarterback? Can he produce championships? That's still debatable. Still unknown.
What's not debatable is that Martinez has matured as a player. A year ago, Texas rolled into town with two losses and jumped on Nebraska's offense — 17-3. Pelini pulled Martinez from the game.
Not this time. Bo stuck with the kid (as he should have; Martinez wasn't playing that badly). And when opportunity arrived in the form of a Braxton Miller fumble, Martinez found his groove.
Perhaps his sweetest play was a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Rex Burkhead. The Buckeyes sniffed out the play-action and attacked from every angle. Martinez didn't bury his head and go down. He took a few steps backward, saw Burkhead in the right flat and delivered the ball with accuracy.
Rex did the rest.
Ohio State gave the Huskers some help, no doubt. Who knows what happens in the second half if Miller doesn't get hurt. Or if Ohio State sticks to the ground game with Joe Bauserman at quarterback.
Doesn't matter. The Huskers saved themselves a hellish two weeks before the Minnesota game. They probably saved their chances at a division championship.
And Martinez gained some admirers.
Let's face it, he doesn't quite fit in here. Not like some players. He's a West Coast introvert and he can't go anywhere without being recognized. He would feel more comfortable somewhere he could blend in.
But Nebraskans respect perseverance. They respect heart. And Martinez showed it to them like never before.
After he took the final knee, fullback Tyler Legate picked up Martinez and threw him over his shoulder. Upside down.
When Legate let him down, Martinez walked off the field and into the tunnel. He didn't raise his arm in celebration — or in disgust. He didn't say much at all. He didn't have to.
Actions speak louder than boos.
LINCOLN — Taylor Martinez dropped back to pass, looked into the wind, the rain and an 11-point deficit. He fired.
Interception.
Advertisement
Then you heard it: boos. Lots of 'em. Unmistakable and unmerciful.
Bo Pelini heard 'em. (He raised his arm to the crowd and appeared to wave them off in disgust).
Martinez heard them, too. This may have been the low point of his 18 starts. This could have been the final blow to his confidence — and his career as starting quarterback.
Worse, this was looking like 2007 all over again. Another embarrassment in front of a national audience and several Husker legends on the sideline.
Then the quarterback did something few outside the Husker locker room anticipated. He looked through the storm of critics — Tommie Frazier, Jason Peter, Phillip Dillard, the girl in Spanish class, the boobirds and, yes, me.
He fired back.
He swallowed his anger, found his poise and rallied his team.
Martinez finished with 293 total yards, but he won't show up on any Heisman ballots for his performance. He didn't break any big runs. He didn't throw many perfect passes.
He did what good, veteran quarterbacks do: He took what Ohio State gave him. He made countless little plays. Moved the chains. Avoided turnovers. Kept momentum alive.
One second-half misstep from No. 3 and this thing would've been over. The mistake never came.
Afterward, Husker coaching intern Joe Ganz walked through the interview room. He summed it up like this.
"How 'bout that Taylor Martinez!"
Said offensive coordinator Tim Beck: "He's a special player. To endure what he's endured through the media and the press and the fans wanting to throw the towel in on him. I won't (throw the towel in). Coach Bo won't. Our team won't.
"I'm proud of the way he responded. Boy, he gamed it out tonight. Ain't no question about it. Made plays with his feet, made plays with his scrambling around, throwing the ball. You couldn't ask him to do any more than he did tonight."
Is Martinez the long-term answer at quarterback? Can he produce championships? That's still debatable. Still unknown.
What's not debatable is that Martinez has matured as a player. A year ago, Texas rolled into town with two losses and jumped on Nebraska's offense — 17-3. Pelini pulled Martinez from the game.
Not this time. Bo stuck with the kid (as he should have; Martinez wasn't playing that badly). And when opportunity arrived in the form of a Braxton Miller fumble, Martinez found his groove.
Perhaps his sweetest play was a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Rex Burkhead. The Buckeyes sniffed out the play-action and attacked from every angle. Martinez didn't bury his head and go down. He took a few steps backward, saw Burkhead in the right flat and delivered the ball with accuracy.
Rex did the rest.
Ohio State gave the Huskers some help, no doubt. Who knows what happens in the second half if Miller doesn't get hurt. Or if Ohio State sticks to the ground game with Joe Bauserman at quarterback.
Doesn't matter. The Huskers saved themselves a hellish two weeks before the Minnesota game. They probably saved their chances at a division championship.
And Martinez gained some admirers.
Let's face it, he doesn't quite fit in here. Not like some players. He's a West Coast introvert and he can't go anywhere without being recognized. He would feel more comfortable somewhere he could blend in.
But Nebraskans respect perseverance. They respect heart. And Martinez showed it to them like never before.
After he took the final knee, fullback Tyler Legate picked up Martinez and threw him over his shoulder. Upside down.
When Legate let him down, Martinez walked off the field and into the tunnel. He didn't raise his arm in celebration — or in disgust. He didn't say much at all. He didn't have to.
Actions speak louder than boos.
