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The best play of Rex Burkhead’s young career at Nebraska shouldn’t have happened.

The freshman running back scored a touchdown on a 24-yard shovel pass reception with a nifty feat of speed, moves and toughness in the waning moments of NU’s 55-0 win over Louisiana-Lafayette.

Burkhead caught a short, forward flip from fellow true freshman Cody Green, eluded one defender, broke the tackles of three more, and stiff-armed a fifth tackler at the five-yard line to score the second touchdown on his career.

“I was hoping to get the first down,” Burkhead said. “But I was fortunate to stay up.”

Too bad Green called the wrong play in the huddle. He misread the signals from the sidelines, called a shovel pass, watched it work thanks to Burkhead’s effort and trotted over to the sidelines, where a smiling Zac Lee awaited him.

“Coach (Shawn) Watson told me the exact same thing,” Green said. “He said, ‘Nice job of running the offense. I think I’ll hand over the reins to you and you can call your own plays. Because you just did now.’ It was supposed to be a regular pass to get the first down. But, heck, my shovel pass went for a touchdown. So I was happy for it.”

So was Burkhead, who accumulated 108 all-purpose yards for the night, throwing in his two punt returns for 55 yards. It was the most extensive action he or Green - the most ballyhooed of NU’s 2009 recruiting class – has seen this year.

“It was awesome,” Burkhead said. “Every time you get in the end zone. When 86,000 fans roar, it’s a great feeling.”

Green, a native of Dayton, Texas, scored a touchdown of his own on a 24-yard zone read play that looked like his 49-yard showstopper in the first game. Green completed 7-of-8 passes for 62 yards and the touchdown to Burkhead.

On Burkhead’s score, Green thought the Plano, Texas native was already down. He glanced up at the HuskerVision screen – Green calls it the “big board” – to watch a replay. Instead, he watched Burkhead’s touchdown.

“That kid’s got something right there,” Green said. “I think that little guy has probably the best center of gravity I’ve seen in just a freshman or any young guy that’s been playing. The kid doesn’t go down. For nothing.”

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Our superlatives and report card after Nebraska’s 55-0 win over Louisiana-Lafayette:

Offensive Player of the Game: Zac Lee. He was calm, controlled and accurate. Lee made some excellent reads and passes on third down. Give the kid some time, and he’ll burn you. He also had a good, fairly simple gameplan from offensive coordinator Shawn Watson that emphasized NU’s superior team speed and size on the edges.

Defensive player of the game: Eric Hagg. He set the tone with some big hits early in the game, and he was an effective blitzer, even if he didn’t notch a sack. Hagg’s a playmaker in his own way, and he brought his “A-for-Aggression” game Saturday night.

GRADES

Quarterback: B+ Zac Lee was sharp and accurate, reverting back to his from from the first two games. Cody Green started sloppy, found his groove later in the fourth quarter, and hit a few nifty passes along the way. Green’s an interesting player on the field. Confident. Demonstrative. We like it. But we like Lee’s calm fire, too.

Running Back: B Roy Helu dropped one handoff, and fumbled another ball into the end zone, where it was luckily recovered by Ben Cotton. And yet, Roy being Roy, he busted off an impressive 39-yard run down the sidelines, too. In backup work, Rex Burkhead showed off moves and toughness in accounting for 53 yards rushing and receiving. He’s a nice No. 2 to Helu.

Offensive Line: B+ Still some issues in short yardage, but NU’s offensive line probably had its best game of the season, particularly Marcel Jones, who did a wicked job pulling on those swing passes. The line is pretty aggressive and nimble. The false jumps have to stop, though.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B+ We continue to be impressed with the work of Chris Brooks and Curenski Gilleylen. Who knew Gilleylen would become such a dependable option? But he has. He leads the team in receiving yards. Who saw that coming? Not us.

Defensive Line: A- Solid work through several units of the line. Consistent, four-man pressure all night, punctuated by Cameron Meredith’s sack and tough against the run. It may not be Bo Pelini’s perfect vision of a defensive line, but it’ll give any unit in the Big 12 a run for its money.

