Adrian Martinez Quotes

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Monday, Aug. 27, 2018
Pre-Akron

Adrian Martinez
Freshman, Quarterback

On how he learned he was the starting QB
“I got called up by Coach Verduzco. He told me to meet him on Saturday, late Saturday. I drove over on my scooter and I met with him and he told me I was the starting quarterback. So it was a pretty special feeling.”

On what he was expecting to hear from Coach Verduzco
“I think in my own mind, I felt I was the starter, I thought I had earned it. I’ve been working hard for it, obviously. But, I wasn’t entirely sure. I walked in there, you know, he’s pretty quiet, and I was like ‘I don’t know if this is a good sign.’ And you know, obviously it turned out to be good.”

On why he thought he was the starter
“I really just spilled my guts for it. Obviously Tristan (Gebbia) did the same, but I was confident in my ability. I believe that if you don’t believe in yourself I don’t think anyone will. I think if you ask Tristan, he’d say the same thing, he thought he would be the starter. But, I worked hard, I learned this offense the best I can and now I’m ready to get after it.”

On the magnitude of becoming Nebraska’s first true freshman starting quarterback
“Obviously it’s an honor to be the starting quarterback at this university, and I don’t really feel that type of pressure in a sense that I haven’t played since my junior year. I’ve been practicing since spring. I think I’m used to that speed. I don’t think it’s going to feel foreign to me out there. I feel like that doesn’t really have any significance in my mind.”

On if there was a turning point during camp
“I really wasn’t trying to evaluate it myself, you know I knew in my mind if I took care of business, if I was getting better with each day I thought I would be the starter. I felt like I was getting better and better with each day, I thought it was getting easier for me, I thought my arm was getting better and better. It was looking good for me and obviously I think I was right.”

On the thought of becoming the starter last January
“Obviously that was the plan in my mind. I wanted to be the starter, I wanted to work for it. I didn’t necessarily know what it was going to take at first, but it’s kind of crazy that we are at that point now. I’m the starter and week one is a few days away.”

On his relationship with Tristan Gebbia
“It’s tough because it could have went either way. Obviously I would be very disappointed if it was vice-versa. So I think we had that sympathy for each other. He congratulated me and I think we are two men and we competed really hard. We understand both sides of it, and you know we’re going to continue having that friendship.”

On how he feels about becoming the starter
“It’s kind of funny you said that. I feel like I should have been happier than I was. I was ecstatic, I called my dad and my family, but almost five minutes later I was already thinking about Akron. I want to win. When we win, that’s when I’ll be on cloud nine for that. I think the mission hasn’t been accomplished yet in my mind.”

On knowing the starting quarterback before the Boneyard Bash
“I knew before that practice. We both knew before that practice.”

On handling the spotlight of being the starting quarterback
“That’s a good question. I feel like my family and my coaches and my teammates have always kind of kept me grounded, but it’s obviously going to be a new experience for me. Fresno, California isn’t Lincoln, Nebraska, you know starting quarterback for the Huskers. I think we’re going to adjust on the fly and things are going to go well.”

On his thoughts about coming out of the tunnel on Saturday
“I try not to think about that because I want to get some sleep this week. It’s going to be fun, I can’t wait. I think all of us are going to be really excited, we’re going to be juiced, ready to go, but I couldn’t tell you, I’ve never really done it.”

On how he thinks the offense will work
“We’re going to use tempo to our advantage. We’re going to go fast. I think really, in my regard I think it’s just being efficient, trying to distribute the ball, knowing when you should throw it, knowing when you should run it, when you should hand it off. Making the right decisions and making them quickly.”

On how potent this offense will be this season
“I think you guys are going to find out this Saturday. I think some of those guys on the outside are a little underrated. I’m excited to be able to be kind of that catalyst in this offense to be able to distribute the ball to some of those guys.”

On his family’s reaction to finding out he was the starter
“I was really excited to tell my dad. He’s a big part of why I work so hard and why I wanted to be the starting quarterback and why I want to succeed. Calling him and being able to tell him that my hard work has paid off to this point was a great feeling. He was really excited for me and he’s coming out to the first game. And he just told me we know what to do now. We've got to win this game. We've got to approach it week by week and the struggle is not over, you've got to keep working.”

On the reception he got from the team
“I think they were just waiting to see who to go with. We have a band of brothers. I think whether it would have been me or Tristan, these guys would have been able to rally behind him and support him, and I felt that support.”

On building a relationship with the veterans on the team
“I think it’s just working hard. I think guys respect a player who puts it all out there on the field. You know, a guy who is going to be full go all the time, whether it’s in the weight room, film room or practice field. I try and demand the most out of my teammates and they do the same for me, obviously in a respectful manner. I think when you do that and they see that, they respect you, no matter your age.”

On what fans should expect from the defense
“I think we’ve got a pretty scary D-Line. Those guys can really get after us. I think the secondary is starting to fly around. Coach Chins (Erik Chinander) draws up some pretty interesting stuff. I think it is going to be fun to watch for the fans.”

On if he thought this moment was possible during his injury issues
“There was a point where I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it back to 100 percent. There was a low, but that didn’t last very long. I think always in my mind, I believed I was destined to play quarterback and excel. I knew that I had been working hard, and things were going to turn back around. So there wasn’t really a whole lot of doubt in that process. It wasn’t easy. There was a time I could only get my arm this high. I didn’t think I can throw the ball like I can now, but obviously we are where we are now and I think having faith helped me in that process.”

On playing football and basketball during his injury
“Probably wasn’t the brightest decision obviously. Basically I had kind of hurt my shoulder during football season. I thought it was good to go, it wasn’t good to go. I played through the whole basketball season. And the last game, there was a minute left, the coach draws up a play for me and I go up. Actually let me rewind, I’m not that good of a storyteller, I’m sorry. I get a steal and I go up, the guy chops my arm and I dislocate my shoulder. I go over to the training table and the guy is like ‘you dislocated your shoulder, you probably tore your labrum more than it already was.’ It feels OK so I go back in the game, there’s about 20 seconds left and the coach draws a play for me, we’re down by two or three points. I get the ball and I drive to the hoop and I lay up off the glass and it was kind of a slow roller so I go for the rebound and my shoulder pops in and out again. And so that was kind of that moment where ‘man I can’t believe this happened in a sport that isn’t my main sport, I’m not going to college for this.’ But it’s just hard for me to quit, the game was on the line, I wanted to go in. Kind of a hard decision to live with, but it’s worked out. I feel better than I ever have. I’m really slinging the ball, and I think everything happens for a reason.”

On adjusting to college
"I couldn't really tell you, but at a certain point, it really clicked for me. I think there's going to be that process during the season as well. Things are going to get easier for me as the season goes along. I think I believe in that."

On leading the team
"I don't really believe in 'rah rah guys,' but I don't believe in silent leaders either. You have to be that medium in between. I don't think it's tough because we have a great group of guys. We have natural leaders on the O-line. We have natural leaders in the receiver room. It's my job to set the example, be full go all the time. It's not just my job. It's not just my responsibility. I think the guys on this team understand that, so I don't think it will be difficult. I think when we shoulder that burden as a group, it works out."

On his maturity
"It's tough to say [where I got it]. I think I have to draw back to my family, to my roots and some of the things I've been through. It hasn't been an easy journey for me, and I think through that experience has kind of led me to where I am with my perspective that I have. I have to give credit to my dad and my stepmom and the way I was raised."

On Akron
"I'm excited. I'm fired up about the way our offense is looking. Obviously this is the week we're scouting them. I think we have a good match up. It's going to be a good game, we just have to show up."