By Tom Ash, Sentinel Reporter

Last updated: Friday, November 20, 2009 10:01 AM EST

When Keshawn Martin trots onto the football field, he can hear the opposing defense buzzing.

Cries of “82 is on the field” ring through the defensive secondary. Adjustments are made, coverage is rolled toward Martin’s side of the line.

It’s a tribute to the Michigan State true sophomore’s big-play potential, something that has brought the Michigan native a great deal of pride.

“It makes me proud, how I’m kind of seen like that,” Martin said.

“I think I’m kind of a big-play type of guy. I’ve had a couple big plays, I got a couple last game ... I do multiple things for the offense.”

Don’t be fooled by his billing as a wide receiver — Martin in much more than simply a pass catcher.

It’s really no surprise the sophomore didn’t simply describe his role on the team as a one- or two-word phrase.

He does it all, and has been doing it all ever since he set foot on the MSU campus.

In his freshman season, Martin rushed nine times for 62 yards, caught 11 passes for 132 yards and completed two of three passes for 59 yards.

He sees about 20 snaps every game and is the primary returner of both punts and kickoffs. His 217 rushing yards are the fourth-most among Spartans’ players but his 15.5 yards per carry are by far a team best. He only has 12 receptions this season but has averaged 20.9 yards per catch.

He has one passing attempt this year — a completion for a 30-yard touchdown.

It’s been an ever-changing role for Martin, who admitted learning the playbook from all different angles was stressful at first but something he’s more accustomed to now.

“When I first did it, it was kind of difficult,” Martin said. “Now, the more I do it, I pretty much know everything.”

Growing up, this isn’t exactly the role Martin expected to have within a college offense. The slasher made a name for himself as the starting quarterback of John Glenn High School in Inkster, Mich., where he earned 1,551 yards and 17 touchdowns in his senior season in 2007. He was regarded as one of the state’s top prospects — the No. 14 wide receiver according to rivals.com — but none of the attention was focused on his ability to play quarterback.

As Martin explained, the term “athlete” was thrown in his direction throughout the recruitment process, when Big Ten schools Michigan, Illinois and MSU pursued him.

But it wasn’t a negative for Martin. It was a sign of respect for his ability to do anything within an offense.

“It didn’t upset me at all,” he said. “Basically, it meant I could do anything. I wasn’t upset about it.”

He’s presented quite the problem for defenses this year.

Now, he’s Joe Paterno’s problem. Penn State travels to Michigan State this weekend in a regular season finale that could determine whether or not the Nittany Lions earn a BCS berth this winter.

Of course, PSU has a Keshawn Martin of its own.

With redshirt sophomore Chaz Powell nursing a shoulder injury and likely out of Saturday’s game, Penn State true freshman Curtis Drake slides into the team’s do-it-all role on offense.

Drake, who quarterbacked West Catholic to a one-point loss in the 2008 PIAA Class AA final, stepped into the first half of last week’s win over Indiana at Beaver Stadium, earning 60 yards of offense on just three touches.

“Drake has been a quarterback on a team that was one play away from winning the state championship,” Paterno said.

Though the path Drake and Martin took in earning roster spots on Big Ten teams was similar, their usage this season is slightly different in one increasingly-popular area — the wildcat.

While Drake has yet to be entrusted with the passing game, Martin has been inserted under center several times and Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said he’s been pleased with how the sophomore has handled it.

“He’s been involved in some very explosive plays this year,” Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio said. When you look at a guy who is a receiver, has done the things he’s done as far as running the football, kickoff return, punt return, those type of things, he’s starting to become an all-purpose guy that’s going to be recognized a lot of places in this conference.”

Martin said the phrase “secret weapon” suited his role well, but at this point it’s hard to imagine his success has gone unnoticed.

Still, even when opposing teams are prepared for him, he finds a way to break games open. Trailing 34-30 MSU blocked a 50-yard field goal attempt by Purdue with 8:19 left in the game.

On the very first play of the ensuing drive, Martin took a double-reverse 45 yards to the Boilermakers’ 9-yard line, setting up the go-ahead touchdown.

When Purdue tied the game up on a 49-yard field goal four and one-half minutes later, Martin took the ensuing kickoff 85 yards to the Boilermakers’ 11, helping the team earn the game-winning field goal.

“I think the thing, the double reverse to Keshawn, was a huge play in the game following the blocked kick,” Dantonio said. “Took us down to the 5, got us in ... then the kickoff return.”

In fact, Martin said that 85-yard return was the biggest play of his college career to this point.

“Probably last week against Purdue on the kick return, it put us in good position,” he said. “That was real special to me.

“It was kind of like a run a little bit, you just find a hole and take it. That’s what I try to do — find a seam and run with it.”

From quarterback to slasher, Inkster to East Lansing, Martin’s football world has evolved. He’s still making a difference, just in a different capacity.

And that’s just fine by him — when asked if his experience at MSU has gone the way he wanted it to, if it has been everything he hoped for, the under-spoken sophomore showed his approval with a simple “yep.”

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Local College Preview

NCAA Division II Playoffs - Second Round

California (3, 9-3) at Shippensburg (2, 9-2)

Site: Seth Grove Stadium, Shippensburg

Time: Noon

Coaches: California — John Luckhardt (8th year, 66-27); Shippensburg — Rocky Rees (20th year, 118-103-1).

Last meeting: Shippensburg, 42-35, in the PSAC title game at Seth Grove Stadium on Nov. 7.

