BURGER: NU needs to avoid third down situations

Third and 16 is not where the Nebraska offense wants to be.

Unfortunately, the Cornhusker offense found itself in some third and long situations early during the game on Saturday.

Taylor Martinez hit Niles Paul with a 21-yard strike to erase those 16 yards and give the Huskers a first down at the Washington 30-yard line with about 10 minutes to play in the second quarter.

Up to this point in the game, Nebraska had relied almost completely on the arm and legs of Martinez. The Huskers had nine rushes  seven of them going to Martinez.

Nebraska was holding onto a 14-7 lead and had punted on its last two drives. The time was right to put the ball in the hands of one of the other Husker playmakers and take some of the pressure off Martinez's shoulders.

On the next play, after a Nebraska timeout, Roy Helu Jr. dashed for a six yard gain. The next play was a straight run out of shotgun for Martinez, who took it for a 16 yard gain. Helu scored from eight yards out on the next play.

Taylor Martinez is a gifted athlete who can turn a routine carry into a touchdown. It's understandable the Nebraska offense wants to get him as many touches as possible.

But for the redshirt freshman, simplicity is the way to success.

Nebraska rushed for 383 yards and had three ball carriers eclipse the century mark. After the 21-yard completion to Paul, Martinez didn't attempt a pass for the rest of the half and only threw three passes for the rest of the game.

The Huskers next drive showed how dominant the offense can be without trying to fool anybody. Seven straight rushes split between Rex Burkhead and Helu Jr. brought the ball to the Washington 1-yard line. Martinez punched it in on a quarterback sneak on the next play. Even more impressive was that Nebraska didn't even see one third down during the drive.

"Going in to the possession we knew we were just going to run the ball," Burkhead said. "Coach Watson keyed that down from the press box that that was our goal for the drive, just really set the tempo for the run game."

The Husker offense got itself into some troublesome situations after jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead. In the first 15 minutes of the game, Nebraska was faced with five third-and-more-than-10s. When the Huskers started to integrate its tandem of running backs into the mix, NU didn't face a third-and-more-than-10 for the rest of the game.

Martinez was sacked twice during the second quarter, leading to third and long situations. The 6-foot-1 quarterback showed he has the ability to throw the ball effectively but still has a lot to work on. The Huskers have the receivers to make the passing game straightforward, and there were flashes of that on Saturday.

One-on-one matchups on the outside are something Nebraska and Martinez can take advantage of because of the physical ability both Paul and Brandon Kinnie possess. Many of the completions Martinez had on Saturday were quick drop, single read into man coverage. Paul and Kinnie turned those quick passes into big gainers with their yards after catch ability.

With patience, Martinez will inevitably show his big play capability. On the first play of the second half, Martinez darted to the left, broke one tackle and was gone down the sideline for an 80-yard touchdown.

While Martinez is the leader and signal caller of the Nebraska offense, he doesn't need to be the focal point. The Husker offense needs to avoid negative plays and keep pounding it forward behind a massive offensive line and a talented group of runners.

And sooner or later, lighting will strike. It's as simple as that.

Doug Burger is a junior news-editorial major. Reach him and dougburger@

dailynebraskan.com