- Final01ALA
DUKE62
1362
13 - Final1
2OHIO
OSU7
437
43 - Final23BSU
WYO51
651
6 - Final3
4BAY
TCU10
4510
45 - Final4
5PRST
ORE0
690
69 - Final56TEX
TTU24
1424
14 - Final6
7AFA
OKLA24
2724
27 - Final78NEB
WASH56
2156
21 - Final89
24IOWA
ARIZ27
3427
34 - Final910FLA
TENN31
1731
17 - Final10
11ASU
WIS19
2019
20 - Final1112ARK
UGA31
2431
24 - Final12
13FUR
SCAR19
3819
38 - Final1314UTAH
UNM56
1456
14 - Final14
15MSST
LSU7
297
29 - Final OTOT15
16CLEM
AUB24
2724
27 - Final1618USC
MINN32
2132
21 - Final17
19WAKE
STAN24
6824
68 - Final18
20MASS
MICH37
4237
42 - Final19
21MD
WVU17
3117
31 - Final20
22KENT
PSU0
240
24 - Final2123HOU
UCLA13
3113
31 - Final22
25LOU
ORST28
3528
35
Final
(8) Nebraska 56
(3-0, 1-0 away)
Washington 21
(1-2, 1-1 home)
Coverage: ABC
3:30 PM ET, September 18, 2010
Husky Stadium, SEATTLE, WA
Top Performers
Passing: T. Martinez (NEB) - 150 YDS, 1 TD
Rushing: T. Martinez (NEB) - 19 CAR, 137 YDS, 3 TD
Receiving: B. Kinnie (NEB) - 5 REC, 105 YDS
Taylor Martinez accounts for 4 TDs as Nebraska runs over Washington
SEATTLE -- Every Nebraska fan and probably most of the players were wondering how Taylor Martinez would do in his first road start as the Cornhuskers' quarterback.
So before No. 8 Nebraska kicked off against Washington, Huskers tight end Mike McNeill figured he might as well ask the redshirt freshman, "are you nervous?"
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If he was, it didn't show.
Fearless and confident, Martinez ran for 137 yards and three touchdowns -- including the longest TD run by a freshman in Nebraska history -- threw for another 150 yards and a score and the eighth-ranked Cornhuskers overwhelmed Washington 56-21 on Saturday.
"I just don't get scared or nervous at all," Martinez said.
Martinez scored on a pair of 1-yard runs and went 80 yards for a TD on the first play of the second half. Roy Helu Jr. added 110 yards and touchdown runs of 65 and 8 yards and the Cornhuskers ran for 383 yards against the Huskies' manhandled defense.
Rex Burkhead added 104 yards and a 19-yard score in the fourth quarter. It was the first time Washington has allowed three 100-yard rushers in history.
Fast Facts
• Nebraska rushed for 383 yards and netted 533 total yards in a blowout win over Washington.
• Roy Helu Jr. rushed for 110 yards and two TDs and QB Taylor Martinez had 150 yards passing, 137 yards rushing and four total TDs as the Cornhuskers put up 56 points, the most they've scored away from the friendly confines of Memorial Stadium since the 2000 Alamo Bowl.
• Rex Burkhead added 104 yards rushing as Nebraska had three 100-yard rushers for the fourth time in school history.
• Nebraska moved to 3-0 for the second time in the last three seasons.
-- ESPN Stats & Information
"I was asking him before the game, 'are you nervous?'" said McNeill, who caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Martinez. "And he said, 'you're more nervous than I am.' I think the kid just has ice water in his veins.
"He's Taylor. He's confident. He's ready to go. There's nothing that phases him."
While Martinez was tormenting the Washington defense, Jake Locker was slogging through the worst game of his career, on a day the Huskies needed him to be Heisman-worthy to have a chance.
Earlier this week, Nebraska safety Ricky Thenarse said the goal was making Locker prove he was worthy of all his accolades.
Locker failed. He wasn't even average.
"I didn't really hook up with anybody," Locker said. "I just think they did a really good job within their defense and I tried to force a few balls when I could have dropped it down to other guys. A lot of factors didn't allow us to be really consistent in the passing game today."
Pressured by the Cornhuskers' front, and unable to find receivers breaking open against Nebraska's aggressive secondary, Locker made mistake after mistake. He finished 4 of 20 for 71 yards and two interceptions, but added 59 yards rushing and a touchdown. His best throw of the day came on Washington first possession of the second half, a 45-yard touchdown toss to Jermaine Kearse.
Missing The Mark
Jake Locker completed just 4 of his 20 pass attempts Saturday. His 20.0 completion percentage tied for the third-worst completion percentage by an FBS QB with at least 20 pass attempts in a game since 2004.
