The Oklahoma Sooners are well into their preparation for a high noon showdown with a storied old foe. The Nebraska Cornhuskers will make the trip from Lincoln, Nebraska to take on Lincoln Riley and his third-ranked Sooners team. The game marks the first time they would have played since the 2010 Big 12 Championship game. These programs have taken quite a turn in opposite directions since Nebraska’s days of dominating college football. Nebraska is reeling and their coach, players, and fans will be hoping for the unthinkable to happen on Saturday.
In order for Nebraska to have any shot on Saturday, it will be because Adrian Martinez played lights-out football. However, if it is to get done, it won’t be easy.
A quarterback’s worst nightmare is pressure. Martinez has faced pressure in abundance, and the defensive line that Oklahoma will line up is one of the best in the country. Prior to Saturday’s game Adrian Martinez is one of the most pressured quarterbacks in the country:
- He is the most pressured quarterback in the Power Five.
- Martinez’s 45.7% pressure rate is the fourth-highest among quarterbacks in the Power Five with at least 22 dropbacks.
Context is key and will tell a bigger picture. These numbers seem high and you would be absolutely correct in doing so. It’s only exacerbated by the fact that Nebraska has only played Illinois, Fordham, and Buffalo through three games. A fellow Big 10 foe, an FCS school, and a pretty solid team in Buffalo from the MAC.
Those are hardly a Murderers’ Row of pass-rushing opponents. Nebraska’s offensive line has struggled to keep clean pockets against that caliber of opponent. How will they manage facing a potential first-round draft pick in Nik Bonitto and another likely top 100 draft choice in Perrion Winfrey? They are second and first respectively in pressures in the Big 12.
Most QB pressures in the Big 12
1. Perrion Winfrey, Oklahoma – 11
2. Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma – 10@OU_Football pic.twitter.com/zNsNZPDbWB— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 14, 2021
Nebraska’s opening game offensive line to start the season is young but not as young as it seems. They entered with 47 combined starts, including five players who had started at least one game. But much like playing the likes of Ohio State in the Big 10, this is a different animal entirely and even more so with the outside weight of this being a rivalry game on the road.
OU has the star power and the depth to continue to make things chaotic in the pocket for Martinez. He’s going to bail from the pocket and run. He leads the nation in rushing yards as a QB, which is a by-product of their offensive system but also because he has no time to sit and make reads to throw the ball.
An undervalued aspect of pressure stats and examining the relationship that pressure and coverage share. Martinez has been pressured but with that have the Cornhuskers not tried getting the ball out faster to offset the rush? And if they have, are the Nebraska receivers able to get open?
The Sooners may be down a few starters in their secondary so that may also be something to watch as Nebraska likely opts for quick-hitting routes to offset the outside pressure from Nik Bonitto and Isaiah Thomas while Jalen Redmond, Perrion Winfrey, Joshua Ellison, and more attempt to collapse the pocket.
Martinez and the Nebraska offensive linemen have a massive obstacle to overcome if they want to put up enough points to try and spring an upset.
Only time will tell if they can do it.
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