Nebraska Football: Adrian Martinez shines under bright lights

The Nebraska Football quarterback had a great game on Saturday.

Admittedly, it has not been an easy season for Nebraska Football quarterback Adrian Martinez. There have been some really good games, and some games in which he could have performed better. Heading into Saturday’s game against Illinois, I had yet to see a game that made me think Adrian Martinez could be a postseason awards contender. Saturday night changed all that.

Martinez was on top of his game for the majority of the game. Sure, there were some drives over the course of the game when the offense went three-and-out. For the most part, he looked like the quarterback that many analysts and experts expected him to look like. He was quick in his decision-making, he made timely throws, and more importantly, he just reacted. His decision-making was extremely sharp, and that allowed him to keep the Illinois defense off guard.

More from Husker Corner

• Former Nebraska football star returns to the program in new role
• Travis Hunter injury uproar has some Nebraska football fans reminding Colorado about Adrian Martinez
• Nebraska Football: Freshman RB in line for big playing time
• Nebraska Cornhuskers News: Heinrich Haarberg has believer in Rhule, more
• Nebraska Football: Matt Rhule faces tough decision between Heinrich Haarberg and Jeff Sims

I noticed it most in the running game. He ran the ball 18 times for 118 yards. He looked like the quarterback that many saw last year. He was fearless in all aspects of the game on Saturday, and while that was most evident in the running game, he also showed up in the passing game. The offensive line did a great job of keeping him upright. As a result he threw for 327 yards, his most to this point in the season. His 64.7 completion percentage was his highest of the season, and his three touchdowns were the most he’s thrown in a contest so far.

If there was one gripe I have about his play on Saturday, it is that he was sometimes indecisive on option plays. He kept the ball when should have handed it off to the running back. On the other hand, sometimes he handed the ball off to the running back when he should of kept it. The indecisiveness in that particular area was annoying to watch, but it didn’t cost Nebraska the game. That is something the Nebraska Football offense needs to clean up for next Saturday

The hype surrounding Martinez in the offseason was incredible. Being on the cover of magazines, being hailed as a Heisman candidate, and generally being looked at as the next savior of Nebraska Football was just a snippet of some of the media attention he received. So far this season, he hadn’t lived up to it. His performances up to this point were extremely underwhelming. Saturday night under the lights was his moment to shine. Martinez shone brightly.

He looked like an entirely different quarterback then the one we had seen in previous games. He was in control, he knew what he wanted to do with the football, and he was decisive. He seized the moment. If he needed a game to prove to anybody that he is worthy of postseason awards, this was it. This was the Adrian Martinez that we all had been waiting to see. In conjunction with his stellar performance last week, Martinez may be turning a corner at exactly the right time.

It will be interesting to see what he does against Ohio State. He is undoubtedly going to carry the Nebraska offense. After what we saw on Saturday, I would feel very comfortable with that. He is the unquestioned leader for Nebraska Football. He certainly played like it on Saturday.