FBS Quarterbacks Since 2004
Season | ||
---|---|---|
Pat Julmiste, USF | 15.0 | 2004 |
Allan Evridge, KSU | 18.5 | 2005 |
Jake Locker, WASH | 20.0 | 2010 |
Justin Tuggle, BC | 20.0 | 2009 |
Mike McGann, TEM | 20.0 | 2005 |
-- Source: ESPN Stats and Information |
That was it. Forget the Heisman, Locker was clearly not the best quarterback on the field Saturday.
"Besides the blown coverage we had ... I think he had like 30 yards passing," Nebraska safety DeJon Gomes said. "I think that's a pretty good day if you ask me."
Nebraska (3-0) led 28-14 at halftime. On the first play of the second half, Washington's defense collapsed on the dive fake, leaving Martinez clear to run through an arm tackle and sprint for the score.
Washington (1-2) never got closer than 14 and the 56 points tied the most ever allowed by the Huskies at home.
"I know we're a better football team than what we put on the field today in all three phases," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said. "I know we can tackle better than that. I know we can throw the football better than that and I know we can protect the quarterback better than that."
While Locker was busy falling out of the Heisman race, Martinez might have inserted himself. After cleaning up on Western Kentucky and Idaho at home to begin his career, he took his show on the road and made a statement about the Cornhuskers place in the Big 12. The Huskers might just be at the top of the heap.
Locker's first pass of the day was woefully underthrown and Eric Hagg darted in front of the poor pass, the first turnover of the season for Locker.
It took Nebraska two plays -- both for 24 yards -- to take the lead, with Martinez throwing to McNeill for a TD. Martinez added a 1-yard plunge after hitting Brandon Kinnie for 55 yards on the Cornhuskers second possession.
But Martinez's best throw of the day came early in the second quarter. Washington had closed to 14-7 and the Cornhuskers faced third-and-16 at their 49. Given time to throw, Martinez found Niles Paul for 21 yards and three plays later Helu scored the first of his two touchdowns.
"I told Taylor 'I thought you served a little notice today,' because when I was recruiting him there were some Pac-10 coaches scoffing at the idea we were recruiting him as a quarterback," Nebraska defensive coordinator Carl Pelini said.
Washington cut the lead to 21-14 after backup quarterback Cody Green entered for one series and promptly fumbled at the Nebraska 17.
Martinez re-entered and the Cornhuskers run game rolled off 13 straight run plays for 208 yards and three touchdowns at the end of the second and beginning of the third quarters. After Washington finally forced a Nebraska punt, Locker was intercepted for the second time with Alfonzo Dennard returning the interception 31 yards for a score.
"There's still a lot more out there for us, there's still a lot for us to clean up," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said. "We have a long way to go, but this was a good step along the way."
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Top 25 Overview
It was over when... Taylor Martinez rushed for an 80-yard score on the first play of the second half.
Gameball goes to... Martinez, who accounted for 287 total yards and four scores.
Stat of the game... 4-for-20. Jake Locker completed only four passes against the Huskers.
Team Stat Comparison
NEB | WASH | |
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 21 | 13 |
Total Yards | 533 | 246 |
Passing | 150 | 71 |
Rushing | 383 | 175 |
Penalties | 7-49 | 2-15 |
3rd Down Conversions | 7-12 | 4-14 |
4th Down Conversions | 0-0 | 0-0 |
Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
Possession | 34:48 | 25:12 |
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER | NEB | WASH | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TD | 12:49 | Mike McNeill 24 Yd Pass From Taylor Martinez (Alex Henery Kick) | 7 | 0 | |
TD | 10:45 | Taylor Martinez 1 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) | 14 | 0 | |
TD | 05:11 | Jake Locker 7 Yd Run (Erik Folk Kick) | 14 | 7 | |
SECOND QUARTER | NEB | WASH | |||
TD | 08:43 | Roy Helu Jr. 8 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) | 21 | 7 | |
TD | 05:06 | Chris Polk 2 Yd Run (Erik Folk Kick) | 21 | 14 | |
TD | 01:19 | Taylor Martinez 1 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) | 28 | 14 | |
THIRD QUARTER | NEB | WASH | |||
TD | 14:39 | Taylor Martinez 80 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) | 35 | 14 | |
TD | 13:59 | Jermaine Kearse 45 Yd Pass From Jake Locker (Erik Folk Kick) | 35 | 21 | |
TD | 12:06 | Roy Helu Jr. 65 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) | 42 | 21 | |
TD | 08:21 | Alfonzo Dennard 31 Yd Interception Return (Alex Henery Kick) | 49 | 21 | |
FOURTH QUARTER | NEB | WASH | |||
TD | 07:12 | Rex Burkhead 19 Yd Run (Alex Henery Kick) | 56 | 21 |