CFB notebook: Nebraska names freshman as starting QB

A California teenager will make football history when Nebraska opens its season on Saturday against the Akron Zips at Memorial Stadium. Head coach Scott Frost announced Sunday that true freshman Adrian Martinez will get the start against the Zips. No true freshman has ever opened a season and taken snaps as the No. 1 quarterback for the Cornhuskers. The Fresno, Calif., native originally committed to Tennessee, but when Frost moved from Central Florida back to his alma mater, the writing was on the Cornhusker wall. Martinez received the first scholarship offer of the Frost era at Nebraska. Frost's return has raised the level of excitement around Lincoln to highs not seen in decades, and now he'll put his trust in a true freshman. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder beat out redshirt freshman Tristan Gebbia in what the Lincoln Journal Star described as a "spirited" battle. Shoulder surgery forced Martinez to miss his senior season at Clovis West. As a junior, he compiled 2,562 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions in 12 games through the air. On the ground, he ran for 1,462 yards and 14 more scores. -- Quarterback Jeff George Jr. will transfer from Michigan to Pittsburgh, multiple media outlets reported. MLive.com reported that a Wolverines spokesperson confirmed the move on Saturday. George, who is the son of former NFL quarterback Jeff George, had transferred from his father's alma mater of Illinois to Michigan on June 12. The Wolverines, however, tabbed Shea Patterson as their starter after the junior beat out fellow scholarship quarterbacks Brandon Peters, Dylan McCaffrey and Joe Milton. If George does indeed move on to the Panthers, he would be eligible to play for the team in 2018. He would also have another year of eligibility that he could use in 2019. George did not participate with Michigan during spring drills, but was on the roster throughout fall camp. He was one of three Illinois quarterbacks who played last season. In seven games, he completed 94 of 181 passes for 1,273 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. George accounted for seven of the Illini's eight touchdown passes on the year, as well as 10 of their 19 interceptions. He played in 11 games with nine starts in two seasons and completed just 48 percent of his passes for 1,743 yards and 11 touchdowns with 15 interceptions. -- Michigan might be without one of its top offensive weapons for a good portion of this season after wide receiver Tarik Black was injured during practice on Saturday. The Athletic reported that Black broke his right foot, but the university has not confirmed the severity of the injury. "The Michigan football program announced that wide receiver Tarik Black sustained a right foot injury at Saturday's practice. Tarik is currently being evaluated and no definitive time frame has been determined for his return to play," Michigan said in a statement. Black missed 10 games last season with a broken left foot. The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder burst onto the scene last year as a true freshman, catching a touchdown on his first reception against Florida. He led the team after three games with 11 receptions before being injured against the Air Force Academy. Michigan opens its season on Saturday against Notre Dame. -- On Tuesday night, Beyonce and Jay-Z entertained thousands of fans at Williams-Brice Stadium, home of the South Carolina Gamecocks in Columbia, S.C. In the aftermath, South Carolina is working feverishly to replace the entire playing surface with less than a week before the Gamecocks' season opener against Coastal Carolina on Saturday. According to the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier, the 90,000-square-foot re-installation of the playing surface began Saturday morning -- strip by strip. A hard, plastic surface was installed a week before the concert to protect the field as seats and the stage were constructed. The plastic did its job, protecting the surface. But the grass was killed. New sod was expected to be completely installed by Monday morning when the grounds crew will start lining the field. The cost to replace the sod has been estimated at between $150,000 and $200,000, but the concert organizers are responsible for that cost.