#3 Taylor Martinez
Jr • QB • 6-1 • 200 lbs
| Hometown: | Corona, CA |
| Previous School: | Centennial |
| Recruited By: | Carl Pelini |
| Recruiting Class: | 2009 |
UCLA Loses Owa for 2013
Defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa was the top-rated target for both UCLA and Nebraska's 2010 recruiting class. The Bruins won that particular face-off which may well have been a decisive factor in UCLA's victory over the Huskers in 2012. The senior reportedly underwent hip surgery that will require him to sit …
Huskers Add Defensive Back Recruit
Jason Hall has become the second player to give Nebraska an oral commitment to the class of 2014. Hall is a 6'2" defensive back prospect out of Grand Prairie, Texas. His only other offer so far came from North Texas but Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss were all beginning …
Athlon Editors Pick Michigan
It's perhaps not too surprising that Michigan is Athlon's early favorite in the Legends division for 2013. They get defending champion Nebraska at home and neither Northwestern nor Michigan State will likely be favored against the Wolverines even as they get to host UM in their home stadiums. Should Michigan …
First Round Brings Flashbacks
As you watched the latter part of the first round of the NFL draft unfold, you saw some names of players that Nebraska faced in 2012 getting selected. Every one of those players played for a team that beat the Huskers last season. You could point to coaching, to schemes, …
Kenny Bell on Pace to Set Records
In two seasons, Nebraska wideout Kenny Bell has caught 82 passes for 1,324 yards and 11 touchdowns. If he duplicated that production over the next two seasons, he would become NU's all-time leader in receiving yards and finish second only to Johnny Rodgers in receiving touchdowns. If instead, he duplicates …
Athlon Big Ten Quarterback Rankings Good Omen for NU
If there's one position on the field where you want to better than your opponent, it's quarterback. If you believe Athlon's ranking of Big Ten quarterbacks, then the Huskers should take the field with the better quarterback in every conference game this season. Athlon previously gave NU QB Taylor Martinez …
Getting a Read on the Zone Read
The zone read has been a frequent component of the Husker offense under Bo Pelini. When you look at highlights involving the returning Huskers (Taylor Martinez, Ameer Abdullah, Imani Cross) you don't necessarily see the play have the same impact it did with Roy Helu and Rex Burkhead. Is it …
Scouting the Spring Game "Draft"
The spring game seldom has any stakes that should be meaningful to fans. Whether the red team or white team wins is of little consequence. Still, it's fun to see how or whether one team gets an advantage or not based on how the roster gets split up. So consider …
Emphasis on Pre-Snap Reads Could Pay Big Dividends
Former Florida and current South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier often talks about the offense and in particular the quarterback avoiding negative plays as an important key to winning football games. While the 1996 Fiesta Bowl might be remembered for his Gators' inability to tackle Nebraska ballcarriers, his offense yielded …
Will We See Wake Forest Game Plan in Spring Game?
Nebraska travelled to Winston-Salem in 2007 to face the defending ACC champions. The Demon Deacon offensive line was in no position to push around the Husker defensive line and they were playing without their starting quarterback. So, they relied heavily on end-arounds to generate offense (to great effect). Wake Forest …
On Creighton
Usually, we dedicate this space to Husker football. With spring football underway, we could certainly discuss NU quarterback Taylor Martinez's quickened tempo or emphasis on pre-snap reads. But so many of us either have picked Creighton in our bracket or simply want to pull for a team from the Cornhusker …
Ameer Abdullah in Rare Territory
When you glance at some of the statistics accumulated by Rex Burkhead in his time at Nebraska, you almost wonder if the affection for him is out of proportion to his achievements. Until you look at one statistic - touchdowns. Only a handful of players in Husker history have gotten …
Taylor Martinez as a Second Half Passer
The Omaha World-Herald's Sam McKewon did an admirable job in looking at a number of statistics related to Taylor Martinez's passing accuracy last year. He noticed a decline in efficiency from the first half to the second half. He pointed to pass protection as an important element that may explain …
Drake Martinez Chooses Nebraska
With less than a week until signing day, some of the more conflicted prospects are finally making decisions about which college they'll attend. Among them is California safety Drake Martinez, younger brother of current Husker quarterback Taylor Martinez. Martinez was seemingly on the fence between Nebraska and Michigan State, with …
A New Scoring Explosion, Thirty Years Later?
Those of us who starting watching Nebraska football in the mid 1970's or early 1980's can't forget the 1983 team. It was the team that didn't win the national championship despite the general consensus that they were the best team in college football. If you think people talk a lot …
The End Game
Less than two weeks remain before signing day and there could still be some surprises. Hopefully, they'll be pleasant ones. Here's what we know.
NFL Starting Quarterback from Nebraska on the Horizon?
