Nebraska Football: Adrian Martinez needs to run early and often

Nebraska Football wants Adrian Martinez to run more.

It’s no secret that Nebraska Football quarterback Adrian Martinez has had his share of peaks and valleys so far over this two-game stretch. He has done some things really well, while in other instances, he has struggled.

One of the things he has done well is run with the football. He has rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns so far this season. A 17-yard rush against Colorado was his longest one of the afternoon. Against South Alabama, he did a better job of running with the football. In addition to those two touchdowns, he also gained 66 yards on 19 attempts, averaging 3.5 yards per carry.

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Running with the football is something that Martinez did a lot last season, and it’s what made him such a special talent for Nebraska Football last year. This season, he seems to be a little bit more tentative in doing so. However, the Colorado game on Saturday was the first game where he really showed complete confidence in running the ball. He needs to be involved in the running game as well. Granted, I don’t like seeing him take big hits but somehow, he seems to do a good job at avoiding them.

Nebraska Football quarterbacks coach Mario Verduzco spoke to the media on Wednesday. He noted that he would like to get Martinez going early. Getting him going early would obviously help him get into a better rhythm throughout the rest of the game. We saw flashes of it in the first half on Saturday against Colorado, but after that his rhythm seemed to disappear. I agree with what Verduzco wants to try to accomplish.

"“Get him involved as soon as possible, either with a completion … and/or a quarterback designed run,” Verduzco said. “Because he responds to that part of the game that way, getting smacked around a little bit and all that. It gets him more involved sooner and I think it gets him in rhythm sooner.”"

Again, I’m not a fan of Adrian Martinez getting “smacked around a little”. However, if that’s what it takes for him to fully get involved in the game, then I suppose I can’t argue with that. I can certainly see where Martinez thrives off the physicality and the adrenaline. I like the idea of getting him going early and helping him try to be the best he can be. When Adrian Martinez is at his best, the rest of the offense is at its best.

I’ll be interested to read about what Nebraska Football tries to do in order to get Martinez to make an impact early. Once he gets into the flow of the game, then he should be ready to go. It’s one thing to accomplish things in practice, and it’s another thing to encounter them over the course of the game.

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Nebraska Football needs Adrian Martinez to win, and they need to explore all areas in helping them succeed. Having him being a part of the game plan from the get-go is certainly an effort to accomplish that.

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