Tag: Adrian Martinez

Who will be the starting quarterback for each Big 12 team in 2022?

With the 2021 season behind us, let’s look ahead at who will start at quarterback for the Big 12’s teams in 2022.

The Big 12 will see a lot of turnover at the quarterback position heading into 2022. Turnover happens every year and while several teams will have new signal-callers for the next season, there remains a lot of familiarity with the guys who will start at quarterback in 2022.

TCU will have to decide between the experienced Max Duggan and the flash in the pan performance of Chandler Morris. Baylor will likely go with Gerry Bohanon, but Blake Shapen looked sharp at times too.

We’re nine months from the start of the 2022 college football season, but it’s never too early to look ahead. Here’s who we think will start at quarterback for each of the Big 12’s teams next season.

Predicting each Big 12 team’s starting quarterback for 2022

Expect to see lots of new faces around the Big 12 next season.

Like it or not, the transfer portal has changed the game of college football forever. “Free agency” has finally hit the sport, causing lots of change all over the country.

The Big 12 conference as a whole is seeing lots of turnover at the quarterback position due to transfers and graduation. Expect at least six out of ten teams to have new starters next year.

Oklahoma’s freshman phenom Caleb Williams appears out the door, Texas’ Casey Thompson entered the portal in response to Quinn Ewers transferring in, and Kansas State brought longtime Nebraksa starter, Adrian Martinez.

Baylor and Oklahoma State are expected to return their starting quarterbacks after 12 win seasons. Other schools will have quarterback competitions during spring practice and fall camp.

It will be interesting to see how things shake up between now and next fall as more moves are likely to come.

Here is a current projection of each Big 12 team’s 2022 starting quarterback:

BadgersWire staff predictions for Wisconsin vs. Nebraska

Staff predictions for Wisconsin-Nebraska:

On Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall, Wisconsin will look for their seventh-straight win as the Badgers take on Nebraska.

Wisconsin has cruised to a majority of their wins during the streak, but at least according to Las Vegas this matchup is expected to be a little bit closer. While the Badgers likely won’t clinch the Big Ten West division title this afternoon, a win keeps them in firm control of their goal to play in Indianapolis for a conference championship.

Nebraska limps into this contest at 3-7, and that record comes as a result of a number of close losses. How will the Huskers fair against one of the top defenses in the nation?

Here is how our BadgersWire staff sees it going:

Paul Chryst gives his thoughts on Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez

The Badger head coach was complimentary of the Nebraska QB

During his weekly press conference, Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst touched on a number of Nebraska-related topics including the play of quarterback Adrian Martinez.

It has been an up and down year for the Nebraska quarterback, who has been impressive in extending plays but had issues taking care of the football in critical moments.

Facing one of the top defenses in the country won’t make life easier for the Cornhuskers offense. Chryst, however, was very complimentary of Martinez, who has the ability to give Wisconsin problems with his legs on Saturday.

“He’s a dynamic athlete and he can stress you and make plays, big plays, with his arm and his legs,” Chryst told reporters on Monday. “They do a nice job overall in the scheme in putting them in those positions… I remember when he first came in he was impressive. He’s continued to improve and get better, he’s been healthy this whole year… he’s making big plays running the ball and throwing the ball.”

Wisconsin takes on Nebraska at Camp Randall, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

 

Five reasons Nebraska could be a problem for Ohio State Saturday

Nebraska might be 3-6, but there are some reasons that the Cornhuskers could cause problems for Ohio State Saturday. Here are five. #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team travels to Nebraska to take on a Cornhuskers team that has been snakebitten this season. Despite a 3-6 record, Scott Frost’s squad has been in every single game. In fact, every loss this year for the ‘Huskers has been eight points or less, and it’s been even better in Lincoln. They’ve only lost two games at Memorial Stadium by a combined eight points.

And so, you can forgive Ryan Day for being cautious about this road trip. When speaking to reporters Tuesday, Day said he was impressed with what he’ve seen from Nebraska.

It’s March Madness right now. If you win, you move on,” Day said. “I don’t care what Nebraska’s record is, I watched film and they’re good.”

So, there are some reasons to believe that Nebraska could cause some issues for Ohio State this weekend if the team isn’t focused and executing at a high level. We’re here to uncover some things that could have Day up at night as he preps to jump on the plain and head further west in America’s heartland.

Here are five reasons the Cornhuskers could be a problem for the Buckeyes this weekend.

 

Adrian Martinez on Brad Hawkins’ stripped fumble: ‘I thought the play was over’

Michigan football S Brad Hawkins caused a game-winning fumble on Adrian Martinez. The Nebraska QB says the play shouldn’t have counted.