Linebackers: A- Liked the work here, too. Sean Fisher, Will Compton and Phillip Dillard were all active to the ball, communication seemed better, and physicality was up. Dillard seems to be the key in the last two games. Compton and Fisher, for whatever reason, are playing harder and smarter with him in there.

Secondary: A Two forced fumbles and an interception return for a touchdown? You’ll take that any day. The little success ULL had throwing the ball could be attributed to the Ragin Cajuns’ excellent tight end, Ladarius Green, who could play for any team in the Big 12. About the only guy off that team who could.

Special Teams: A+ Total whitewash domination here. A-Money stayed money. The kickoff and punt coverage units were excellent. Rex Burkhead returned two punts for 55 yards. Adi Kunalic booted six touchbacks. This is one of the best special teams units in America.

Game Management/Playcalling: A The best-coached game of the year for NU, as it should be, considering there were no challenging moments, per se. Still, credit Shawn Watson with a sound plan that got the ball away from Louisiana-Lafayette’s blitzers and into the hands of playmakers, and credit Bo Pelini for having the Huskers super-ready to play and win this game. About the only mistake was a timeout Pelini took with a half-minute left in the first half because he thought ULL hadn’t picked up a first down when it had. Other than that, a pretty sharp performance.

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Well, that was fun.

Seventy degrees, sunny, no wind, and the kind of dominating performance that makes spending all night at Memorial Stadium worth every single one of those 300 sellouts.

After years of patting the Nebraska football team on the back, Cornhusker fans got a fitting reward on this night celebrating their dedication and commitment - one of those throwback games, replete with a menacing defense and an efficient offense and lots of lots of extended scrub work. There was even a Frank Solich appearance on the HuskerVision screens.

In most joints they’d call it a whitewash; in Lincoln, of course, our Sea is Red.

Cobwebs from a loss to Virginia Tech? Forget about it.

We hope you enjoyed it.

Time to win the Big 12 North. After that, take a stab at the Big 12 crown outright. And that’s going to be a more significant challenge than anything the Sun Belt Three – or Virginia Tech’s offense – provided the Huskers in non-conference play.

Head coach Bo Pelini said it pretty well: “Now the season starts. Right now. That’s the way we look at it, that’s the way I look at it. It’s time to put the foot on the gas pedal and go.”

Missouri and Kansas are no joke. Oh, they’ve got some chinks in their armor. So does Nebraska. But KU and Mizzou have terrific quarterbacks, too. Talented receivers. And, for 2009, home-field advantage over NU. Texas Tech and Baylor? Plenty scary. And by the time Nov. 7 rolls around, rest assured - Oklahoma will be Oklahoma.

The non-conference slate was a rehearsal. And the Louisiana-Lafayette game was little more than a coffee break for what awaits the Huskers in the Big 12.

There were encouraging signs NU’s ready for it. Nebraska’s defense played fast, aggressive and angry.

“We played with a chip on shoulder” linebacker Phillip Dillard said.

Yep.

Eric Hagg set the tone with a couple authoritative sticks on short passing plays, one of which stopped a drive, another of which forced a fumble. Cameron Meredith stoned ULL quarterback Chris Masson on a nine-yard sack. And then, the knockout, Larry Asante’s 74 yard interception return for a touchdown after one of Bo Pelini’s patented “casino” blitzes.

Zac Lee was sharp enough and he spread around the wealth. I’d like to see him do it against a defense with a pulse – the Cajuns weren’t exactly “Ragin,” if you know what I mean – but he showed better patience this week and he read coverages well. Roy Helu made his share of nifty cuts. The offensive line looked healthier and swift on some of the outside runs. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson had ULL scouted to a T, negating their middle blitzes by attacking the edges with swing passes and toss plays. More than once, Louisiana-Lafayette blitzed into empty grass. And Rex Burkhead flashed just enough to leave you wanting more.

Arguably more important than any of it was how NU dominated the field position and special teams battle. Alex Henery had two punts downed inside the five-yard line, and he nailed two more field goals. If there’s a better kicker/punter in America, let’s see him. Adi Kunalic’s kickoffs were touchback terrific. The kick and punt coverage units – minus a bogus personal foul for Jase Dean’s whammo hit in punt coverage - were fierce and aggressive.

