The Washington Huskies struggled to contain dynamic Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez the last time these two teams met. In September, Nebraska rolled to an easy 56-21 victory with Martinez leading the charge. The freshman quarterback threw for 150 yards and a touchdown while adding another 137 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, including an 80-yard scamper to open the second half.
When healthy, Martinez can be as dangerous as any dual-threat quarterback in the nation. He finished the year with 1578 yards and nine touchdown through the air, with another 942 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Add Roy Helu Jr.’s 1211 yards and 11 touchdowns in the run game and you have a potent Cornhusker attack.
Nebraska racked-up an eye-popping 383 yards and six touchdowns on the ground against the Huskies in September as the Huskies could not stop anything on defense. Three Nebraska players were over the century mark, with Helu adding 110 yards and two touchdowns to Martinez’s prolific day.
Can the Huskies slow Nebraska down? To give Jake Locker and the Washington offense a chance, defensive coordinator Nick Holt has to figure out a way to stop the run and force Martinez to throw the ball.
The Huskies and Cornhuskers hit the field in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN.