This past Saturday (November 3), Nebraska football fans watched as the team had a brilliant second quarter en route to a halftime lead. Unfortunately, the No. 10 Ohio State Buckeyes were able to score two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter to reclaim the lead. Even so, the Huskers outscored OSU, 10-6, in the final quarter to finish strong. They went on to lose, 36-31, but tied a school record. They may be able to break that record in their next game.
Nebraska's record-tying performance
In the loss at Ohio State, the Cornhuskers put up 266 yards passing and 184 yards of rushing.
That gave them a combined 450 yards of offense in the game. The significance is that the Nebraska football team is on a streak of games with at least 450 yards of offense this season.
Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez is second nationally among freshmen in total offense and has led Nebraska to at least 450 yards in each of its past six games. He says "the trust has grown" between coach Scott Frost and the Huskers'... https://t.co/ai7KFZakjW pic.twitter.com/NX0sDX7I8l
— Mitch Sherman (@mitchsherman) November 5, 2018
In the team's dominant 45-9 victory over Bethune-Cookman, they went over that mark, with 468 yards. Against Minnesota, it was 474 yards, in the 53-28 win. The Nebraska Cornhuskers also achieved that 450 yards of offense or better mark in their losses to Northwestern (482), Wisconsin (518), and Purdue (582).
The 450 yards of offense this past weekend against the Ohio State Buckeyes made it six consecutive games the Huskers had that or better. It ties a school record set in 1972, 1982, 1994, and 1995.
Martinez has been an offensive force
Quarterback Adrian Martinez is the man leading the charge. He has the potential to be a Heisman candidate next season.
This past week, the freshman quarterback was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week for his second time in three weeks. At 18, he's been extremely impressive this Cornhuskers season, despite occasional flaws.
Against Ohio State, Martinez completed 22-of-33 on his passes for 266 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, he had 20 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns.
That gave the freshmen quarterback a total of 338 yards of the Huskers' 450 yards of offense. Not bad at all. He currently ranks second in the nation, this season, in terms of total offense by a freshman player.
It's no surprise that Adrian Martinez is on pace to set his own record, as well. With another 300-yard total offensive performance, he'll set the school's individual record for that, too. So, basically, as Martinez goes, so will the offense. There could be another big performance brewing too. It's conceivable that against a team like Illinois (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten), the Huskers football team can set this milestone record this Saturday (November 10). The odds are heavily in the Huskers' favor to win the game.
The question is, how much offense will Nebraska put up in the box score?
Nebraska faces the Fighting Illini on Saturday, beginning at 12 PM ET on the Big Ten Network. Fans are hoping to not only see a third Cornhuskers football win, but also a few records set in the process.