Nebraska Football: Adrian Martinez needs to eliminate the turnovers
The Nebraska Football quarterback knows he needs to take care of the ball.
There is little doubt that this Nebraska Football offense should be one of the best in the Big Ten. With the amount of playmakers they have on that side of the football, they should figure to be one of the most prolific offenses not only in the conference, but in the entire country. Yes, I may be hyping them up just a bit, but I think they are certainly worthy of it.
It all starts with sophomore quarterback Adrian Martinez. It’s hard to believe what he accomplished as a freshman last year, and major expectations are being placed on him for the 2019 season. Again, he like the rest of the offense, is certainly worthy of these expectations. He should be able to accomplish big things for the team. However, even with so much emphasis being placed on how well he will do, there is still one thing he needs to clean up.
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Turnovers were a kryptonite of sorts for the quarterback. In what was a rebuilding year for the Nebraska Football program, Martinez in a way was refining his game as well. He tallied eight interceptions and six lost fumbles on the year, rushing the ball 12 times. That is not ideal, as that means he fumbled on half his rushing attempts. That is something that needs to change, and the quarterback is cognizant of that. He knows that he cannot afford to keep making these mistakes.
What he can accomplish through the air certainly outweighs the turnovers. Nevertheless, the turnovers are undoubtedly something to watch for. Especially the ones that are drive-killers, he needs to make sure he protects the ball as much as possible. When conference play comes around, the teams will definitely capitalize on those turnovers. Martinez knows he has to be better as he told the media at Big Ten Media Days.
"“You can’t have silly turnovers like the one I had in the red zone,” he said. “You can’t punt the ball six straight times, which I think it might have been. You just can’t have those mistakes. Then you come away losing by five points and realizing that a play here, a play there could have made a huge difference.”"
Efficiency will certainly be the name of the game for not only Martinez, but the entire Nebraska football program. There is no reason that they can’t be successful. For the first time in a long time, they have all the tools to do it. They just need to focus on paying attention to the little things, and that includes taking care of the football.
It will be imperative for Martinez to do so. If he can clean that up, he will be unstoppable.