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Taylor Martinez's head must be spinning this week.
It has nothing to do with 11th-ranked Nebraska's new no-huddle offense or preparation for Saturday's game against Washington.
It has everything to do with Martinez's punishment for fumbling.
A team rule requires a player to lie on his side on the practice field and perform a 100-yard ''pencil roll'' for each fumble in a game. Martinez dropped the ball three times in last week's win over Fresno State, and he has five fumbles in two games.
Makes you dizzy to think about, doesn't it?
''Yeah. Really dizzy,'' Martinez said. ''Try to roll 15 yards spinning in circles. It's about 100 times worse than that.''
Martinez has fumbled 21 times in the 14 games he's quarterbacked for the Cornhuskers. Amazingly, the Huskers have either recovered or saw the ball go out of bounds on 16 of Martinez's 21 fumbles and all five this season. In fact, the Huskers have maintained possession on each of Martinez's last eight fumbles.
The coaches don't want him to press his luck.
''It concerns me any time the ball goes on the turf,'' coach Bo Pelini said. ''Once again, it's fundamentals. When you're careless with how you carry the ball, it will hit the ground. There has to be a sense of urgency to put that ball away and do it the right way.''
Nebraska ranks 93rd nationally and last in the Big Ten in turnover margin through two games, with two more giveaways than takeaways. Washington is sixth in the nation and leads the Pac-12 with five more takeaways than giveaways.
Martinez was turnover-free in last year's first game against the Huskies while his counterpart, Jake Locker, threw two interceptions. Washington had no turnovers in their Holiday Bowl rematch, but Martinez threw an interception and Rex Burkhead lost a fumble as the Huskers lost 19-7.
Last week, Martinez fumbled on the second play from scrimmage against Fresno State. He failed to tuck away the ball as he moved it from his right to left arm and lost it when he got hit. The ball bounced out of bounds.
''I was trying to switch hands and give the guy a stiff arm around the corner,'' he said. ''It kind of fell out of my arm.''
He fumbled again in the second quarter, and it looked like Fresno State recovered. But a video review showed that the Bulldogs' player who fell on the ball was out of bounds.
Martinez recovered when the ball got knocked loose on a sack in the third quarter.
Martinez has been fumble-free in only three of the games he's quarterbacked. The issue is an ongoing point of emphasis, offensive coordinator Tim Beck said.
''He's aware of it and working on it,'' he said.
