Adrian Martinez Quotes - 10-25-21

Adrian Martinez
Quarterback

On improving in the red zone after the Minnesota loss
“A part of that awareness. The field shrinks so each play matters that much more. You have to execute and be precise on the details. There’s already less room for error in the Big Ten, and so in the red zone that margin for error is even smaller. You have to be dialed in and be able to execute.”
 
On the smaller margin for error
“A part of that is the style of play. I believe that the level of play is very high in the Big Ten and on top of that a lot of teams play. They have the ball for a long time for the 10 possessions, and then your possessions are cut downm so you have to make every one of those possessions that you do have count. That extends to the red zone and making those opportunities count, so you can get points out of them.”
 
On the nine overtime game between Penn State and Illinois
“I saw a little bit of that, and it's pretty nuts in the fact that it was 20-18.”
 
On competition in the Big Ten
“It is definitely a great example of how difficult it can be to score and get quality plays down there, but it's incredibly important.”
 
On his physical health during the game at Minnesota
“I definitely wasn’t 100 percent, but you rarely are in football, so there’s no excuse not to play at the level that I’m accustomed to playing and want to play at. I felt like I was not as dynamic as a runner going into that game. I still feel like I was able to do the things that I wanted to do. If I felt like I couldn’t, then I wouldn’t have played, so there’s no excuse there. Additionally, the bye week was very helpful for everyone physically and mentally. Maybe take a little bit of a break and get ready for these last four weeks.”
 
On any doubts about his ability to play at Minnesota
“In my mind I knew that I was always going to play Saturday.”
 
On his approach running the ball over the past few weeks
“It’s about being a little smarter and knowing when to maybe take some of those big hits off.  Maybe it's with experience and just realizing that it's a long season and knowing that I have to be a factor in the run game and that I can’t afford to miss games for my team. It’s little things like getting down a little early or finding a way to avoid those big hits from some of the guys in the Big Ten.”
 
On Saturday's game against Purdue
“I will say that this is another week of having a dynamic edge rusher (George Karlaftis), and that's just sort of the Big Ten. It’s a part of this league and what we face week in and week out. We played special players like that before, and it's no different this week. We’re going to have to attack him and attack their defense and be able to execute. He’s a really good player and has an incredibly high motor, so it's important to be attacking and realizing where he’s at on the field.”
 
On what’s important coming up
“It’s about every play. We’ve had a couple of big moments where there was one play that stood out that may have seemed as if it lost us the game, but it's the plays leading up to that. Each play matters. That’s how I take it. When it's 1st-and-10, it's important to fight for that extra yard to make it to second and whatever it may be, fighting for those extra yards could make a big difference on the next play.”
 
On being a leader on the team
“You always need to have a sense of urgency. We haven’t lost that. We had it at the beginning of the year and we have it right now. There’s a sense of patience when it comes to where this program is and where we know we can be and where we want to be and just having confidence in that. The urgency can’t stop and it won’t stop. It’s a huge game for us.”
 
On messages received from opposing coaches
“Generally, it's about respect and toughness for some of the things that I have battled through here, which I genuinely appreciate and it's always a good thing to get that recognition and appreciation. Some of those things came after we lost the game and its possible that they’re just being nice. It is what it is, but it is nice to hear from opposing coaches that they respect my game. I’m not necessarily off guard. I was embraced in a way in both. I wasn’t necessarily expecting that but I genuinely appreciated the words they had to say to me.”
 
On the potential of these being his final few career games
“Not necessarily. I might use a little bit of urgency as I alluded to earlier. It’s really important to emphasize that with our team and with myself. I'm not necessarily thinking about the bigger picture and what that all means. The focus has to be on this week. But it’s football because you never know when it’s going to be your last snap or your last game. Having that sense of urgency and appreciation for where I’m at and making sure to enjoy the moment is important.”
 
On waiting to make decisions until postseason
“Absolutely. That’s for after the season. There are too many things that are more important than that right now.”
 
On talking big picture regarding Martinez with the coaches
“No, I don't think that we’re in a position to do that personally. We can’t afford to have any attention on anything else besides Purdue. We need this win and ultimately if we want to go to a bowl game we need to beat Purdue. It’s as simple as that for us. All attention on Purdue.”

NU Athletic Communications