Tag Archives: Taylor Martinez

It appears that last week’s practices were productive for every position group within the Nebraska defense. Plenty of positive vibes to go around after practice Monday.

And look, nobody’s going overboard. This young group has plenty of work to do — defensive coordinator John Papuchis made a point to reemphasize that.

But…

Here’s what Papuchis said about Saturday’s scrimmage: “I thought the energy was better. The enthusiasm was better. The effort was better. But I think that’s all a byproduct of knowing what you’re doing. It’s hard to play fast and enthusiastic when you’re not quite sure what you’re supposed to do. We made a big jump last week, in terms of just our general understanding of the entire defense.”

Some tidbits from Monday’s practice, …

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Nebraska coach Bo Pelini seemed pretty upbeat after watching a competitive scrimmage Saturday, which he said ended a week of practice without any significant setbacks or letdowns for the Huskers.

Pelini said they went for more than 100 plays and seemed to carry an energetic approach throughout.

“I like the way first and foremost how our guys competed, flew around and hit,” Pelini said. “There was a lot of enthusiasm and passion out there on the field. It was fun to watch.”

Clearly, there’s been some progress, Pelini said. He mentioned that he thinks the group, as a whole, is growing up. More players are making a commitment to the little things.

Said Pelini: “You can want to do have success as a football player, …

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The way coach Bo Pelini sees it: Every player has his own hurdles to overcome before coming close to reaching his own potential. And Pelini can spot lots and lots of hurdles surfacing this spring.

But that’s a good thing.

“I think we have some young guys who kind of got hit with the realization of the type of hard work, the type of attention to detail that’s required to have success,” Pelini said. ”
That realization comes in a lot of different ways but it affects guys and I think it allows them to keep growing. That’s what’s happening with our team.”

The Huskers wrapped up their 10th practice of the spring Wednesday evening, another session that earned a positive review from the sixth-year …

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Coach Bo Pelini said leaders will emerge on this defense. He has no doubt about that. But he made a point Wednesday to remind some of the new example-setters that they’re be relied on (now!) to take over the unit.

There are no games to look forward to during spring ball. Only the next practice. And with a young group defensively (eight starters are gone) mistakes are common and adversity is inevitable.

Here’s Pelini’s message: “When it gets difficult, that’s where the leadership’s got to step up. That’s where they’ve got to show the enthusiasm, bring the young guys along — when a guy makes a mistake and somebody’s frustrated, somebody’s got to help him through that. That’s all part of the process.”

And it’s …

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Nebraska center Cole Pensick is reading a book. It’s called “Fearless” by Eric Blehm, chronicling the story of Navy SEAL Team Six operator Adam Brown.

Pensick’s description of the novel’s subject: “He was always the underdog. He picked the biggest guy, and went after him.”

So Pensick can relate. Said Pensick: “That’s kind of the mentality you have to go with. Ever since high school, I’ve been kind of told that I’m undersized.”

It’s especially true this week, when he’s preparing to line up against Georgia’s Kwame Geathers, a 6-foot-6, 355-pound nose tackle who’s considering leaving for the NFL draft even though he was listed as a backup until Wednesday. There’s little debate: Geathers is a beast.

Pensick, meanwhile, is listed at 6-foot-2, which is …

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We’ll keep it short, because that’s all this game deserves. If you’re still watching, you’re a Badger fan or you’re just REALLY bored on a Saturday night.

Three of the first eight plays for Wisconsin’s offense after halftime resulted in touchdowns — a 9-yarder by Montee Ball, a 57-yarder by Ball and a 68-yarder by James White. The Badgers now have 549 yards of total offense (449 on the ground), gaining 11.7 yards per play.

Just an ugly night for the Blackshirts.

Other observations are below…

>> Kenny Bell’s highlight-worthy block — he de-cleated Devin Smith with a perfectly legal hit — on a Jamal Turner touchdown reception was inexplicably flagged by an official (wiping out the score). The call was horrible. Bell’s post-block reaction …

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Oh boy. It’s hard to completely count these comeback kids out, but the Huskers certainly have never overcome a deficit like this.

The story so far: Wisconsin’s efficient and explosive offense slicing up Nebraska’s defense without any resistance for two quarters. The Badgers have 391 offensive yards and 290 of those have come on the ground (10.7 yards per carry right now).

UW offense has the Huskers off-balance and befuddled. The game plan (get NU in space and exploit match-ups) was perfect, and the Badgers have executed almost flawlessly. Throw in some horrible tackling by NU — did you see Melvin Gordon’s final run right before the half that set up ANOTHER score? — and it’s probably the worst first-half performance by the Blackshirts under …

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Caught your breath yet? It’s been a wild first quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium, where both offenses seem to be two (or maybe 10) steps ahead of their defensive counterparts.

Wisconsin has 154 offensive yards (and a pick-six). Nebraska’s offense has totaled 186.

But the Huskers have been the most mistake-prone so far, which is why they trail 21-10.

Both Nebraska safeties missed open-field tackles on Melvin Gordon’s 56-yard touchdown run. There have been other missed tackles and poor execution as well.

There was that interception — when Kenny Bell dove to catch a short pass, but the football grazed off his hands and Marcus Cromartie returned the interception 29 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0.

On the next drive, senior Ben Cotton …

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Since we’re still several hours away from Nebraska’s showdown against Wisconsin, I assume you have some time to kill.

And because you can never have too many breakdowns of a rematch, here’s my compilation of five (mostly random) things to watch in Saturday night’s Big Ten title game…

1. Will Taylor Martinez find room on the ground? Wisconsin managed to keep him somewhat contained in the first meeting — with the exception of two quarterback draw plays, which totaled 56 yards. The Badgers likely won’t blitz much at all (maybe they’ll disguise some pressures by crowding the line on third down). Their safeties will storm down at times, and they do that well. Plus, linebacker Chris Borland will make some plays. But Martinez has been …

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“Keep an eye on Taylor Martinez. If Ohio State loses one of its last two — and Martinez finishes strong — Taylor has a shot to beat out Braxton Miller.” — Mad Chatter, Nov. 16

Martinez didn’t finish particularly strong. Miller didn’t lose a game. Yet Monday night, the Big Ten coaches dropped a mini-bombshell, selecting Martinez over Miller for first-team all-Big Ten.

Their conference statistics are comparable:

Miller: 830 rushing yards, 1,285 passing yards, 14 total touchdowns, 9 turnovers, 137.4 pass efficiency

Martinez: 642 rushing yards, 1,605 passing yards, 18 total touchdowns, 12 turnovers, 134.5 pass efficiency

But almost always, team success breaks the quarterback tie. Miller carried OSU to 12-0 and, against Nebraska, he had arguably his best game of the year. Martinez, …

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