Friday, December 31
Martin leaves remarkable legacy
Associated Press
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Nebraska's Eric Crouch is off and running in
what promises to be a big career at the controls of one of college
football's powerhouse programs. He can only hope for a legacy as
great as the one Tee Martin will leave at Tennessee.
The two quarterbacks bring different styles to Sunday night's
Fiesta Bowl.
Crouch, a sophomore, is 6-foot-1, shifty and incredibly fast,
perfect abilities for Nebraska's option game. Martin, a senior, is
6-foot-3, strong and has a knack for making big plays, either with
the run or the pass.
Above all, Martin is a winner. In his two years as a starter,
Tennessee is 22-2. He replaced Peyton Manning and accomplished
something Manning never did -- leading the Vols to an undefeated,
national championship season in 1998.
"I'm just a team player," Martin said. "I played my role. I
fit into the system and didn't tried to take the credit for anyone
else. I was just one of the guys who went out and did what I had to
do as far as being a quarterback."
It's the kind of modest comment that was typical of Manning,
whom Martin says he talks to nearly every week.
"He's a great leader of this football team," Tennessee center
Spencer Riley said. "Everybody looks at Tee and says 'Let's go.
We're ready to get on the road with it.' He carries himself very
well, on the field and off the field as well."
In two seasons, Martin completed 55 percent of his passes for
4,481 yards and 31 touchdowns. He threw 15 interceptions. He also
rushed for 604 yards and 14 scores.
Martin was recruited by Nebraska but turned the Cornhuskers
down.
"I didn't like the option and I didn't want to move that far
away," he said.
Martin played Nebraska before, relieving Manning in the
Volunteers' 42-17 loss to the Cornhuskers in the 1998 Orange Bowl.
"I have no doubt that the guys who played against us two years
ago feel that they dominated us and they can do it again," Martin
said. "That's natural. But we're a totally different football team
that they're facing, and we'll just have to prove that."
Crouch is content as Nebraska's full-time quarterback, but it
was not an easy road to get there. When the season began, the
Cornhuskers started Bobby Newcombe. Newcombe and Crouch alternated
at the position.
But in the third game of the season, with Nebraska's offense
sputtering, Crouch was given the job full-time and went on to lead
the team in rushing with 889 yards in 180 carries. He also passed
for 1,269 yards and seven touchdowns. Newcombe switched to
wingback.
Crouch said he's a much better player than he was a year ago,
when he replaced the injured Newcombe as the starter in Nebraska's
Holiday Bowl loss to Arizona.
"I'm more confident. I feel like I'm a better leader," he
said. "I felt like I've grown up a lot. The game's slowed down a
little bit. Last year, everything was new and so much was thrown
about me. I didn't know as much about football as I do this year.
That's the bottom line."
The switch gave Crouch a game-breaking target in Newcombe, who
also is a threat as a major threat as a punt returner. But it is a
lingering touchy spot in the program, because Newcombe doesn't hide
the fact that he'd much rather be a quarterback.
And he said family members, most notably his father, remain
upset about the position switch.
"My heart is at quarterback. I really like playing that
position. It was a really hard decision to make to go into talk to
coach Solich about the situation," Newcombe said. "But it helped
the team."
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