How they got here: California defeated No. 6 Fayettevill State, 42-13, in first round Saturday; Shippensburg received a first-round bye.

What’s at stake: Winner advances to national quarterfinals against winner of No. 5 Edinboro (9-3) at No. 1 West Liberty (11-1) on Saturday. Loser is eliminated.

Key players: California — Josh Portis, sr., QB; Freddie Bacco, sr., RB; Windell Brown, jr., RB; A.J. Jackson, sr., WR; Terrance Moore, jr., WR; Dontey Brown, sr., LB; Erik Harris, soph., DB. Shippensburg — Chad DiFebbo, sr., QB; Kevin Herod, fr., RB; Kevin Marshall, jr., HB; Mike Harris, sr., SE; Chase DiFebbo, jr., SE; Mike Frenette, fr., HB, Travis Proctor, jr., DB; Andy Casale, sr., LB; Vinnie Ranauto, sr., LB; Riley Bowen, jr., LB.

California notes: Shooting for its third straight appearance in the NCAA Division II semifinals. ... Entered at the second-round level last year and beat Seton Hill and Bloomsburg before losing to eventual champion Minnesota-Duluth, 45-7. ... Started the 2009 season 0-2 with home losses to Saginaw Valley and Bloomsburg by a combined 13 points. ... During eight-game winning streak to close regular season, scored an average of 39.5 points per game. ... Portis, who torched Shippensburg for a career-high 305 passing yards two weeks ago, is a transfer from the University of Maryland. ... Portis has accounted for 2,947 yards of total offense, which is second in school history to last year’s quarterback, Kevin McCabe. ... Dontey Brown, a transfer from Penn State University, has 85 total tackles, which is 25 more than Harris. ... Jackson set the school record for receptions in a single season (82) Saturday against Fayetteville State and needs 39 receiving yards to break that single-season record. ... Averages 224.3 passing yards and 173.9 rushing yards per game. ... 1-2 record against teams that qualified for the NCAA playoffs. ... Finished 7-0 to win PSAC West by one game over Clarion.

Shippensburg notes: First time in the NCAA field since 2004 when it received a first-round bye and promptly lost at home to eventual national semifinalist West Chester, 33-28. ... In the four years between playoff appearances, had four losing seasons and a cumulative record of 16-28. ... Losses are to Shepherd (34-23) and C.W. Post (40-24). ... 5-0 record at home. ... 3-0 record against PSAC West opponents. ... Finished 5-for-5 in the red zone in the first meeting vs. California. ... Herod leads the team with 654 rushing yards and five touchdowns. ... Frenette has been a threat in both the ground and aerial attack with 327 rushing yards and 263 receiving. The true freshman also has four rushing touchdowns and two receiving. ... Chad DiFebbo has completed 144 of 274 passes for 2,281 yards, 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. ... Harris, who has 10 receiving touchdowns, needs 16 receiving yards to reach 1,000. ... Scored at least 23 points in every game this year. ... 3-0 record against teams that qualified for the playoffs. ... Finished 6-1 to win the PSAC East by one game over Bloomsburg, West Chester and C.W. Post.

Breakdown: We were thrown for a loop in the first game when Shippensburg dominated most of the afternoon in building a 42-14 lead before hanging on for the seven-point win. It seemed as though California wasn’t interested two weeks ago but with the do-or-die scenario of a playoff game, the Vulcans will be ready. And when it comes to the playoffs, California has the edge in experience. Over the last two years, the Vulcans haven’t lost before the national semifinals and are 5-2 in the postseason under Luckhardt. If we’ve come to realize one thing, for whatever reason, the NCAA Division II playoffs usually come down to which offense is hotter. Look for these teams to barely top the 77 total points they put up on Nov. 7.

Prediction: Caliornia, 41-37.

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NCAA Division II Football Championships

• First Round
  
  Saturday, Nov. 14
  • Super Regional Three
    • Nebraska-Kearney 35, Saginaw Valley 20
    • Hillsdale 27, Minnesota State-Mankato 20 (OT)
  • Super Regional Two
    • Arkansas Tech 41, UNC Pembroke 13
    • West Alabama 24, Albany State 22
  • Super Regional One
    • Edinboro 31, East Stroudsburg 16
    • California 42, Fayetteville State 13
  • Super Regional Four
    • Tarleton State 57, Texas A&M-Kingsville 56 (2 OT)
    • Abilene Christian 24, Midwestern State 21
• Second Round
  
  Saturday, Nov. 21
  • Super Regional Three
    • Nebraska-Kearney (4, 11-1) at Minnesota-Duluth (1, 10-1)
    • Hillsdale (6, 10-2) at Grand Valley State (2, 10-1)
  • Super Regional Two
    • Arkansas Tech (4, 9-2) at North Alabama (1, 10-1)
    • West Alabama (6, 8-4) at Carson-Newman (2, 9-2)
  • Super Regional One
    • Edinboro (5, 9-3) at West Liberty State (1, 10-1)
    • California (3, 9-3) at Shippensburg (2, 9-2)
  • Super Regional Four
    • Tarleton State (5, 10-2) at Central Washington (1, 11-0)
    • Abilene Christian (6, 9-3) at Northwest Missouri State (2, 10-1)
• Quarterfinals
  
  Saturday, Nov. 28
  
  Teams, sites, times TBA
  
  
• Semifinals
  
  Saturday, Dec. 5
  
  Teams, sites, times TBA
  
  
• National Championship
  
  Saturday, Dec. 12 at Florence, Ala.
  
  Semifinal winners, 1