Nebraska Cornhuskers' Defensive Linemen Eric Martin Has Potential

Eric Martin has had a few up and down seasons since his arrival in Lincoln, Nebraska, a few years ago. Nebraska Cornhuskers‘ fans have a few memories of him from years ago, but where has he gone since?

In the past two years, Martin’s name has become synonymous with suspension, as then Big XII commissioner Dan Beebe had no trouble suspending Martin for a legal, albeit unwise, hit to the kicker.

Anytime a play has come up since then, Huskers fans have thrown jokes around, such as “Martin just hit [insert player’s name] so hard, Dan Beebe has decided to suspend him for two games.”

This year, however, Martin is getting the last laughs, and becoming the player the Cornhuskers need.

Ever since Ndamukong Suh left the Huskers, they have lacked a pass rusher who can create a matchup nightmare for opponents and get to the quarterback. This year, Martin is going to be that guy.

So far this year, Martin has 3.5 sacks, which easily leads the team. He alone had 2.5 of the Huskers seven sacks last game, though that was against an inferior opponent.

The Huskers pass defense has been so good in recent years because the quarterback had little time to throw the ball. If the secondary only has to cover receivers for five seconds instead of seven or eight, they can play tighter, more aggressive, and have better coverage overall.

At 6-2, 250 pounds, Martin has the ability to line up at defensive-end or linebacker. Bouncing around at the line of scrimmage, he can easily confuse the opposing line as to where he actually going to come from.

With Eric Martin leading the charge, and perhaps commanding double teams, that leaves more one on one situations for Camerom Meredith, Chase Rome, Baker Steinkuhler, or whoever else the Huskers have in the game.

If the Huskers defense wants to be a top tier defense, it starts with the penetration from the pipeline, and that all starts with Martin.

Paul Troupe is the lead writer for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and San Antonio Spurs, while covering many major sports for RantSports. You can follow him on Twitter @gamin4HIM