GREEN BAY – Blake Martinez probably had no business even playing in the game.
In the days prior to the Pac-12 championship game, the Stanford senior linebacker badly rolled his ankle in practice. Doubt immediately started to creep in about whether the Cardinal’s leading tackler would be able to play against USC in the biggest game of Stanford’s season.
Coaches braced for the absence of Martinez, an irreplaceable difference-maker in the heart of the defense. By Saturday, everyone seemed resigned to the fact that Stanford would be without its biggest playmaker and cog.
Well, everyone except Martinez.