Adrian Martinez, the starting quarterback for the Birmingham Stallions and a former Kansas State Wildcat, was recently named the UFL MVP.
The shocking thing, though, is that head coach Skip Holtz benched Martinez in favor of former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral during the Stallions’ playoff game against the Michigan Panthers. When Martinez left the game with the Stallions trailing 18–12 in the second half, Coral helped the team overcome the Panthers 31–18.
Martinez, who was benched two days ago, now leads the league in passing yards (1,750), passing touchdowns (15), rushing yards (528), and rushing touchdowns (3). Martinez was able to win MVP with this performance, but it was insufficient to keep him in the Stallions playoff game.
Who the Stallions will start against the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL championship has not yet been announced by Holtz. He has made hints that either of the two quarterbacks could be used, but that the decision about who will start until later in the week.
Do you not believe that the league MVP would be a lock to start? Still, this is Martinez’s career story. Will Howard took advantage of the starting opportunity with his excellent play after he was benched at Nebraska and, regrettably, lost the starting job at Kansas State due to injuries.
Martinez’s play throughout the season has propelled the Stallions to this point; he has been the league’s face this year thanks to his impressive stats. Martinez may or may not have been able to spearhead the comeback against the Panthers, but Holtz denied him the opportunity. In a situation like that, most people would go to their quarterback, who has led them the entire season.
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