Muffler asked about our QB situation, so here's a quick rundown:
The incumbent, the guy whose name you've likely heard, is Taylor Martinez. Marty began last season with a series of blazing long-distance runs, lighting up some weak non-con opponents and Washington, who is either weak or strong depending on which conference you ask. To me, they're weak. More about them later.
Martinez was recruited to Nebraska as a QB, to run Bo's version of the Spread/Zone Read system. He was not recruited as a QB by any other school - everyone else saw him as an "athlete." Immediately upon arrival at NU he redshirted and spent time on the Scout Team as a WR. He only began practicing at QB when Zac Lee, our 2009 starter, had offseason elbow surgery.
By all accounts Martinez won the starting job last year in Fall Camp, torching our first-string D for several long TDs, the kind he would rip off when the season started. He was a Redshirt Freshman, the first Freshman ever to start the season as NU's starting QB, and it showed against South Dakota State (horrible game by Martinez and the team as a whole) and against Texas (although his WRs dropped several passes for first downs/TDs). He righted the ship somewhat, but then he suffered the first of two injuries, a high ankle sprain vs. Missouri.
From there his speed was gone, his already shaky passing got even shakier, and the overall confidence of the team lagged. This problem was compounded by Zac Lee, our #2, nearly breaking his hand in practice the week after the Missouri game, followed immediately by our #3 QB, Cody Green, suffering a concussion in the next game. With the QB corps so banged up, Martinez was forced to play.
He suffered a Turf Toe injury later on, and his play - and the season - spiraled down the drain. With two bad legs, no backups and an offense losing confidence daily, the rest of the season basically sucked. You know what happened in the Holiday Bowl, and in the Big XII Championship game.
This Spring Martinez led the #1 offense and looked mediocre at best. He was about three months removed from his last injury and clearly not fully healed. Green was average at best, and ended up being granted a transfer and is no longer with the program.
The best performance of the Spring was from Brion Carnes, another Redshirt Freshman and the cousin of Touchdown Tommie Frazier. Carnes can clearly pass, he has wheels, and he had a fine game? in practice. The list of Spring Game stars who fade to oblivion when the season starts is long at every school, so take that with a grain of salt.
Entering the season Nebraska has:
Martinez, the incumbent starter, and barring a miracle, the opening day starter.
Carnes, talented enough to make Martinez work hard to keep his job, but with zero D1 experience.
From there, it's a dog's breakfast of guesswork. Lee graduated, Green transferred, Kody Spano has ended his football career after multiple injuries, and of our two big "gets" at QB in the 2011 recruiting class, Bubba Starling is 99.999% sure to take the contract the Royals will give him and Jamal Turner has been moved to WR (and he shone in the Spring Game, big-time). Backing up Martinez/Carnes will likely be:
Ron Kellogg III - local product out of Omaha. Looked good in the Spring Game passing, but he's had knee injuries and his mobility is limited.
Tyson Broekemeier - a walk-on true Freshman who will likely end up buried in the depth chart forever. He had the crowd buzzing at last weekend's Shrine Bowl where he set some passing records, but if he starts a game this year we're screwed.
Nebraska is thin at QB, no doubt about it. We need Martinez to stay uninjured, or if he gets dinged up, Carnes MUST mature quickly. Last year (under our old OC) our offense bogged down far too often during adversity. We could be one injury to Martinez away from that again in 2011.
