Sophomore Quarterback Taylor Martinez

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Monday, Oct. 17, 2011
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Pre-Minnesota

Sophomore Quarterback Taylor Martinez
On how nice the off-week was
"It was very nice to get off our feet and get our legs back under us and just get some sleep."

On if they cut back on his practice reps so he could get more energy back
"No, we went full practice on Wednesday and Thursday. We had really good practices."

On what he did during the bye week
"Just hung out. I actually watched some college football on Saturday."

On what jumped out to him when watching the games
"That they're just fun to watch."

On if he watched Michigan-Michigan State
"Yeah, I watched football all day. I watched Michigan-Michigan State and Florida-Alabama. A lot of schools."

On what he likes that the offense is doing
"I think we're just more starting to find out what type of offense we were. I think we're starting to be consistent with our offense."

On what type of offense they're becoming
"I'm not really sure. I think just more of an attacking offense."

On how pleased he's been with the offensive line
"They've been doing a really good job so far. I'm glad that they're improving every week. Every offensive lineman who's in there has been doing an awesome job."

On what happened in the second half of the Ohio State game to spark the offense
"I think in the first half, we were trying to learn what they were exactly going to do against us. I think in the second half we actually came out and exploited the defense. We finally figured out what they were doing."

At what point he knew the Ohio State game was theirs to win
"I felt it all along. I think our offense was moving the ball on them throughout the whole entire game. I think on that fourth-and-one that kind of killed our momentum. But other than that we kicked two field goals, and I think we might have punted on the first drive. Two field goals and that fourth-and-one, so I think that's what killed us. I think in the second half we finally let it all out and finally put some touchdowns on the board."

On if he still believed that in the first half when they were down
"Yeah, I thought we were moving the ball very well on them, and I thought our offense did a good job."

On how dangerous the diamond formation is and how hard it is to defend for opposing defenses
"I think it's very dangerous with the three running backs that we have back there. They have to get one of the running backs or choose me, so it's kind of difficult to stop."

On what he knows about Minnesota
"I think they're a good team. Maybe some people are overlooking them, but it should be a tough game."

On hitting Rex Burkhead on check-downs during the Ohio State game and if that's something Coach Tim Beck wanted him to work on
"A little bit. Just they're pretty much taking away the passing game, so I just kept checking it down. They're a really good defense, so I just had to keep checking the ball down to Rex."

On when he saw the wide receivers gel and knew they'd be good
"In the summer, I worked with all the receivers pretty much every day throughout the summer, and I knew we had some special receivers."

On how much Rex Burkhead has improved since last season
"He's done a great job just leading our offense. We know we can just put the ball in his hands anytime and he'll pick up a first down for us."