Nebraska has made use of dual-threat quarterbacks for the better part of three decades now. While that's coincided with tremendous success on the field (no team has won more games since 1980), it's kept the Huskers from having starting quarterbacks in the NFL. But with the zone-read schemes starting to …
More Decisions Made
Yesterday, we learned about a few more decisions by young people with regard to the their collegiate future and beyond. Tampa defensive end recruit Ernest Suttles chose Nebraska over Iowa State, Kentucky, and Missouri. Quarterback Bronson Marsh heading into his sophomore year has opted to transfer to the University of …
Huskers Land Another Newby
In July, Husker recruitniks were delighted to see NU land standout East Coast linebacking prospect Marcus Newby. Yesterday, they landed a standout running back from the West Coast - Terrell Newby. Both are four-star prospects. Terrell might be more likely to see the field in 2013. Each player seems likely …
Is it Time for Bo to Let Go?
Despite the huge defensive improvements that Nebraska made under Bo Pelini in 2003, 2008 and 2009, his history as a defensive playcaller isn't as extensive as say a Bud Foster at Virginia Tech. After Nebraska, Pelini shared responsibilities in Oklahoma before heading to LSU. Now, he still seems to be …
Martinez to Own All-Time NU Records, Heisman Still a Longshot
In just three years, Taylor Martinez has already broken Nebraska's all-time records for career passing yards, passing touchdowns and total offense. He needs only about 600 rushing yards next season to surpass Eric Crouch as the all-time leading rusher at quarterback for Nebraska. He needs 12 touchdowns (running or passing) …
Georgia's 3-4 Defense Presents New Challenge
Nebraska has seen 3-4 defenses this year, but not like the one they'll face against Georgia. One reason that you see relatively few of these defenses at the college level, is that the personnel can be hard to find. In particular, you want a gi-normous nose tackle in the middle. …
Bo Shows Commitment to Long-Term
Since Bo Pelini returned to Nebraska, he's led his team to five straight seasons of nine wins or more with three division titles. That's led to annual speculation about other teams that might lure him away. Pelini has been one who plays things close to the vest, so it's never …
Ten Huskers Honored on All-Big Ten Squads
The Big Ten Conference released their All-Conference football squads on Monday night. The B1G does things a bit differently, releasing their coaches and media lists at the same time. They also released their first batch of individual award winners. All of this can be found right here. Nebraska fans can …
Nebraska Pounds Out Victory at Iowa
<font size="2">The return of Rex Burkhead was just in time for Nebraska as he helped the Huskers pound their way to a 13-7 victory in Iowa City.</font>
Nebraska Cruises to Win Over Minnesota
Nebraska sent its senior class and Tom Osborne out the right way with an easy victory over Minnesota. The score was 24-0 at the half and 38-14 at the conclusion and still probably wasn't that close. The Huskers had a 447 to 174 yard advantage. Most of those yards for …
Huskers Get Another Miracle Win Over Penn State
<font size="2">The Huskers finished with more yards, more first downs, and most importantly more points and yet there may remain some question as to whether the most deserving team won. Nebraska beat Penn State 32-23 in a game with some controversial calls by the officials.</font>
Seeking Positive Margin
Nebraska has a well documented turnover problem. The Huskers' negative turnover margin is causing them to under achieve. Penn State is just the opposite. The Nittany Lions' positive turnover margin is one big reason they are a surprising 6-3 on the year. When these two teams get together Saturday, the …
Michigan State Opens as Early Favorite Over Nebraska
<font size="2">Coming off of a huge win over Michigan, the Huskers still need four straight wins to guarantee a trip to Indianapolis to play for the conference championship. On a neutral site, you'd expect NU to be favored over each of their remaining opponents (Michigan State, Penn State, Minnesota, and …
Nebraska Gets Critical Win Over Michigan
Perhaps it wasn't as convincing as it might have been with Denard Robinson playing four quarters, but the Huskers still won the most critical game on the schedule under the lights in Lincoln. It wasn't always pretty, the Big Red still committed turnovers and penalties. Still, NU was tough enough …
Huskers Prep Without Rex
Rex Burkhead did not practice in pads on Wednesday. His status is listed as "day to day", but it is hard to expect a player who isn't practicing on Wednesday to be a major contributor on the weekend. The implications for Nebraska - prepare more backups at running back and …
Are the Huskers Due for a Turnover Turnaround?
<font size="2">Forcing turnovers and avoiding them are often the result of good habits. Teams that protect the ball are less likely to have it stripped. Quarterbacks that throw the ball accurately and don't stare down receivers will have fewer interceptions. Defensive backs that aren't fooled by play action, that turn …
Nebraska Escapes Evanston with a Win
Apologies for our tardiness. The BRN staff were attending this game (and actively poisoning our livers). However, in the light of day we offer our recap on a game that was both exhilarating and infuriating at the same time.
