College Football
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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