Nebraska's starting quarterback at the Big 12 championship game will be...
Shawn Watson will address the question in a moment, but first let's tweak it.
Who should start at quarterback in Dallas?
This is championship week, the week that defines Nebraska's season, the week Nebraska's offense absolutely has to perform.
Another offensive clunker and this will be a looooong winter for the Big Red brass, especially Watson.
The Huskers won't need 45 points to leave the Big 12 Conference victorious. But they will need a few touchdowns.
Who's more likely to make some plays, Taylor Martinez or Cody Green? Maybe the better question is this: How healthy must Martinez be to earn the start?
Before Friday, I would've said “Partly Healthy with a slight case of limps.” 60 percent.
Now I say “Mostly Healthy with a chance to outrun a linebacker.” 85 percent.
With Martinez on the sideline nursing a right ankle and a left toe, Green played as well as he ever has. He completed 10 for 13 for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Two of his incompletions were drops.
“Cody Green played a tremendous football game,” said Bo Pelini, a man who doesn't hand out praise casually.
Green got a big assist from Watson. Nebraska trimmed the playbook this week, Green said. Cut out the “excess.”
“We don't want to be jack-of-all-trades but master of none,” Green said.
The result was November football at its finest, a day when Nebraska mauled the Buffs in the trenches.
Nebraska ran 96 Power (handoff right) or 97 Power (handoff left) more than 20 times, tackle Jeremiah Sirles said.
“We just kept going after 'em and after 'em and after 'em,” Green said. “You know it's a good game whenever you come back to the middle and the big guys up front are smiling.”
“Why fix what's not broken?” Sirles said.
Burkhead took a hit and pushed two defenders 5 yards after contact. Kyler Reed dragged a defender to convert a third down. Bo Pelini went for it on fourth-and-1 and let Mike Caputo open a hole by throwing a Buff lineman to the turf.
Physical football. Offensive passion. Finally.
Don't discount Green as a spark plug. He managed the game like “a veteran quarterback,” Watson said. He's an extrovert. He offers intangible qualities.
Early in the third quarter, Green was running to the sideline after throwing a touchdown pass.
He turned around and spotted injured senior Keith Williams lying near the line of scrimmage, 30 yards away. Green ran back to Williams to check on him. He didn't come off the field until Williams was up.
Stuff like that goes a long way in leading a team.
“I'm a huge, huge fan of doing things for older guys,” Green said. “That's something that really warms me up inside, knowing that I left the seniors with something they'll never forget.”
While Cody is warming up, Taylor is still hurting. Watson said the freshman was available Friday in an emergency only.
Martinez's right ankle, which he's injured twice in the last month, is better than it was last weekend, Watson said. The turf toe on his left foot is still bothering him, though.
So will Martinez play next week? I asked the question to Watson Friday night. For a split second, he wanted to proclaim “Yes.”
He began his response with “I expect him ...” Then he stopped.
“Let me say this,” Watson said, “we'll go day-to-day, because I don't know for sure. I would like for him to play next week, absolutely. ... Sitting here with you guys right now, I'd just be guessing.”
Pelini basically said the same thing: “Who knows. I don't know what next week holds right now. We'll worry about that come the weekend.”
How do you not start Green after the best performance by any Nebraska quarterback since Martinez at Oklahoma State?
How do you not start Martinez after he won the job in August and carried this offense for two months?
Nebraska has stumbled and succeeded with both Martinez and Green since the Missouri game. There's no sure bet.
Watson said he'd like to be able to make the quarterback decision by Tuesday when strategy installation really begins. (We might not know until Saturday).
I'd go with Martinez only if he can be a threat in the run game. Only if he's mobile enough to evade the rush. If he's not — and coaches should know by Wednesday or Thursday — then trust Cody Green.
Truth is, the game plan is just as important as the quarterback selection.
Nebraska should forget offensive ego. Stick to power football. Pound the rock and take care of the ball. Trust the Blackshirts.
The ticket to a Big 12 championship may not be Green or Martinez or any other quarterback on the Husker roster.
It may be an undersized tailback from the Dallas suburbs.
At this point, if I needed one drive to win a championship, I'd take Rex Burkhead.
Contact the writer:
402-649-1461, [email protected]
twitter.com/dirkchatelain
* * *
• Video: NU coach Bo Pelini after the NU-Colorado game:
• Video: Highlights from the Nebraska-Colorado game:
• Video: Postgame analysis with Jon Nyatawa:
• Video: NU's Rex Burkhead at the postgame press conference:
• Video: NU's Cody Green at the postgame press conference:
• Video: NU's Dejon Gomes at the postgame press conference:
• Video: Ndamukong Suh sees his jersey retired:
• Video: NU-Colorado sights and sounds:
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10 Comments
Posted by: OP Husker on 11/27/10 @ 7:38 am:
Wow, this is going to be a tough decision. The good thing is that it appears that we may have all three available to play in the Big 12 championship game as Zac Lee looked ready to take the helm if needed after his play yesterday. I really did like the way that Cody led the offense yesterday against Colorado. He played with poise and like a champion. He truly gave everyone confidence with his play. If Oklahoma State wins today then it could be necessary to score about 45 points or over again to win the game. OSU puts up a lot of points on everyone, including the most scored against the Huskers this year. Taylor led an offense that put up a lot of points in our earlier win against OSU. This will be Watson's toughest decision this year. Maybe the most important thing is to run a repeat of yesterday's balanced offense that gets all of our offensive playmakers involved early in the game. Good luck, Huskers. Bring home the Big 12 title for one last time!