Cracking the Code
<font size="2">It's no secret that Nebraska's defenses have been bad against teams with dual-threat quarterbacks. If they were equally bad against pocket passers, Bo Pelini might not still have his job as head coach. The deadly dual-threat guys have been few and far between enough though that the Huskers have …
Sticking Through a Slump
<font size="2">At the midpoint of the 2012 season, the outcome is still unknown. Mathematically, the Huskers could still go 12-2 with a Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl victory. By that same logic, a 4-8 season is also possible. The likeliest scenario is probably somewhere in between those two …
Nebraska Loses Badly at Ohio State
<font size="2">Husker fans had three concerns going into their game against OSU. First, would they be able to avoid penalties? They weren't. More importantly, could they avoid turnovers. They didn't. Finally, would they be able to stop the rushing threat posed by Buckeye quarterback Braxton Miller. They couldn't. The result? …
Saturday Night May Be Alright
<font size="2">Night games in college football seem to convey an advantage on the home team not enjoyed with earlier kickoffs. It gives fans all day to tailgate and by game time, they are pretty </font><strike><font face="Arial" size="2"><font face="Arial" size="2">liquored</font></font></strike><font size="2"> juiced up. Ohio State is a three or three and …
Key Points Needed to Claim Victory
The Huskers will face an efficient, mobile quarterback, Braxton Miller this Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. Call it Pelini's kryptonite, but mobile quarterbacks are dangerous in college against any level of competition, and not just a team coached by Bo Pelini. If the Huskers do nothing but prevent Miller from making …
Huskers Stage Big Comeback to Beat Wisconsin
In a game that was reminiscient of the outing against Ohio State a year ago, the Huskers staged a big comeback to beat Wisconsin on homecoming night 30-27. Taylor Martinez was maligned going into the game by Badger defensive end David Gilbert. For a while, Gilbert seemed prophetic. By the …
Making Gilbert Eat His Words
<font size="2">Joe Namath's guarantee prior to Super Bowl III has probably given trash talk a better name than it deserves. Whether it's on school ball fields and gyms around the country or at the highest levels of sport, you'll see that many of the guys that do the most talking …
First Big Test for Husker Offense
<font size="2">In years past we've seen Nebraska's offense look strong through the nonconference portion of the schedule. Once the conference schedule began, things would sometimes appear quite different. Saturday's game with Wisconsin may tell us whether the the offensive show we've seen so far is something that will continue or …
Nebraska Cruises Against Idaho State
<font size="2">In a moment of candor leading up this week's contest with ISU, Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini admitted that he didn't like to play lower division schools. About a quarter into this one, it was clear why. The Bengals may not have asked for a mercy rule, but for …
Anatomy of an Upset: How to Avoid the Unthinkable Versus Idaho State
<font size="2">If there were a point spread for Nebraska hosting Idaho State, it might be somewhere between 40 and 50 points. If both schools play to their averages, Nebraska would rush for about 300 yards in the game and pass for about 180. Those actually seems like lower estimates considering …
Huskers Bounce Back Against Arkansas State
The action on the field didn't get near the attention as what took place off the field. Bo Pelini left the game in an ambulance and while indications are that he will be back to work, little has been said about why he needed medical care.
Hard Questions Need to be Answered on the Field
Since late into the Saturday evening, just about every fan could spend hours trying to figure out if there is anything worth saying that has not been said by someone else about Saturday's heartbreaking loss to UCLA. To look at the stat line, the 36-30 game seemed like a much …
Sloppy Play Dooms Nebraska at UCLA
<font size="2">Nebraska didn't need to play a perfect game to beat UCLA, but they needed a better effort than the one they showed. The first play from scrimmage was an interference penalty by the Huskers that nearly led to 3 points by the Bruins. When the NU offense took the …
The Case For and Against a UCLA Upset
<font size="2">The predictions for Nebraska's visit to UCLA this week tend to have the Huskers winning somewhere between a few points and two touchdowns. You even see a few bold souls, predicting an upset by the Bruins. Given how bad UCLA was a year ago and how well NU as …
Twitter Blitz
This week has all the usual about injury reports, game planning, and opponent discussion. But there is not much usual about playing a road game early in the non conference schedule. From @HuskerExtraBR: This is only the second time since 2000 that Nebraska has played a road game in the …
Hundley Will Be a Handful
<font size="2">The Nebraska defense will face a tough challenge against UCLA this week. Not only did the Bruins light up Rice last weekend, but they did it with a dual-threat quarterback. In many ways, it appears the Huskers are set to face their own offense. There's the familiar zone read …
The Whole Season in a Game
Game one is in the books and there are still just as many questions about this team as there were before the season began. But the questions are not the same ones. The problem with a small sample set is that Nebraska strengths cannot be extrapolated and the level of …
- First-Team Freshman All-American (Rivals.com)
- Second-Team Freshman All-American (CollegeFootballNews.com)
- Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year (Coaches, Rivals.com)
- Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year (AP, Dallas Morning News, Kansas City Star, San Antonio News-Express, Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
- Honorable-Mention All-Big 12 (Coaches, AP)
- Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Semifinalist (1 of 16)
- Maxwell Award Semifinalist (1 of 16)
- Manning Award Midseason Watch List Addition
- Walter Camp National Player of the Week (Oct. 23 at Oklahoma State)
- Four-Time Rivals.com National Freshman of the Week (WKU, UW, KSU, OSU)
- Two-Time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week (at Kansas State, at Oklahoma State)
- School Record Single-Game Rushing Yards by a Quarterback (241 at Kansas St., Oct. 7)