The Huskers mean business in the third phase. And you need every one of those special teams plays to win a conference title.

And yet - the tiny mistakes that stung NU in Blacksburg, and could sting them again in Columbia and Lawrence, still linger.

Wasted timeouts. Troubles in short yardage. False start penalties. Little breakdowns against the run that led to surprisingly big holes for Louisiana-Lafayette. Weird problems with the snap.

“We shoot ourselves the foot too much still,” Pelini said. “Six penalties are too much. Those will reach up and bite you and hurt you. That’s just sloppiness.”

That passion is there. The talent is getting there. The precision? Not quite.

And to beat Mizzou and KU, it absolutely has to be. Look: Neither one – and I’ve watched both extensively – has Nebraska’s talent across the offensive and defensive line. Neither is as physical as NU.

But both of them are precise teams. Especially on offense.

The Huskers will always have plenty of emotion for those games. I’m sure, 12 days from now in Columbia, they’ll be ready to jump out of their skin.

It’s whether they can keep their heads.

We’ll see.

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Throwback, indeed.

Nebraska’s football team celebrated the 300th consecutive sellout at Memorial Stadium with a record crowd and a 55-0 walkover win past Louisiana-Lafayette that recalled the dominating defenses of the 1990s, when victories were secured by halftime and the wave kicked in by the third quarter.

For the night, ULL gained 222 yards -just 70 in the second half. NU notched its first shutout of the Pelini era, and the first since 2006, when Nebraska beat another Sun Belt Conference opponent, Troy, 56-0.

"We're in the right galaxy now," head coach Bo Pelini said. "Where last year we were a few solar systems away."

In front of 86,304 thrilled fans Saturday night, NU's defense burned like a hot star, as senior safety Larry Asante returned an interception 74 yards for a touchdown to cap off a 21-point second quarter and give the Cornhuskers (3-1 overall) a 34-0 halftime lead. Pelini dialed up a heavy blitz, and ULL quarterback Chris Masson threw wildly of his target and right into Asante’s waiting hands, who cut to his right, found the sideline, and sprinted home.

"Great play by Larry," defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said. Asante actually bruised his leg as he broke for the ball, and ran for the touchdown on adrenaline, Pelini said. X-rays at halftime were negative.

Previous to that score, NU had forced and recovered a fumble at ULL’s 27-yard line to set up another touchdown drive. Redshirt freshman Sean Fisher recovered a third-quarter fumble and redshirt freshman Cameron Meredith notched a nine-yard sack, too.

"It's big for us after last week," Fisher said, referring to NU's 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech. "Obviously last week was pretty tough. So to come out here and get a shutout, kind of hold them like we did, gives us confidence."

On offense, junior quarterback Zac Lee reverted back to his efficient self from the first two games, finishing 15-18 for 238 yards and a touchdown. He hit a number of passes on third-and-long, including a 43-yarder to Curenski Gilleylen early in the third quarter that set up another Nebraska touchdown.

"I've come to know that that's Zac," said senior wide receiver Chris Brooks, who set career highs for catches (3) and yards (50). "You just count on him to do that."

Junior running back Roy Helu pitched in 83 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

NU started scoring with a 10-play, 71-yard drive that culminated in an Alex Henery field goal. On Nebraska’s next drive, Lee flipped a backwards swing pass to Helu, who hit the sideline sprinting and slashed his way 39 yards down to the ULL four-yard line. On the next play, Helu fumbled at the one-yard line, the ball bounded into the end zone and was recovered by tight end Ben Cotton for a touchdown. Henery booted a 47-yard field goal to close out scoring in the first quarter.

Rex Burkhead’s 33-yard punt return set up NU’s second touchdown, a four-yard pass from Lee to senior Chris Brooks. Junior nickel back Eric Hagg forced a fumble on ULL’s next drive, recovered by Matt O’Hanlon at the Ragin Cajuns’ 27-yard line. Helu scored three plays later on a two-yard touchdown plunge.

