LINCOLN, Neb. – Four days before Saturday’s primetime showdown in Memorial Stadium, Ryan Day called Nebraska’s Adrian Martinez “by far” the best quarterback Ohio State will have faced this season. By far. He had no reason to say otherwise. Florida Atlantic’s Chris Robison, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, Indiana’s Peyton Ramsey and Miami (Ohio)’s Brett Gabbert weren’t exactly world-beaters. Martinez, conversely, was a trendy Heisman Trophy pick before the season as he led the Cornhuskers into Year 2 of the Scott Frost era. In the first four games of the season, Martinez completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 1,052 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. The dual-threat quarterback added 234 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 61 carries. “We knew we had to shut down the quarterback,” co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said on Saturday night. As arguably the best quarterback the Buckeyes face in the regular season, the thinking was that…
Continue Reading: Ohio State's Defensive Renaissance Allowing Buckeyes to Dominate Because of Defense Rather Than In Spite of It
