Eric Martin Season 2012

Honors & Awards

• First-Team All-Big Ten (Media, BTN)
• Second-Team All-Big Ten (Coaches, Phil Steele)
• Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Academic Honor Roll (2010)

Eric Martin had a breakthrough season for the Blackshirt defense as a senior in 2012, becoming Nebraska's top pass-rushing threat. The 6-2, 250-pound Martin led Nebraska in sacks and tackles for loss, with his pressure playing a big role in Nebraska fielding one of the nation's top pass defenses.

Martin had a team-high 8.5 sacks for 47 yards and and led Nebraska in tackles for loss with 18 TFL for 65 yards. His 18 tackles for loss ranked in a tie for 10th place on the Nebraska single-season list. Martin had at least one tackle for loss in nine games, including each of the last five Big Ten regular-season games. Martin also led the Blackshirts with 13 quarterback hurries, while forcing two fumbles and recovering another. Martin was fourth in the Big Ten in sacks and second in the conference in tackles for loss.

Martin finished the season with 59 total tackles, including 32 solo stops. He made at least five tackles in seven games, including six times against Big Ten opponents. The play of Martin helped Nebraska rank in the top 35 nationally in total defense, while leading the nation in opponent pass completion percentage.

Martin was honored for his efforts in 2012, being selected as a first-team All-Big Ten pick by the conference media panel, while earning second-team honors from the league's coaches.

2012 (Senior)
Southern Miss: Played in his 40th career game as a Husker in the season opener... didn't register any tackles, but did produce one of NU's two quarterback hurries... part of a pass-rush unit that helped limit USM to 75 yards passing. UCLA: Came into the game in pass-rushing situations and produced one tackle. Arkansas State: Moved into the starting lineup against the Red Wolves and caused their offensive line fits all day... sacked QB Ryan Aplin in the fourth quarter for a seven-yard loss that resulted in a fumble that Martin also recovered... added three QB hurries on the day. Idaho State: Led the Blackshirts with five tackles, all for loss... had 2.5 sacks, marking the most for a Nebraska player since Jared Crick also had 2.5 sacks against Idaho in 2010... last time an NU player had more than 2.5 sacks was Ndamukong Suh's 4.5 sacks against Texas in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game... his five TFL's on the day doubled his previous career total of five during his first 42 games. Wisconsin: Notched four total tackles, including two solo stops... produced one QB hurry. Ohio State: Was a bright spot for the Husker defense with two sacks for eight yards... tied P.J. Smith and Will Compton for the team lead in tackles with nine... nine tackles set a new career high, bettering his six at Washington in 2010. Northwestern: Tied Baker Steinkuhler for third on the team in tackles with six... produced four solo stops. Michigan: Notched his team-leading sixth sack in the second quarter with a nine-yard loss of Russell Bellomy on 3rd-and-10 at the NU 45-yard line... notched six total tackles, including two TFLs for 11 yards. Michigan State: Went over 100 tackles for his career with eight total stops... registered his 11th TFL of the season... produced a pair of QB hurries. Penn State: Increased his season sack total to 7.5 with a sack of Matt McGloin for two yards in the fourth quarter... was his 10th career sack... finished with three tackles and one QB hurry. Minnesota: Played in his 50th career game as a Husker in his final game at Memorial Stadium... only tackle on the day was a TFL in the second quarter... was his team-leading 13th TFL of the season. Iowa: Wreaked havoc in the Iowa backfield all day... finished the game with seven total tackles, including NU's only sack, and three TFLs for 10 yards... increased his team-leading totals to 16 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks... also caused a fumble on his fourth-quarter sack and had a pair of quarterback hurries. Wisconsin (Big Ten Championship): Had five tackles, including three solo stops. Georgia (Capital One Bowl): Had three solo tackles, including two tackles for loss, totaling eight yards... increased his team-leading TFL total to 18.

2011 (Junior)
Martin played in 12 games with starts against Ohio State and Northwestern. His play increased greatly in the second half of the season, and the only game he missed was the regular-season finale against Iowa when he was sidelined by an ankle injury.

Martin had 23 tackles, including 10 solo stops, with 18 of his 23 tackles coming in the second half of the year. He had 2.5 sacks for 21 yards, including two for 14 yards in NU's 24-3 win over Michigan State, and shared a sack in the Capital One Bowl. Martin also had a four-yard tackle for loss at Minnesota and contributed four quarterback hurries on the year.

Martin had a season-high four tackles at Minnesota and at Penn State, and he also made three stops in three other games. Martin is one of Nebraska's most physical presences on coverage units and seven of his tackles came on special teams.

2010 (Sophomore)
Martin totaled 26 tackles in 13 games, including 11 solo stops. He had a team-leading 13 special teams tackles, all on kickoff coverage. Martin earned a pair of starts as the WILL linebacker early in the season and led Nebraska with a career-high six tackles in the 56-21 win at Washington, before contributing five against South Dakota State. Martin had a season-high three special teams tackles at Oklahoma State.

2009 (Freshman)
Martin played in all 14 games and was one of six true freshmen to see action. He notched 15 tackles, with 10 of those coming on special teams. Martin opened with a career-high four tackles against Florida Atlantic and finished with three unassisted tackles on kickoff coverage against Arizona. He also showed his play-making ability with a pair of blocked punts. His first blocked punt at Baylor was returned for a touchdown to open the scoring. He also had a blocked punt against Texas and was the first Husker to block two punts in a season since Lannie Hopkins blocked three in 2002.  

Before Nebraska (Rancho Verde HS)
Martin played linebacker on a dominant defensive unit at Rancho Verde High School. The Mustangs' defense allowed just eight points per game, including four shutouts during a perfect 10-0 regular season, before Coach Pete Duffy's squad was defeated in the first round of the CIF playoffs. Martin led the team in tackles with more than 130 and also recorded eight sacks on the season. Martin earned first-team California all-state honors for his dominant play as a senior. He was also the Inland Valley League Defensive MVP and was named to the Inland Empire all-defensive team. Martin also produced big numbers during his junior season when he totaled about 100 tackles, helping Rancho Verde to a 9-3 record, the Inland Valley League title and a trip to the state quarterfinals. Martin also played a key role as a sophomore in 2006, again helping the Mustangs to a league title and another state quarterfinal appearance.

Martin made an impression on college coaches after his sophomore season when he was voted the top underclass linebacker at the Southern California Nike Camp. Martin was listed among the top 40 players in California by Rivals.com. Martin chose Nebraska after making visits to Arizona and Arizona State.  

Personal
The son of Kenneth and Alisa Johnson, Eric was born on July 21, 1991. He is a sociology major, and has spent time volunteering as part of team hospital visits and at the Malone Center.

Martin's Career Statistics

Single-Game Highs
» Tackles-9 at Ohio State (2012)
» Solo Tackles-5 at Ohio State (2012)
» Tackles for Loss-5 vs. Idaho State (2012)
» Sacks-2.5 vs. Idaho State (2012)
» Blocked Punts-1 twice (Baylor, Texas in 2009)