The Huskers tacked on two more touchdowns in the fourth-quarter, both from true freshmen. Rex Burkhead caught a shovel pass from Cody Green and zigzagged 22 yards for a score, stiff-arming a defender at the 5-yard line. Green finished scoring with a 24-yard gallop on a zone read play.

Field position was strongly in NU’s advantage all night, as Henery pooched two punts inside ULL’s two-yard line. Nebraska started four drives inside ULL territory.

"I was pretty confident how our team would respond," Pelini said. "I said they'd come out and play with passion and play with great effort and that's what happened."

Fans were also treated to a celebration of Husker tributes throughout the game. Turner Gill, Frank Solich, Barry Alvarez, Keith Jackson and Barry Switzer all taped messages for the 300th-consecutive sellout, with Alvarez relaying a message from Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who applauded NU's fans for their support and class. After the game, fireworks and a long video detailing the history of the program since Bob Devaney took over in 1962 kept fans in their seats and players standing on the field.

"I was just trying to soak it all in," Fisher said. "It's a really cool experience."

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It's that time again!

Guess the exact score of the Nebraska-Louisiana-Lafayette game and win a throwback poster. Your choice - offense or defense!

Last week, Smokin was the only one of 17 commenters to predict a Virginia Tech win, so he was closest. Roy Helu was easily the offensive MVP, while Ndamukong Suh pretty much stole the defensive MVP honors.

Who will it be this week? Remember to give us your:

1. Score
2. Offensive MVP
3. Defensive MVP

We'll post our prediction in this spot on Saturday!

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Amidst the hoopla, hype and good cheer of NU’s 300th-consecutive-sellout celebration, complete with throwback uniforms, a return of the 1962 team and some swank new additions to the Osborne Complex, there is a game to be played and won and some Ragin Cajuns’ to be sent packing back to Lafayette, Louisiana.

“Our job is to play our football and celebrate that thing by us playing Nebraska football, and that’s with passion, great effort and executing to our standard,” head coach Bo Pelini said.

There are recruits to impress, too. At least seven out-of-state guys, possibly more, will be in the stands. It’s the biggest visitor weekend, probably, until a home tilt with Oklahoma.

If NU struggles – or football heavens forbid – loses to Louisiana-Lafayette, it’ll be one big party, completely pooped. Geraldo opening Al Capone’s empty tomb. Any of the Super Bowls in the 1980s. Tang. The final episode of “Dallas.” Tyson vs. Spinks. Tyson vs. anyone in the last ten years.

You get the picture. On to the keys.

Drop Dead Red: Nebraska suddenly can’t run the ball in the red zone. Twenty carries this year for all of 39 yards, and one-third of that was on the first red-zone run of the season, vs. Florida Atlantic. What gives? And what gives with the 7/13 touchdown/trip ratio, which is hardly the hallmark of an efficient offense?

Here’s what: Defenses don’t respect Zac Lee yet. Not enough. ULL won’t either. It’ll stuff that box as soon as NU gets in scoring territory, hoping to force Nebraska into first-and-second-down passes. Arkansas State got burned by it. Virginia Tech did not. A lot of it is up to Lee and his receivers.

Conversely, ULL’s red zone attack isn’t too overpowering either. When a team is 69th in total offense but only 97th in scoring offense, the gap indicates troubles near the goal line.

Field Position: A fact you shouldn’t let escape your attention: The Cajuns are only averaging 55.5 yards on their kickoffs. Folks, just so you know – that’s awful. Adi Kunalic averages 69.2 yards. That’s a lot of potential return opportunities for Niles Paul and Rex Burkhead, who should be catching the ball around the 10-yard line for most kickoff returns. That’s at least 10-15 yards of field position each drive that swings in NU’s direction – and more, if Paul and Burkhead can bust a big return. Kunalic’s a serious weapon in 2009, more than he’s been in recent years.

