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Two BTN analysts reveal their pick for the B1G’s most indispensable player

Teddy Rydquist

By Teddy Rydquist

Published:

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, indispensable means “absolutely necessary.”

Asked whom they believe to be the B1G’s most indispensable player, two BTN analysts – former Illinois standouts Jeremy Leman and Howard Griffith – went in opposite directions with their answers.

Take a look at the video, courtesy of BTN:

Embracing the offensive side of the football, Leman went with Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez.

A sophomore, Martinez played in 11 games for the Cornhuskers as a freshman and has picked up right where he left off in 2019.

Leading Nebraska to a 2-1 record, he has completed 60% (45-75) of his passes for 725 yards and touchdowns. The definition of a dual-threat quarterback, he has added 116 yards and three scores on the ground.

Griffith chose to focus on defense, selecting Ohio State defense end Chase Young.

Like Martinez, Young has been a contributor since the moment he arrived on-campus. A product of the powerhouse DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland, he recorded five TFL and two-and-a-half sacks as a freshman in 2017. Even without the benefit of Nick Bosa drawing attention, he improved his numbers to 14.5 TFL and nine-and-a-half sacks a year ago.

Through three games in 2019, Young has already racked up five-and-a-half TFL and five sacks for the No. 6 Buckeyes.

Martinez and the Cornhuskers travel to Champaign to face Illinois on Saturday (8:00PM ET, BTN). Young and the Buckeyes host the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (3:30PM ET, BTN).

Teddy Rydquist

A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Rydquist has been contributing to Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition since 2019. He can be found on Twitter @TeddyRydquist.