Nebraska football: Athlon gives Adrian Martinez starting nod, not much love

While the Big Ten has six quarterbacks inside Athlon’s Top 30, there’s a bit of a dropoff when you talk about the conference’s next tier of QBs. Nebraska football’s Adrian Martinez rightfully belongs in this tier because you’re seeing a lot of unproven or hardly eye popping QB1s in this group.

Clayton Thorson is one of those QBs that everyone expects to make the next step. That’s despite the fact that he made a pretty big step backwards last season.

After throwing for 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2016, he threw for just 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions a season ago. Perhaps the oddest stat is the complete disappearance of his running game.

Thorson ran for almost 400 yards in his first season. Last year, his third, he amassed just 23 yards. He did like the goal line sneak though, as he had eight rushing touchdowns. The Huskers will face him for a third time on October 13.

Purdue’s likely starting quarterback David Blough has had one heck of an up and down career. Coming off a 2016 season where he threw 21 interceptions, he had nine touchdowns and just four picks a year ago.

He also continued to go back and forth as the starter for the Boilermakers and it doesn’t appear that quarterback battle is over yet. That is one of the reasons being ranked this high is sort of odd.

Yes Adrian Martinez hasn’t been named the starter either but there is a legit chance Blough won’t be playing more than mop up this season.

Hill is the last quarterback in the Big Ten that has been ranked ahead of the Nebraska football team’s signal caller. When looking at the stats he put up, you can certainly see why Hill would get the nod though there isn’t a massive body of work to look at.

Injuries shortened his season to three games, but in those three games he completed an eye-popping 18-21 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 60 yards and another score.

The Nebraska football team doesn’t get to take on Maryland this year. If Hill can stay healthy, that may not be a bad thing.