Here we are again. Back to the essential question.

The question college coaches on the West Coast were asking two years ago.

The question Nebraska coaches were still asking 10 months ago.

The question that may determine whether Nebraska wins championships this season, or exits the Big 12 quietly.

Can Taylor Martinez pass?

The freshman quarterback has speed like a Ferrari. Poise, moxie and just enough audacity to send defensive coordinators to Walgreens at 2 a.m. for extra Advil.

But against South Dakota State, Martinez looked miserable throwing the ball. Incapable of beating a stacked Jackrabbit defense over the top.

He missed receivers long, short and wide. He threw two interceptions — and those weren’t even his ugliest throws.

All of which raises the familiar question.

Can Taylor Martinez pass?

A week ago, I asked Bo Pelini and Shawn Watson why anyone doubted Martinez as a quarterback.

Keep in mind — in fairness to the coaches — that they were speaking in a very different context. Martinez, after a splendid start to his career, was stirring conversation as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate.

The notion that Pelini would bench him due to ineffectiveness against South Dakota State wasn’t improbable, it was insane.

So was the idea that coaches once thought of Martinez as a safety.

Martinez won player of the year honors on the California high school circuit. But Pac-10 coaches didn’t want him behind center. And Nebraska wasn’t sure, either.

Pelini and Watson illuminated how Martinez ended up in Lincoln — and how quickly he progressed to earning the keys to the offense. Their answers were interesting a week ago. They may be more pertinent now.

First question: Why didn’t most programs want Martinez as a quarterback?

“He’s not your prototype,” Watson said. “He’s not 6-4. Those guys, if you look at all their quarterbacks in the Pac-10, that’s what you’re looking at — 6-3, 6-4, 6-5. 220. Passers.”

At Centennial High, Martinez orchestrated a shotgun spread attack. His throws were quick and usually short. His rather simple offensive system prompted questions about how he would adapt to the college level. So did his mechanics.

“His throwing motion was different,” Bo said. “He had a little bit of an unusual hitch. He still does a little bit. ... When you watch that type of passing game they had, you weren’t sure exactly how he was as a thrower.

“Obviously, you knew he could run.”

Second question: Why wasn’t Martinez a surefire quarterback prospect for Nebraska?

Carl Pelini, who recruits California, originally spotted Martinez. He told Bo that the kid was special.

Nebraska coaches were intrigued with Martinez as a quarterback — that’s where Martinez wanted to play — but they also knew the kid could play “about four other positions,” Bo said.

“Originally,” Bo said, “I had him on the safety board.”

Bo watched more film and eventually moved him to the “athlete” column (in other words, we’ll find a position for him later). He then watched more film and “slowly but surely” moved him to the quarterback column.

“We said, ‘Taylor, we’re going to play you where you want to play,’” Bo remembers. “What our plan was with him and his family, we’ll give you a shot at quarterback and we’ll communicate and be honest. And if it works, it works.

“If it doesn’t work, we’ll tell you if it’s in your best interest to move to another position. They were all on board.”

But the jump from high school quarterback to college quarterback is unpredictable, Watson said.

“You never know until you roll your sleeves up and get busy with a kid: Is he going to be able to learn it?”

Third question: When did Nebraska realize that Martinez should play quarterback — and why?

Martinez spent the 2009 season on scout team. He played scout-team quarterback only when Nebraska was preparing for a running quarterback, Watson said. Other than that, he was a receiver.

“We were really feeling it out,” Watson said. “Could he be a receiver? Could he be a safety? Could he be a quarterback? So we were really moving him all over the place.”

Before the bowl game, coaches finally made a decision: Taylor Martinez was a quarterback.

“After awhile,” Watson said “we all said, ‘This is crazy. He fits where we’re going (offensively). He fits us like a glove.’”

Martinez’s gifts with the zone read were exactly what Watson wanted. The trick this spring became teaching Martinez the passing game.

Martinez knew that he had doubters. Since he arrived in Lincoln, he has read and heard comments suggesting that he couldn’t throw, Watson said.

“He took it really personal,” Watson said.

But Martinez had a solid foundation from which to build — a quick release and a strong arm.

He made a few mechanical adjustments. He accepted coaching advice. In August practices, he got his chance with the pressure on.

“Boom, boom, boom,” Bo says, “all of a sudden you say, ‘Wow, he’s really good.’”

“The kid has worked his tail end off,” Watson said.

According to the offensive coordinator, Martinez is executing in practice the same things Joe Ganz ran his senior year.

“Everybody saw his athleticism. That’s what attracted (other programs) to him,” Watson said. “What people didn’t see is how good of an arm he has. This kid is as good a passer as I’ve ever been around.”

But the mental aspect of the job, Watson said last week, is still a work in progress for Martinez.

Watson’s disclaimer foreshadowed a tough night Saturday. Martinez completed 6 of 14 throws. His final 11 passes of the night produced just 43 yards — and two interceptions.

So are we back to square one? Trying to decipher what Martinez can and can’t do?

If he can’t throw efficiently and consistently, Big 12 defenses will stack the box, devote as many resources as possible to stopping the zone read and take away Martinez’s real gift: his legs.

Then Nebraska’s offense once again becomes a liability.

At this point, it’s too early to tip over the T-Magic bandwagon. He had a bad night. And freshmen have bad nights.

Martinez is still a quarterback — and potentially a great one.

He doesn’t have to do everything well. He doesn’t have to throw like Sam Bradford, or even Ganz.

But he does have to complete short throws and occasionally beat defenses deep. And he’ll have to do it against tougher defenses.

Western Kentucky ranks among the bottom five nationally in scoring defense and pass efficiency defense. Idaho just gave up 494 yards to Colorado State, whose offense was ranked 113th. And the mighty Huskies of Washington? Suddenly they look like the ninth-best team in the resurgent Pac-10.

What makes Martinez such a fascinating study is exactly what makes him unsettling.

He’s brand new. He doesn’t have much of a track record. And he achieved his current status very, very quickly.

Can Taylor Martinez pass?

We won’t find the answer on old high school film in California, or on a practice field in Lincoln, or in interviews with Pelini and Watson.

Only gamedays matter now.

Contact the writer:

402-649-1461, dirk.chatelain@owh.com

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