While the Nebraska football team cannot do anything about senior cornerback Alfonzo Dennard being out indefinitely with a pulled muscle injury, the team would be wise to learn from its handling of quarterback Taylor Martinez’s injuries from last season.
The timetable on when Dennard can back on the field after the right leg injury isn’t clear, Husker head coach Bo Pelini said Wednesday to members of the Nebraska media that covers the team. Pelini added that he did not know if Dennard would miss any game action. The Huskers open their season on Sept. 3 at home against Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Sophomore Andrew Green would appear to be the likely candidate as Dennard’s replacement. The injury to Dennard is significant because he is considered one of, if not the best, at his position in the nation. While Prince Amukamara, who was a first-round draft choice of the New York Giants, grabbed much of the attention for the Husker secondary, some believe that Dennard is actually a more complete player.
To refresh your memory on Martinez, the current sophomore was dynamite in the first ten games of 2010. Martinez was a big play waiting to happen who was drawing comparisons to former Husker great Eric Crouch (the 2001 Heisman Trophy winner). Martinez rushed 887 yards on 112 carries and 12 touchdowns. In the passing department, he completed 63 of 119 for 1,161 yards, ten touchdowns and three interceptions.
After sustaining an ankle injury, however, in a 31-17 win over Missouri, Martinez became pretty ordinary as he carried 50 times for 79 yards. In the passing department, he completed 44 of 76 for 470 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.
Martinez sat out wins over Iowa State (31-30) and Colorado (45-17) but also left losses against Texas A&M and Washington, giving way to since transferred Cody Green in relief each time. However, part of the problem could also be attributed to the fact that the coaching staff tried to rush him back too quickly when it would have been much more prudent to rest him until he was at or near full-strength. Green led Nebraska to the aforementioned wins. Martinez led the Huskers to a 20-3 win at home against Kansas but clearly was not himself. True, he ran 11 times for 71 yards but lacked the blazing speed he displayed when healthy. In that game, Martinez completed 14-of-26 passes for 167 yards with one interception.
Though injuries during fall camp, let alone anytime, are not fun, they are to be expected. The term “out indefinitely” can mean any number of things. It can mean next week or next year.
The truth of the matter is, Nebraska wins the UT-Chatanooga game whether Dennard plays or not. The main thing is that he gets as much time as he needs to get back to full strength.
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