Adrian Martinez named a top CFB 'bounce-back' candidate for 2020
ByDEAN STRAKA 5 hours ago
The Nebraska Cornhuskers will go as far as their defense and quarterback Adrian Martinez takes them this season, and third-year coach Scott Frost expects his signal-caller to have his best campaign thus far thanks to a renewed focus on improvement. And frankly, Martinez' head coach in Lincoln isn't the only one who is counting on the quarterback to have a big season in 2020 after an underwhelming year in 2019. The CBS Sports college football staff recently made picks for the top bounce-back players this coming season, and David Cobb went with the Huskers' signal-caller.
"Ultimately, the frustrations of 2019 should be behind him now, and with new offensive coordinator Matt Lubick arriving to provide the entire unit with a fresh start, Martinez is poised for a significant resurgence." Cobb wrote. "He is too talented, and there is too much returning-talent on this Nebraska team for the Cornhuskers to languish offensively again."
Entering his sophomore season last fall, Martinez rested on his laurels a bit as a Heisman candidate and players expected to lead Nebraska into Big Ten title contention. That didn't happen. Martinez was inconsistent and battled through injuries behind an under-performing offensive line, and the Huskers slipped to a 5-7 finish.
“I think it’s just his mindset and his approach,” Frost said this week, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. “He came in his first year and had to compete for that spot, and he looked like a competitor every single day in practice. Year 2, because of the situation, I think he was able to put it in cruise control a little more, and I think that showed up on the field a little bit.
Looking ahead to the 2020 season, Nebraska's offense will be without J.D. Spielman -- the team's leading receiver from 2019 -- after Spielman entered the transfer portal earlier this year, but Martinez will still have receiving talent to work with. Late last year, Nebraska made a key addition to its receiving corps when the Huskers landed JUCO prospect and former TCU signee Omar Manning. Rated the No. 2 overall JUCO prospect in his class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, Manning will have two seasons of eligibility in Lincoln after catching for 727 yards and six touchdowns last season at Kilgore (Texas) College.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey will push Martinez for snaps, which has heightened the junior's sense of urgency a bit, according to Frost. Last season, Martinez's numbers didn't compare to his freshman totals and he missed two games due to injury. As a sophomore, Martinez threw for 1,956 yards and 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He registered 626 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, but defense had figured out his strengths.
Nebraska is slated to kick off its 2020 campaign at home vs. Purdue on Sept. 5
https://247sports.com/college/nebra...ege-football-2020-nebraska-huskers-148799247/
ByDEAN STRAKA 5 hours ago
The Nebraska Cornhuskers will go as far as their defense and quarterback Adrian Martinez takes them this season, and third-year coach Scott Frost expects his signal-caller to have his best campaign thus far thanks to a renewed focus on improvement. And frankly, Martinez' head coach in Lincoln isn't the only one who is counting on the quarterback to have a big season in 2020 after an underwhelming year in 2019. The CBS Sports college football staff recently made picks for the top bounce-back players this coming season, and David Cobb went with the Huskers' signal-caller.
"Ultimately, the frustrations of 2019 should be behind him now, and with new offensive coordinator Matt Lubick arriving to provide the entire unit with a fresh start, Martinez is poised for a significant resurgence." Cobb wrote. "He is too talented, and there is too much returning-talent on this Nebraska team for the Cornhuskers to languish offensively again."
Entering his sophomore season last fall, Martinez rested on his laurels a bit as a Heisman candidate and players expected to lead Nebraska into Big Ten title contention. That didn't happen. Martinez was inconsistent and battled through injuries behind an under-performing offensive line, and the Huskers slipped to a 5-7 finish.
“I think it’s just his mindset and his approach,” Frost said this week, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. “He came in his first year and had to compete for that spot, and he looked like a competitor every single day in practice. Year 2, because of the situation, I think he was able to put it in cruise control a little more, and I think that showed up on the field a little bit.
Looking ahead to the 2020 season, Nebraska's offense will be without J.D. Spielman -- the team's leading receiver from 2019 -- after Spielman entered the transfer portal earlier this year, but Martinez will still have receiving talent to work with. Late last year, Nebraska made a key addition to its receiving corps when the Huskers landed JUCO prospect and former TCU signee Omar Manning. Rated the No. 2 overall JUCO prospect in his class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings, Manning will have two seasons of eligibility in Lincoln after catching for 727 yards and six touchdowns last season at Kilgore (Texas) College.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey will push Martinez for snaps, which has heightened the junior's sense of urgency a bit, according to Frost. Last season, Martinez's numbers didn't compare to his freshman totals and he missed two games due to injury. As a sophomore, Martinez threw for 1,956 yards and 10 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He registered 626 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground, but defense had figured out his strengths.
Nebraska is slated to kick off its 2020 campaign at home vs. Purdue on Sept. 5
https://247sports.com/college/nebra...ege-football-2020-nebraska-huskers-148799247/