Third play from scrimmage.
Taylor Martinez faked a handoff, ducked his head and burst through a hole. Eluded one defender, stiff-armed another, outran another to the end zone.
The place went bonkers. Red balloons leaped out of hands and rose through the blue sky at record pace. Yes, there's nothing quite like a new quarterback.
Martinez has been doing this kind of thing since preseason practice opened a month ago. And each time, his facial expression hardly changes. When Shawn Watson told him Monday he was starting the opener, Martinez responded as if he'd won free french fries at the drive-through.
“OK.”
But about five minutes after Saturday's 46-yard dash, Brandon Kinnie approached the redshirt freshman on the sideline and quipped:
“Why are you that fast?”
Even Martinez had to grin at that one.
We saw right away Saturday night why Pelini and Watson bucked tradition, passed on a fifth-year returning starter and handed the reins to a redshirt freshman, changing the entire perception of what's possible offensively in 2010.
The head coach and offensive coordinator met Monday in the football offices, Watson said.
“He looked at me and says, ‘Your call, man.'”
It wasn't much of a decision, Watson said. Every coach in the building agreed.
During fall camp, Martinez, Cody Green and Zac Lee had split snaps evenly. Watson kept an extensive record of their performances. He graded them every way he could. It was “very, very, very close.”
But Martinez had what Watson called a “separating factor.” One thing a coach can't coach: speed.
“We all see it,” Watson said. “It's really obvious in practice. You're an inch wrong, you're in trouble. He'll hurt you.”
We didn't learn much about Martinez's future Saturday night. Didn't get a gauge of how he'll play against Texas or Oklahoma.
The Hilltoppers had no chance of scaling this Nebraska mountain. They didn't look that interested in chasing Martinez, let alone tackling him.
Watson didn't even proclaim Martinez his starting quarterback. He indicated only that he'll use Martinez and Green going forward.
But we did learn that Martinez looks like Eric Crouch dashing through a crease.
Martinez is like the ultimate schoolyard star. A hold-your-breath, don't-dare-go-to-the-bathroom-because-you-might-miss-something talent. One minute he nearly scores a touchdown. The next he nearly turns the ball over.
Martinez scored three times Saturday night. He rushed for 127 yards on just seven carries and executed the zone read the way its architects envisioned.
He ignited a fan base craving a reason to believe that this might be the year Nebraska makes it all the way back.
Of course, he also got sacked and nearly fumbled. He also threw into congestion and almost got intercepted.
He also missed a few open receivers and raised the question, “How the heck is this guy going to convert third-and-8 at Washington?”
Those issues still need resolution. But give Watson and Pelini credit. They took a chance. They want more in 2010 than a slightly more efficient version of 2009. They want explosiveness.
Too often, we want our quarterbacks to act like air-traffic controllers. You hear it all the time from coaches and TV analysts. Manage the game, move the chains. Play it safe, eliminate mistakes.
Throw the ball out of bounds when the pocket tightens. Bring on the punt team. Just please, please don't crash!
That's been Nebraska's motto too much the past six years.
But every once in awhile, we get a reminder that the game is indeed more art than science, that physical superiority is more important than film-room study, that players and not playbooks win games.
Watson still emphasizes the “game management” phase of quarterbacking. It's one reason, he says, Martinez made such progress the past month.
But this story is not complicated. And that's the beauty of it.
Taylor Martinez is a freshman starting at quarterback for a top-10 team. And the reason is written all over the faces of those who watched him Saturday night, including the wide receiver who congratulated Martinez after that first touchdown.
“It's crazy,” Kinnie said. “It's so easy to him.”
Contact the writer:
649-1461, dirk.chatelain@owh.com
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• Video: NU postgame analysis by Mitch Sherman:
• Video: NU-WKU highlight reel:
• Video: NU coach Bo Pelini at the postgame press conference:
• Video: Taylor Martinez at the postgame press conference:
• Video: Rex Burkhead at the postgame press conference:
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