Burkhead, Huskers Boot Cowboys
Laramie,
Wyo. - Junior I-back Rex Burkhead rushed for a career-high 170 yards
and a pair of touchdowns to carry No. 9 Nebraska to a 38-14 victory at
previously unbeaten Wyoming on Saturday night in Laramie. Burkhead's
career-best performance marked his second straight 100-yard rushing
effort and sixth of his career and included scoring runs of 45 and 16
yards to power the Huskers to a 4-0 start to the 2011 season.
Burkhead's impressive rushing total came on just 15 carries, as NU's
most experienced back averaged 11.3 yards per tote on the night against
the Cowboys. His previous career high was 129 yards at Iowa State in
2010. "We got through the preseason undefeated and
that's what we set out to do," Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini said after the
game. "Now it's time to step it up and get ready for Big Ten play." As
a team, the Huskers rolled up a season-high 333 rushing yards, marking
their second straight 300-yard rushing effort and fourth straight game
of 200-plus to open the season. Nebraska's ground game powered an
offense that finished the night with 490 yards of total offense. In
all, five Husker backs rushed for 30 or more yards on the night,
including Austin Jones (38), Taylor Martinez (37), Ameer Abdullah (36)
and Braylon Heard (33). Nebraska added 157 yards
through the air, as Martinez completed 12-of-21 passes with one
touchdown pass. The sophomore quarterback added 37 rushing yards and
another score on just nine carries.
Burkhead's big night started
early, as he raced 45 yards for a touchdown on the first play of NU's
second possession of the game to put the Huskers up 7-0 with 8:29 left
in the first quarter.
The two teams went scoreless for more than
a quarter before Martinez gave the Huskers a 14-0 edge with an
eight-yard touchdown run to cap an eight-play, 80-yard drive with 6:28
left in the half.
The Cowboys tried to keep it interesting, as
true freshman quarterback Brett Smith hit Mazi Ogbonna on a quick slant
that resulted in a 48-yard touchdown pass to cut Nebraska's lead in
half to 14-7 with 3:37 left in the half.
The Huskers answered
with a solid drive to close the half, giving Brett Maher a chance at a
48-yard field goal attempt as time expired in the half. Maher's kick
appeared to squeeze inside the right upright, but the kick was ruled no
good and the Huskers went to the locker room with a 14-7 lead.
Despite
the first missed kick of his career, Maher continued to stand out on
the NU special teams by averaging 53 yards on three punts, including a
career-long 61-yard bomb in the first quarter.
Nebraska's
defense also played well on the road for four quarters, despite more
than 7,000-feet of altitude and a defensive line that was without
All-America candidate Jared Crick at defensive tackle. Crick missed the
game with an injury that snapped a streak of 31 straight starts for the
senior from Cozad, Neb.
While the Blackshirts were without Crick
for the first time in three seasons, they regained the services of
defensive back Alfonzo Dennard, who made his first start of the year
after missing the first three games with an injury.
The Husker
defense held the Cowboys to 305 yards of total offense, including 168
passing and 137 rushing. Wyoming freshman quarterback Brett Smith
completed 17-of-33 passes for 166 yards with one interception, but the
youngster did throw a pair of touchdown passes.
The Huskers
seized control of the game early in the third quarter. Nebraska started
the second half with the kickoff after winning the toss and deferring
to start the game.
Wyoming's kick was short and Tim Marlowe
caught it on the run and returned it to the NU 44. Nebraska's great
starting field position got even better with a personal foul tacked on
the Wyoming coverage team gave NU the ball at the Wyoming 41. Things
got worse for the Cowboys with an offsides penalty on the Huskers'
first play from scrimmage that moved the ball to the 36.
Four plays later, Burkhead capped NU's short drive with a 16-yard scoring run to make it 21-7 just 1:21 into the second half.
After the Blackshirts picked up a stop, Maher made it 24-7 with a 20-yard field goal with 8:06 left in the quarter.
While
the NU defense was shutting out the Cowboys in the third quarter, the
offense marched 80 yards in 10 plays capped by Kenny Bell's first
career touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter to give the
Huskers a 31-7 lead. Martinez found Bell on an eight-yard scoring
strike with 13:55 left to take their biggest lead of the night.
Wyoming
continued to fight, answering with a 14-play, 80-yard march that
consumed 5:42 and was capped by Smith's 10-yard touchdown pass to
Robert Herron with 8:13 left.
Although Burkhead called it a
night on the ensuing drive, Nebraska's freshman running backs continued
to run the ball right at Wyoming. Abdullah, Green and Heard rotated at
I-back on the drive until Heard found the end zone on a one-yard
plunge. Heard's first career touchdown capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive
to make it 38-14 with 3:57 to play.
P.J. Smith notched the first
interception of his career on Wyoming's next drive, closing a strong
effort that included a team-leading seven tackles.
After
Smith's pick, Brion Carnes took the controls at quarterback for the
Huskers and the Big Red running game kept rolling with Jones. The
senior I-back carried four times for 38 yards on NU's final drive,
including a career-long 22-yard run.
Jones pushed Nebraska past
the 300-yard rushing mark for the second straight game and took the
Huskers down to the Wyoming 3-yard line, before NU closed the contest
with class by taking a knee.
Nebraska hits the road to play
its first-ever Big Ten Conference football game next Saturday, when the
Huskers take on Wisconsin in a battle of unbeaten top-10 teams. Kickoff
with the Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison is set for 7 p.m.
with a primetime kickoff on ABC.
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