Nebraska Football: Adrian Martinez on hotseat of his own at Kansas State

While the Nebraska football team is having a disaster of a season, it’s not just current Huskers that are struggling quite an bit more than they expected. Former four-year starter Adrian Martinez is also starting to have a 2022 season to forget.

However, much like the Nebraska football team, the season is just a little too early to write off. And now Kansas State seems to be wondering if it might be time for the Wildcats to find a new starter in the same vein that the Huskers found a new head coach.

While Martinez got off to a decent, if not remotely eye-popping start, his lack of big numbers was felt by Kansas State during their 17-10 loss at home to Tulane. The offense struggled so much, as a matter of fact, that despite it being rather early in the season, boos could be heard often.

The frustration over the offensive performance, and the fact that KSU turned it over on downs four times, wasn’t just in the stands. Head coach Chris Klieman is more than a bit frustrated with his offense and his new quarterback in particular.

It appears that Klieman thought he was getting the quarterback who certainly made mistakes when he was playing for the Nebraska football team, but who also had games where he looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Instead he’s got someone that appears to be trying to dial things back.

Speaking to the Wichita Eagle, Klieman voiced his frustration specifically.

"“We gotta get him to cut it loose, without question. We gotta get him to cut it loose and be free. If he makes a mistake, he makes a mistake.”"

Martinez has dialed back his play and isn’t prone to the turnovers that plagued him with the Huskers. He hasn’t turned it over once yet in three games. On the other hand, he hasn’t had any big plays for the Wildcats.

Through three games, he’s thrown for just 306 yards and a touchdown. Perhaps the biggest evidence that the former Husker is taking the safe avenue rather than let it rip is that he’s only averaging 4.6 yards per completion. That’s easily a career low. His next lowest is 7.0 yards per completion.

Those closely watching Kansas State see a shadow of the quarterback who played for Nebraska football. He rarely fights for extra yards and often passes up open receivers on the verge of making big plays.

For his part, the quarterback doesn’t believe he’s hesitant to throw downfield. But he also understands that he’s not doing what’s expected of him.

The real question now is whether or not the former Nebraska football star can continue playing this way and keep his starting quarterback job. Kansas State had designs on a Big 12 title this year and has the defense to do it. The offense, on the other hand, couldn’t even beat the Green Wave.