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So, it turns out we may have something of a controversy where there shouldn’t be one.

Michigan football beat Nebraska, 32-29, on Saturday in a game that the Wolverines controlled in the first half before the Huskers went on an offensive rampage in the second. There were awful calls on both sides — bad spots for Michigan, no-calls when Nebraska had an illegal formation or was emulating the snap count; the Wolverines got away with quite a few things, as well, almost including a touchdown — but at the end of the game, it was a stripped ball and return by Michigan safety Brad Hawkins that all-but sealed victory for the maize and blue.

Cut and dry, right? It turns out, not so much.

While saying he’s taking accountability for his actions, Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez also gave himself something of an out, saying after the game that he thought that the play was completely over and that he was just standing there when Hawkins came up and aggressively ripped the ball out.

“Yeah, the call: obviously short-yardage run play, try to get the first down,” Martinez said. “I’m not gonna stand up here and make excuses for myself: can’t be careless with the football. I thought the play was over, I was standing as I’m standing right now, and I thought it was done. Regardless of that fact, I feel a lot of responsibility and can’t make plays like that that hurt our team.”

He spoke again about the play on Monday, just noting that he has to hang onto the ball.

“The biggest thing, just continuing to be aware and hold on as tight as possible to that ball,” Martinez said. “It’s hard to really see anything else there from that play.”

The Michigan contingent spoke about the play after the game, as well, with both Jim Harbaugh and Brad Hawkins commenting on it.

“Yeah, I knew they wouldn’t flinch!” Harbaugh said. “Like I said, some incredible athletes. Brad Hawkins, incredible play he made — stripping that ball in the end and picking it up.”

“Just practicing how you play,” Hawkins said. “Practice all week, every single day. Then we practice punching at the ball, stripping the ball, taking the ball out. In that moment, punching the ball out, stripping the ball out and it came free. Just practicing how you play. And it came through for us.”

What do you think? Was Martinez’s forward progress stopped or was the play over?

Regardless of what you decide, the whistle hadn’t blown, which tends to be the ultimate determination of whether or not a play is dead. Given that Martinez was still fighting for yards, safe to say, it was still a live play.

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Under the radar Defensive player to watch for the Sooners vs WVU

This Sooners defensive lineman is flying under the radar ahead of this week’s matchup with West Virginia and is a player to keep an eye on.

Oklahoma’s defense will get a chance tomorrow under the lights to continue solidifying itself as one of the best units in college football. Coming off an excellent performance against an elusive quarterback in Adrian Martinez of Nebraska, the Sooners will look to slow down a more balanced West Virginia offensive attack as they open Big 12 play at home.

The Mountaineers have a more traditional quarterback in redshirt senior Jarret Doege than Adrian Martinez, who was more mobile than prototypical quarterbacks. Senior running back Leddie Brown is the man in front on the ground posting 19 carries for 161 yards and a touchdown last game against a stout Virginia Tech front seven. Wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton presents a challenge outside the numbers due to his height and ability to go and get the ball.

The Sooners will need their big names to show up to put themselves in position for another win. In every game, though, complementary players show up that ultimately help decide the games. For this game, we’re going to look at defensive tackle Joshua Ellison.

Ellison, a transfer from JUCO Blinn College, has had a steady career so far at Oklahoma. He will have an opportunity to cement himself these next few weeks following the announcement of starter Jalen Redmond’s injury. Ellison’s contributions as a rotational defensive lineman have been valuable, but he’ll be asked to contribute more now that the starter in Redmond is out.

Ellison can’t slide outside like Redmond, but he’s solid in occupying gaps, using his hands, and moving interior offensive linemen inside. The defensive line is the foundation for Oklahoma’s defensive success and its deepest unit. Grinch may have to swap out Ellison on passing downs for someone like LaRon Stokes. Still, Ellison’s primary focus should be to eat space and stymie a West Virginia run game that needs to get going to keep Oklahoma from pinning their ears back and rushing the passer constantly.

The Sooners have a lot of depth on the defensive front seven. Joshua Ellison ultimately has to do his job. He doesn’t have to try to be Jalen Redmond but instead play assignment sound and mistake-free football. His talent will take care of the rest. He’s surrounded by some serious playmakers defensively that can pick up the playmaking slack.

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3 Players who helped the Oklahoma Sooners knock off Nebraska, 23-16

It wasn’t always pretty, but Oklahoma grabbed the win over Nebraska on Saturday. Here are 3 Sooners who helped them get there.

Many people (myself included) expected Nebraska to buckle under the pressure of Oklahoma’s pass rush in the Sooners’ 23-16 win over the Cornhuskers. That only kind of happened. Ultimately, the Sooners defensive front did seal the win, sacking quarterback Adrian Martinez twice in the final four plays. But not before Nebraska gave OU everything it could handle for the first 59 minutes of the game. 

