Martin shifts into convincing mode
Penn State clobbers Buffalo as offense clicks
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UNIVERSITY PARK -- Penn State running back Quinton Martin Jr. admitted he was a little discouraged after not getting any carries against Temple last week.
But he decided not to sulk over it.
"That's part of life," Martin said Saturday. "Not everything happens the way you want it to."
On the four-hour bus ride from Philadelphia to State College, he called his parents. It was his way of "getting my mind right."
Whatever advice Martin's parents gave him must have been the encouraging words he needed.
After not being a part of the offense in the Nittany Lions' subpar performance against the Owls, Martin led the way for the PSU backs in a 55-13 victory against Buffalo, which was the final tune-up before getting into Big Ten play.
The redshirt sophomore finished with exactly 100 rushing yards on 10 carries. He was aided by a 61-yard run late in the first quarter where he was dragged down at the Buffalo 7-yard line.
He got the edge on a Buffalo linebacker and had to be chased down by Bulls cornerback Donovan Rodriguez.
"Once I saw green grass, I just took off," Martin said.
It was part of a 304-yard effort for the rushing offense, which saw all four of its featured backs have notable moments. Cam Wallace added 77 yards on eight totes and a touchdown, while James Peoples (8-59) and Carson Hansen (5-37) combined for three more scores.
"All four guys really did some great things with the ball in their hands," PSU coach Matt Campbell said.
That's not to say everything was perfect for the running backs. Martin dropped a screen pass in the second quarter, but he was bailed out by a roughing the passer penalty on Buffalo's SaVeon Brown.
Peoples also coughed up the ball in the first half, but he was ruled down after replay review.
Martin now has two 100-yard games in Penn State's last four, dating back to the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson when he rushed for 101 yards.
That's why it was odd that he didn't see the ball last week after rushing 10 times for 38 yards in the opener against Marshall.
"If you ask Q, he would tell you it was maybe one of his best weeks of practice," Campbell said. "He took that into the ability to execute at a really high rate."
Martin said he went through his usual Sunday routine of going to practice, watching film, lifting and talking to coaches.
On Tuesday, he got in the Lasch building early, going through meetings and getting extra work in on the JUGS machine.
"You have to be obsessed with this to get to the top," he said.
Up next is Big Ten play, with the first game coming against Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium in five days. Campbell admitted the team is "not where it needs to be," but it is growing in many facets over the first three weeks.
"Still a team that, in my opinion, has got so much ability," he said.
So far in his short tenure in State College, Campbell is earning a reputation for giving playing time to those who have earned it.
It's only through three games and it may be against the likes of Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo, but it's the kind of coaching that can be respected.
"If you want to play, you've got to convince them," Martin said.
With a few more performances like Saturday, Martin won't need to be taking classes in persuasion anytime soon.