Nebraska coach Scott Frost channeled his inner Rasheed Wallace when asked Thursday if quarterback Adrian Martinez and top wideout J.D. Spielman will make the trip to Minnesota to face the Gophers on Saturday night.
“We gotta go play well,” Frost said, skirting the question with a dead serious look on his face.
Former Portland Trail Blazer Wallace famously once answered “both teams played hard” to every question he was asked at a press conference to fulfill his NBA-mandated duties after a game.
Frost later revealed both players are making the trip, but offered no insight into if they might play.
In fact, all four Husker quarterbacks, including backup Noah Vedral and third stringer Luke McCaffrey — both who played in place of Martinez in last Saturday’s 13-10 win over Northwestern — will make the trip.
Martinez, who broke multiple Husker freshman records but has struggled to get untracked during NU’s 4-2 start, hobbled off the field at Memorial Stadium on Saturday and went into the medical tent late in the third quarter, emerging with an ice pack over his knee. He did not return to action.
Vedral has been taking snaps at No. 1 QB this week. The Nebraska native replaced Martinez and played with noticable decisiveness and poise, leading a short drive that led to the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Spielman has an undisclosed injury but sat out most of the second half against Northwestern.
Here is more from the Omaha World-Herald:
Opportunities for receivers are also plentiful regardless of whether Spielman plays Saturday, Frost said. The wait continues for somebody to step up, especially among a young group that is “close” to being ready to play.
But that urgency has to show up on a daily basis, Frost said. It’s been a mixed bag in that sense.
“If we’re going to play them, I want them to be out here for practice looking like they’re playing better than the guy in front of them,” Frost said. “That should be their goal. At times it’s like that, at times it isn’t.”
Frost said Nebraska had its “best Monday practice ever” and went through a good install session Tuesday.
“They’re prepared,” he said. “They know their stuff. We just gotta go play well.”
Frost reiterated what offensive coaches said Wednesday: Running back Maurice Washington has responded well to his first-half benching last Saturday. The goal remains for him to be healthy and effective throughout the game against Minnesota.
“We need him to be ready to go for a whole game,” Frost said. “He obviously makes us a better team when he’s out there, so we need him out there more often.”
To hear more about the matchups between the Gophers and Huskers, click here.
