Taylor Martinez shines in 51-41 Nebraksa win over Oklahoma State

Martinez matures against Okie State (Photo Ben Renyolds)

Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez put to rest any questions about the strength and accuracy of his arm by passing for 323 yards and five touchdowns in the 51-41 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday in Stillwater.  Martinez added a 112 yards rushing and showed some new-found maturity in leading the Huskers to 540 yards of total offense.

Martinez showed a different level of poise in the pocket, waiting to throw the ball until a receiver got open, then throwing to spots only his guy could make the catch.  On multiple occasions, he shook off would-be tacklers and threw down field for a positive gain, instead of simply tucking the ball and running like he's done most of the season.

Martinez was asked about the emphasis on the pass, "In practice we always pass like that," he said.  "Today we just showed everybody else that we can throw the ball instead of dropping back and running."

Blackmon burns Amukamara (Photo Ben Reynolds)

Shawn Watson Nebraska's offensive coordinator confirmed the point by enthusiastically praising Martinez play, "Today you got to see what we see everyday in practice," he said.  "He has a great arm and can compete with his arm."
 
The statement T-Magic made on the field Saturday answered concerns about what his ability to bounce back after a poor outing (see Texas) would be.  In the game, Martinez took several hits, made some bad reads, and lost a fumbled but seemed to forget the mistakes quickly.  If he was pouting on the sidelines after getting pulled against Texas, you sure wouldn't think it was the same kid against the Pokes.  He was confident, a little cocky, and noticeably vocal when celebrating a couple of the Husker touchdowns.  
 
Martinez performance didn't go unnoticed nationally, as he was named the Offensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Foundation.   Saturday's game probably didn't put Martinez back on the Heisman watch list again quite yet, but another couple games like this one, surely we will be taking about the possibilities again.

Nebraska's Alex Henry is a great kicker.  (Photo Ben Reynolds)

Which ever factors attributed to Martinez success this week, a poor Okie State defense, the pressure of the Texas game lifted, or the experience that comes with starting seven straight games, he definitely showed us a side of him we all wanted to see but just hadn't been shown yet.  Martinez is a good young quarterback, that can both run and throw ball effectively.  He will surely only get better as his career progresses the next few years.  It should be a fun ride.