Is Martinez Right for the Huskers?

Many diehard Nebraska fans have begun to question whether keeping senior Taylor Martinez as the first string quarterback is the right decision for bringing the Huskers to the Big 10 Championship in December.

Martinez started out strong during his freshman year for the Huskers, helping out the two other quarterbacks who were ahead of him and assisting in bringing the Cornhuskers to the Big 12 Championship that year. Many were hopeful that with some more practice as a first string quarterback, Martinez would be the solution that was needed in order to see their team make it to the top.

Now a few years later, fans have become discouraged by the lack of growth and development that has been seen from Martinez. Known as one of the fastest quarterbacks in college football, Martinez has very little throwing ability and often loses yards for the Huskers rather than gaining them thanks to other teams catching on to his strengths. And after the way the UCLA game went, many fans were happy to hear that Martinez would not be playing for the next couple of games due to a turf toe injury.

For those who wished to give Martinez a chance and just thought he was having an off day, the loss against the Minnesota Golden Gophers ended those hopes. Fans are beginning to cheer when they hear that Armstrong or Kellogg will be taking the reins at the next game. While these two clearly need a little more work in order to execute up to the standards that are expected of Cornhusker football, they can perform a much better job than what has been shown by Martinez recently. The last two games that Martinez has played in have resulted in losses for the Huskers while Armstrong and Kellogg have yet to have a loss between them. Kellogg is even well-remembered for throwing the Hail Mary Pass against Northwestern that resulted in an unexpected win for the Huskers.

So the question remains, is Martinez really that great for the Huskers or is he proving a liability for the team? While the question may seem moot considering this is his last year of play before he graduates, there are still several key games coming up for the Huskers that could harm them if Martinez is allowed to play. It might be in the best interest for this team to keep on developing their other two quarterbacks to finish out the season if they want any chances of continuing their good season.