College Football

College football games, Week 8: Adrian Martinez continues redemption tour, attrition of unbeatens ahead

College football games, Week 8: Adrian Martinez continues redemption tour, attrition of unbeatens ahead


America loves comebacks. Whether it was Elvis in 1968 or the Bills in 1993, sports fans are infatuated with watching teams or players or rock ‘n’ roll legends crawl out of a hole.

Welcome to the club, Adrian Martinez. Though, to call the Kansas State quarterback’s play this season a comeback would be assuming there was once a peak he ascended to previously. Not so much in an uneven four-year career at Nebraska.

Oh, Martinez was game. His presence at Nebraska once caused former coach Scott Frost to react this way when Joe Burrow transferred from Ohio State: “You think [Burrow’s] better than what we got?” Frost asked me after his first spring game in 2018 in which Martinez starred.

That remark was held against Frost for years by Nebraska fans. It shouldn’t have been. History has shown Nebraska would have been worse without Martinez. He was no Joe Burrow, sure, but who has been? Martinez was tough and put in the work, but the prospect from the Central Valley of California also turned the ball over — a lot.

Martinez was responsible for a staggering 46 turnovers in his four years at Nebraska: 30 interceptions, 16 fumbles lost. If there was ever a guy who needed a change of scenery, it was him. And it’s worked.

No. 17 Kansas State heads into Saturday’s showdown at No. 8 TCU as the only FBS team yet to throw an interception. In fact, Martinez has no turnovers at all. K-State has lost three fumbles all season.

That would make the one-time turnover machine likely the only FBS quarterback qualified in NCAA statistics (playing at least 75% of games) who has yet to commit a turnover. 

That’s not an Elvis-level comeback, but it’s something. Martinez transferred, changed conferences and underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason — all to get to this point. The Wildcats probably wouldn’t be 5-1 and in contention for the Big 12 title without him.

“I don’t know what happened in the past,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. “Everybody asks me about that. I wasn’t with him, so I really don’t know what happened and don’t really care what happened. I’m just excited that he’s here.”

College football‘s midseason point is all about comebacks. No. 3 Tennessee is still partying after beating Alabama for the first time in 15 years. No. 14 Syracuse hasn’t been this relevant in forever. Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. (formerly of Indiana) is leading the country in passing. Sonny Dykes…

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