Huskers rout Owls
Roy Helu Jr. rushed for 152 yards in just over one half of football, and Nebraska’s Blackshirts grounded Florida Atlantic’s high-powered passing game as the Cornhuskers rolled to a 49-3 victory.
While Helu led NU’s ground assault, Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee was solid through the air in his starting debut, completing 15 of 22 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. He helped the Huskers cruise to a 21-3 halftime lead before leading to three impressive third-quarter scoring drives.
Sophomore wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen and sophomore tight end Mike McNeill were Lee’s favorite targets, as each hauled in four catches.
The success of Helu and Lee allowed for the true freshman backfield of Cody Green and Rex Burkhead to get extensive playing time in their career debuts. Burkhead rushed nine times for 39 yards and a score and added one catch for nine more yards. Green completed 2 of 3 passes for 18 yards and erupted for 49 yards on his first career carry on NU’s final scoring drive of the game.