Heavy Dose of Helu: After Roy Helu’s career-defining performance at Virginia Tech, muted because of a sudden loss, does NU keep going with the hot hand, or save Helu’s legs for the Big 12 season? The former option gives Nebraska the luxury of making sure Helu’s confidence is sky high heading into the bye week, while the latter option reduces wear and tear.

Does Helu always run like he knows how good he is? Not necessarily. He hasn’t turned in his masterpiece quite yet. His humility is a credit to his character, but it doesn’t mean the junior from the Bay Area should second-guess himself.

It’s Blitz!: The name of a terrific album by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, it’s also an apt description for the attacking defense of the Ragin’ Cajuns, who frequently send zero blitzes – that’s man-to-man coverage, everywhere on the field – at quarterbacks with the intent of rattling them into mistakes. ULL doesn’t get a lot of sacks or tackles for loss; indeed, the blitz trademark is so well-known that teams scheme around it.

But it can work on lesser-experienced quarterbacks who don’t like the image of seven guys wanting to tear their heads off. Just like last week, Zac Lee’s going to have to be tough in the face of adversity and deliver throws with ice water in his veins. Easier to do at home than it is on the road.

The 300 effect: Expect the Memorial Stadium crowd to be loud and vibrant as the game begins. Nebraska needs to put ULL in the corner and exploit that emotion from opening kickoff. Memorial Stadium isn’t the toughest place in America to play. Until you’re down 14. Once those Huskers sniff blood, they bring it.

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By now, most Husker fans know the sellout streak began Nov. 3, 1962 in a 16-7 loss to Missouri on Homecoming, and hit 300 on Sept. 26 vs. Lousiana-Lafayette. Here’s ten moments in between worth remembering:

Nov. 17, 1962: Nebraska’s first win in the sellout streak was actually the second game, a nondescript 14-0 victory over Oklahoma State.

Nov. 23, 1963: The day after John F. Kennedy was assassinated was the same day, Bob Devaney said at the time, he had the greatest victory of his coaching career: A 29-20 win that sent NU to the Orange Bowl. Bowl officials needed a Big 12 champion, and Nov. 23 was officially the last weekend of the season. So NU-OU went on, despite the objections of some. The Huskers staked a 29-7 lead and held on for victory. Coincidentally, it was Nebraska’s first win over a ranked opponent during the sellout streak, as well.

Nov. 9, 1968: A loss that would live in more infamy, really, than any loss until the 2007 season. NU lost to woeful Kansas State on Homecoming, 12-0, in limping home to a 6-4 record that had some Husker fans ready to fire Devaney.

Sept. 8, 1973: Tom Osborne’s first career win as a head coach, a 40-13 triumph over UCLA.

Sept. 17, 1977: Just one week after getting stunned by Washington State at home, NU pulled off a major upset on national television, beating No. 4 Alabama 31-24. A close, well-played game, the Huskers needed every one of Rick Berns’ 128 rushing yards to win.

Nov. 11, 1978: The game Osborne absolutely had to have, a 17-14 win over top-ranked Oklahoma. Osborne often points back to that game as the turning point in his tenure at Nebraska, and he needed six lost OU fumbles to get it. That’s how good, that year, the Sooners were.

No. 26, 1982: The first time play was simply stopped on the field after NU’s Scott Strasburger made a late interception of an OU pass, and overjoyed fans just began to rush the field. Oranges pelted the field. Osborne made a plea on the public address speaker for fans to get off the field.

Nov. 21, 1987: The Game of the Century II, dominated by No. 2 Oklahoma, which beat No. 1 Nebraska handily, 17-7.

Oct. 15 1988: Nebraska scores 42 points in the first quarter of its game vs. Oklahoma State, then watches the Cowboys, with Barry Sanders, control the rest of the game, with a final score of 63-42 in favor of the Huskers. Sanders may be the single greatest opposing player ever to compete in Memorial Stadium. He rushed for 189 yards that day.

Oct. 31, 1992: Often believed to be the craziest night during a sellout streak, a 52-7 blowout win over Colorado, with whom Nebraska was tied for 8th in the national polls, on Halloween, in the pouring rain. CU threw an interception on its first drive and never really had much of a chance. After winning three of the previous six games in the series, the Buffaloes didn’t beat NU again until 2001.

