by Jimmy Johnson
Sitting around on a
lazy afternoon, friends of Kutztown University junior
Shane
Martin (jr. New Holland/Garden Spot) expect him to be great
at quarterback when it comes to playing football video games.
“Everyone says, ‘Oh
you’re a quarterback. You should be good at this,' ” he said.
Sometimes, it’s just
not that simple.
Thursday, in KU’s
season opener against St. Anselm at University Field, Martin will be
surrounded by more than just friends, all expecting that same thing
— for him to succeed at quarterback.
It’s a heavy pressure,
weighed down even more by the shadows of three-year starter Kyle Spotts,
who graduated last year, but Martin is ready to take what he learned
from his predecessor and produce.
“I’m really comfortable
with the offense,” Martin said. “Practice is completely different
when you come in knowing you’re No. 1. You get the No. 1 reps. You
get more reps. You just get a lot better relationship and timing
with your receivers.”
You also get the
spotlight.
Martin, a 6-foot-1
psychology major, has played in a backup role for the last three
seasons — including his redshirt year in 2007. As a freshman and a
sophomore, he played in nine games, completing 26-of-46 passes for
304 yards and four touchdowns.
The offense, he admits
was very plain and basic for him in those games, making it easier
for him to move the ball downfield.
“It was just trial by
fire,” he said. “They just kind of threw me in and I had to either
sink or fly.”
Now, with a better
grasp of coordinator Jeff Chillot's offense, Martin is excited for
his chance to take flight Thursday night.
Martin will be working
with a young receiving corps, which has experience, but in the
media’s eye, is missing a key cog in Elfren Quiles. Martin doesn’t
see it that way.
“We’ve got some
wideouts who can do some things when they get the ball,” he said.
“With Elfren gone, a lot of people are talking about the fact that
we didn’t have any receivers coming back, but
Mike Dietrich,
Jason Uhlig,
Will Brown — those guys are experienced,
good route runners, good hands. They’re guys who know what to do
with the ball.”
And they’ll have their
chances to get the ball. Even with the loaded backfield —
Cory
McFadden,
Dontay Wilson and
Maurice Adams — and a
more mobile quarterback in Martin, the offense will not focus on the
run.
“I think we’re still
going to stay balanced, because Chillot likes to open up the offense,” Martin said. “But we
have so much firepower in the backfield that it’s going to be hard
to keep everybody happy. However, winning keeps everyone quiet.”
Well, not everybody.
Fans will surely make
some noise with a win, and Martin and the rest of the team hopes to
hear a large crowd cheering them on for the first Thursday night
football game in KU history.
“I think we’ll have a
great turnout,” Martin said. “I’ve talked to a lot of students and I
guess it’s just the idea of something different, playing on Thursday
night, rather than a Saturday. Even us players are excited to be the
first ones involved in a Thursday night game.”
KU and St. Anselm will
kick off at 6:05 p.m. Thursday at University Field.
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