“A win is a win.” And while the Crimson and Cream won’t receive style points for how they took care of business, they finish non-conference play with a spotless 3-0 record.

Here are three Sooners that helped them get there:

Jadon Haselwood, Wide Receiver 

Jadon Haselwood caught Spencer Rattler’s first target of the game for a six-yard gain. He would finish with a team-high nine targets while catching two of three contested balls per Pro Football Focus. Through three games, it is evident that Rattler has big plans for the redshirt sophomore this season.

His six receptions against the Cornhuskers were a game-high. Haselwood continues to leave his fingerprints on the Sooners’ passing attack as both a blocker and a receiver.

Up Next: Graham Breaks the Internet

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Handing Out Grades: Report Card for the Oklahoma Sooners win vs. Nebraska

How did the Sooners position groups perform in their 23-16 win over Nebraska?

It’s always easier to talk about a team’s performance when they’ve won a game. At the end of the day, all that matters is who has more points than the other. Oklahoma didn’t play their best football in the game versus Nebraska. They would tell you that and the world knows that. However, they won the game and that’s what’s most important and in the process, we saw some things that make us feel a bit better about how these first three weeks have gone.

Let’s hand out some grades.

Quarterbacks: B-

Spencer rattler definitely did not play his best game. Most of that was largely due to him and at times his coach Lincoln Riley being stumped by the soft zone and zone blitz Nebraska was sending their way. At numerous points, Rattler looked notably hesitant in the pocket and it led to errant throws and him holding on to the ball just entirely too long. They would eventually find a few chinks in it and string together enough completions and run the ball more than effective enough to win the game.

He started the game on fire going 6 of 7 on his first drive. He made some great throws on third down but made some questionable decisions trying to get the ball to freshman Mario Williams. When the team needed him to make plays, he delivered. He finished 24/34 for 214 yards and a TD pass to Jeremiah Hall to go along with a QB sneak for a touchdown.

Up Next: Grading the Running Backs and Offensive Line

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Oklahoma Sooners hold on to beat Nebraska Cornhuskers 23-16

The Oklahoma Sooners defense came up big and OU held on to beat Nebraska 23-16.

It wasn’t quite “Game of the Century” good but the Oklahoma Sooners and Nebraska Cornhuskers played a really entertaining game. The more talented team would come out on top as Oklahoma went on to win 23-16.

The Sooners came out on the game’s very first possession and looked poised to do whatever they wanted to Nebraska. Quarterback Spencer Rattler looked sharp and would eventually sneak in the game’s first touchdown.

Nebraska struggled to contain the Sooners vaunted defensive line all day. Cornhuskers QB Adrian Martinez, who came into the game as the most pressured Power Five quarterback, felt that pressure in abundance against the Sooners.

Nebraska would fight hard going to a soft zone on defense that seemingly stumped Lincoln Riley and the Sooners for the entire second quarter.

OU would find its groove running the ball and finding some plays in the passing game to keep Nebraska honest. A trick play from Mario Williams who threw the ball back to Spencer Rattler who then found an open Marvin Mims, set up the Sooners for another score.

The Sooners cashed in and took a 14-3 lead when Rattler found Jeremiah Hall in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown pass.

The Sooners defense kept bringing the pressure and at a critical moment Isaiah Coe blocked an extra point which was returned for two points by senior and captain Pat Fields. That’s Oklahoma’s first blocked extra point return for a 2-point conversion since Zack Sanchez ran one back against TCU in 2013.

OU would take control of the trenches in the fourth quarter finishing a drive off with a Kennedy Brooks touchdown run from two yards out with 10:24 left that made it 23-16.

Nebraska would threaten again as Adrian Martinez found Zavier Betts for 55 yards and then a sideline interference penalty tacked on 15 more yards. The pressure from OU put Nebraska into a tough 4th down situation, one which resulted in a candidate for play of the year from cornerback DJ Graham:

Nebraska eventually gained possession in good field position, and Martinez found Omar Manning for a 21-yard touchdown pass. The extra point cut Oklahoma’s lead to 23-16 with 5:38 to play.

Nebraska fought hard all day and ended up with a chance to tie the game with 56 seconds left. When it mattered most, though, the defense came up big with Perrion Winfrey and Nik Bonitto sacking Martinez twice on the game’s final drive.

Nebraska falls to 2-2 and has a date September 25th in East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans. OU moved on to 3-0 and will host the West Virginia Mountaineers next to kick off their Big 12 portion of the schedule.