Oct. 29, 1994: No. 3 Nebraska beats No. 2 Colorado 24-7 in as fine a coaching performance as Osborne has ever given. His offense is deadly efficient when it needs to be, and the defense harasses CU quarterback Kordell Stewart for an entire game.

Nov. 4, 1995: The return of Lawrence Phillips after a six-game suspension for beating up his girlfriend. Phillips entered the game in the second quarter to a smattering of boos.

Oct. 31, 1998: The first home loss in seven years, a 20-16 setback to Texas. Ricky Williams plays well, but it’s a redshirt freshman by the name of Major Applewhite who truly saves the Longhorns’ hide.

Sept. 20, 2001: The first college football game after 9/11, as firefighters and police officers are honored during the Tunnel Walk instead of players. Never has the Memorial Stadium crowd been moved or choked up. Ditto for the reporters in the press box.

Oct. 27, 2001: Thunder-to-Stuntz-to-Crouch for a 20-10 win over Oklahoma the most memorable win of the Frank Solich era.

Now: What is YOUR favorite sellout story? Tell us a tale from one of the Husker home games you've attended - it can be any of the games above or just your own - and we'll pick one Husker to win an awesome throwback poster! Offense or defense - your choice!

Put your answer in the comment section below!

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Nebraska’s football team rebounded from a 16-15 loss to Virginia Tech with one of its best practices of the year, Cornhusker coaches and players agreed Monday.

Head coach Bo Pelini described the two-hour workout on the grass fields north of Memorial Stadium as “real fast” with “good tempo.” NU worked out in helmets and shoulder pads.

“We were just in shells, but I thought it was pretty physical,” Pelini said. “I thought it was really good. I liked the way they came out and their attitude.”

More talkative than usual, Pelini talked to the media for seven minutes after practice , or three times longer than he did after the Tech game itself. His final comments were nearly an impromptu pep talk, echoing the general theme of the day.

“We need to make this a fuel to make this a better football team, rather than a distraction that can make us divide,” Pelini said. “We won’t let it happen. We know how address that. That’s the challenge that lies ahead. I love those challenges. Our football team loves those challenges. We’re going rise up.

“It’s only way I know. It’s the only way this football team knows. It’s what that ‘N’ on the side of the football helmet represents.”

The emotion carried over to the players.

Said strong safety Larry Asante: “We’re not moping from it. We’re a more experienced team now. In the past, guys would come in moping around, but it’s football.”

Asante said the coaching staff “got out minds right” before Monday’s workout. The team watched film of the gut-wrencher, with the instruction that when it was over, it wouldn’t be spoken about among the team again.

Junior running back Roy Helu took the message to heart. Even though he rushed for a career-high 169 yards and forcefully put himself on the national stage, his only response was “it’s in the past, I don’t want to talk about it.”

Pushed to assess his performance, Helu used only one word: “decent.”

But -

“It was the ‘funnest’ practice of the year,” Helu said. “It was just fun. We went back to having fun, but we executed at the same time. That’s the attitude we took on out there.”

That’s the Pelini way, Asante said, a change he’s noticed in the last couple seasons. That bounce-back factor should help Nebraska prepare for Louisiana-Lafayette, which lacks Virginia Tech’s pedigree, although the Ragin’ Cajuns did beat Kansas State 17-15 earlier this year.

“I don’t think Coach Bo, Coach Carl (Pelini), Coach (Marvin) Sanders or any of them will let us play down to the level our opponent,” Asante said.

Pelini also assuaged concerns that quarterback Zac Lee was significantly hurt in the second half vs. the Hokies. Lee wore a splint on his left thumb Monday and didn’t practice. But that wasn’t because of his thumb, Pelini said. Rather, Lee “took some medication, and he shouldn’t exert himself” when on it.

“He’ll be back tomorrow,” said Pelini, who added that Lee will definitely start against Louisiana-Lafayette.

Asante wore a green, no-contact jersey throughout practice, but said he’d be fine for Saturday’s 6 p.m. game.

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