One group that would seemingly be one of the most concerned with who will be the starting quarterback next Saturday would be Nebraska’s receiving corps.
Given that neither redshirt freshman Tristan Gebbia or true freshman Adrian Martinez have ever thrown a live game pass as a Husker, one would assume that building chemistry with the No. 1 quarterback would be an important step in preparing for Week 1.
But according to several NU wideouts, it really doesn’t matter to them one way or the other.
“They are both good communicators and they are just ballers,” sophomore receiver Jaevon McQuitty said of Gebbia and Martinez with a grin. “Both of them are.”
This situation isn’t all that new for veterans like senior Stanley Morgan Jr., as he’s caught passes from four different starting quarterbacks over his first three college seasons.
Morgan said that type of competition would not only make both quarterbacks better in the long run but also the Huskers’ younger wide receivers.
“I mean, I’ve dealt with that before,” Morgan said. “It’s great for the young guys to see that. I had different quarterbacks coming in, so it’s great for the young guys to have different quarterbacks and different styles. It doesn’t really matter who’s throwing the ball or whatever out there, just run your route and the quarterback will get it to you.”
Junior receiver Mike Williams is one newcomer who has had to adjust to his new team while working with multiple quarterbacks, but he too said the variety of throwing styles would only benefit him and the rest of his unit.
Without specifying names, Williams gave a little insight as to some of the main differences between Gebbia and Martinez as passers.
“I wouldn’t say there’s much of a difference besides the fact that one might put a little more touch on it when it’s needed, and one might put it on a line when it’s needed,” Williams said. “But I think they both bring different skill sets, and we’ll see what happens.”
Head coach Scott Frost said comparing Gebbia and Martinez's strengths and weaknesses was like comparing "apples to oranges," as both brought unit attributes to the table in their own ways.
"We've had different kinds of quarterbacks in this offense before..." Frost said. "We just molded the offense to them. We'll do the same if one guy is in or the other, and even through the course of a game we'll be able to adjust it to fit one guy or the other."
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