Posted by: Jay2010 on 11/27/10 @ 9:02 am:
Perhaps I am looking into this too much, but does the body language and dress of Martinez's father get anyone else to scratch their head? He is the father of one of the most dynamic players for the Huskers, he is walking off the field as his kid is waving and smiling to the crowd, yet he is walking with his head down, hands in the pockets. And I don't expect him to be head-to-toe in gear and wearing a #3 jersey, but how 'bout a little red for a home game? Normal human reaction would be to look up in the stands at the people cheering Taylor, as his stepmom is doing. Just saying - just comes off as strange...
Posted by: Buhtin76 on 11/27/10 @ 10:03 am:
Come on Huskers fans we are known World wide as the greatest fans in College football. Don't let a few bad calls pull you into the Worlds anger. Just like the players we represent the best of Nebraska and we are better than what has been said and written. And for those folks who are sending email and calls to Dan Bebee, it needs to stop now!! we deserved to have the Last BIg 12 trophy presented last night. As Bo says enough about that. Let's get our humility back and go down to Texas and whip who ever we play. I am remined of the saying my Dad taught me that is on the Southwest Wall of Memorial Stadium: "Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory."
Now lets go to Texas as the greatests fans in Football and cheer on the Huskers and put this behind us!! That's HUSKER FOOTBALL
GOOOO HUSKERS!!
Posted by: Magicdoubter on 11/27/10 @ 11:27 am:
Why is his dad even on the field, why did Taylor not go into the locker room with the team? When Zac Lee was not the starting quarterback he was on the sideline signaling plays and congratulating players as they came off the field. Everytime I saw Taylor yesterday he was at the back of the sideline talking to the scrub players that make him feel special by hanging on every word. This ain't Cali, where you if you complain and pout enough you get your way. This is Nebraska, you get what you earn.
Posted by: Bob on 11/27/10 @ 1:02 pm:
Yeah, I saw the same things Friday that Magicdoubter describes. When Cody Green and Zac Lee are on the sidelines and not about to get into the game, they have the headphones and the clipboards and are involved with the game. T-Magic seems to distance himself from that. It looked like the lightbulbs went on for Cody Green a bit yesterday, and I hope that will continue.
Posted by: Michael on 11/27/10 @ 2:16 pm:
I'm a huge fan of Green and think there's still a lot yet to be seen with him. I for one am extremely excited for the day the coaches open the playbook wide open for him, because as it is now there's only so much Green can show us. Until that day comes he just needs to keep being a great leader and just play his game. As for Martinez, he's a great talent but I think stardom came a little to early in his career. Hopefully he'll turn things around and actually act like a teammate down the road and not act like he is the team. Big time media acting like he was the team didn't help the situation much either.
Posted by: Otto on 11/27/10 @ 4:22 pm:
All year we have been comparing Taylor Martinez to Eric Crouch. But I am beginning to wonder if he is more of a Bobby Newcombe. Newcombe was an amazing talent, but not the leader and engineer that Crouch was. In the end, Crouch was the QB and Newcombe offered us a dynamic offensive player who was never happy with his roll. I hope that Taylor can learn from his teammates (Cody and Zac) and become a leader who can take this team places. But until that happens, we need a respected leader under center.
Posted by: Coach Pat on 11/27/10 @ 8:59 pm:
Start Green. Give him all the snaps in practice. Design the game plan around him and what he can do. Let Martinez heal completely for the bowl game.
Posted by: Huskerbybirth on 11/28/10 @ 2:26 am:
Cody Green is not the answer next week, Stoops will eat him up. He is below average as a quarterback. He is not a good passer, can't make quick reads and goes ahead at all costs with the called play. Burkhead should get the start, he is a born leader and lights a fire into the team with his determination and quick thinking. Look at the touchdown pass Rex threw, he saw the play was busted and used his feet and brain to change direction and draw the defense to him then threw an easy pass to the end zone. Cody would have went down and ate the ball for a 3 yard loss. I see a slow average team with Cody at the helm, when Rex gets in there and does his magic I see a team with ***** in their step. Cody is a mature leader, he just looks lethargic and can't seem to multitask when things go wrong. Don't get me wrong, I like Cody but I think his athletic talent could be used in another position, quarterback is over his head and he just might be a better receiver. I am sure he could catch the ball better then Niles Paul has.
Posted by: Cruel Dave on 11/28/10 @ 5:04 pm:
Going out on a limb and predicting Zac Lee will be a major contributor in an NU championship game victory.