Nebraska football will have a new starting quarterback this week.
Coach Scott Frost announced Monday that four-year starter Adrian Martinez will miss the Black Friday game against Iowa with an injury.
Martinez briefly left the Wisconsin game with a shoulder injury but returned after halftime to play the rest of the game.
“I didn’t expect him to play in the second half,” Frost said. “He came up to me right before the second half kickoff and said he wanted to go.
“Feel terrible for him.”
Martinez has started every game this season.
The absence of Martinez opens the door for the first career start for freshman Logan Smothers.
“Logan’s earned the right to be the guy,” Frost said.
Smothers, who didn’t see the field in 2020, has appeared in five games in 2021. He has completed 7-of-11 passes for 119 yards and ran for 69 yards on 13 carries.
Frost says true freshman Heinrich Haarberg will also be available. The Kearney Catholic product has yet to play in a game at Nebraska.