• Video Below: See NU's Bo Pelini, Taylor Martinez, Rex Burkhead and more
• Game Stats: Red 32, White 29
• Photo Showcase: NU spring game (action)
• Photo Showcase: NU spring game (fans)
• Interactive high-resolution panorama of Memorial Stadium

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LINCOLN — You were warned leading up to the Nebraska spring game about how basic the Huskers' offense would be.

You were reminded afterward that it wasn't what you will see next September.

“Basically, we didn't unleash the beast,” NU quarterback Cody Green said. “It was just some of our offense, at its simplest form.”

With that in mind, it was hard to analyze or evaluate what a crowd of 66,784 witnessed on Saturday as the Red team beat the White 32-29 at Memorial Stadium.

Backup quarterbacks Brion Carnes and Ron Kellogg posted better passing numbers than Taylor Martinez and Green, but coach Bo Pelini wasn't about to make too much of that.

“I could care less about the statistics in a spring game,” he said. “Not an issue.”

I-back Rex Burkhead ran with style for the White, gaining 91 yards on just 11 carries. Jamal Turner and Kenny Bell showed big-play ability at receiver. The fullbacks even got the football, with senior Tyler Legate turning both of his attempts into touchdowns for the Red.

Overall, though, offensive coordinator Tim Beck said the Huskers struggled somewhat to execute without tapping into the revamped scheme they had been installing and practicing since spring workouts started March 12.

“It was hard — a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Beck said. “I thought it would be a little bit easier, having a small play list, a couple formations.

“There were some situations you wanted to do something, and I just didn't want to do it. I didn't want to show what we were doing.”

And he didn't want to see turnovers by Martinez and Green, his two most experienced quarterbacks.

Martinez was intercepted by White safety Harvey Jackson on a third-quarter pass that was behind Brandon Kinnie and skipped off his hands. Green had the White in scoring position in the first quarter, but a hit by defensive end Eric Martin caused a fumble that Thad Randle recovered on the Red 3-yard line.

But Beck agreed with Pelini that the quarterbacks' numbers were no red flag. Martinez finished 4-of-13 passing, with minus-1 yard rushing, and Green was 4-of-10 passing with minus-6 rushing.

“Early on, with Taylor and the Red team, he had some unique situations — third-and-15, third-and-16, third-and-12,” Beck said. “Those aren't good for anybody.

“I'm not worried about those guys. They're good.”

Carnes can be somebody to watch. Pelini, asked if the redshirt freshman can push Martinez and Green in August, offered a succinct reply: “Absolutely.”

Carnes completed 11 of 15 passes for 173 yards for the Red, and his 40 rushing yards included a 24-yard scramble.

“He's a talented young man,” Pelini said. “The light ... it's flickering. It's just got to stay on. I can say that about a lot of young guys, though.”

Turner no doubt falls into that category, especially as a quarterback moving to receiver less than three weeks ago. In addition to his four receptions for 93 yards — including a 49-yard touchdown that he capped by somersaulting into the end zone — he also returned a kickoff 54 yards and a punt 59 yards for the White.

“He is just scratching the surface,” Burkhead said. “We got a little preview of him, and he is a playmaker. You can line him up anywhere.”

Bell, a redshirt freshman from Boulder, Colo., caught three passes for 42 yards for the Red, and he added 69 yards on kickoff returns.

The influx of youth is needed as the Huskers look for skill-position help to surround Burkhead, Kinnie, tight end Kyler Reed and the quarterbacks.

“You just saw some playmakers that can do that stuff,” NU safety Austin Cassidy said. “They do that in practice, they did it in the spring game and they will be doing it in the games for us next year. So it's pretty exciting.”

The Red prevailed despite the White's 424-289 edge in total offense. The Red needed an 11-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion by I-back Zach Taylor with 8:35 left to tie the game. The game was decided on a 39-yard field goal by Brett Maher as time expired.

Pelini said the game was about what he expected as the two sides mixed and matched personnel. It lacked some continuity. It lacked a real glimpse into what's to come.

“We were handcuffed, but the defense was, too,” Green said. “It was kind of like two simple offenses and defenses going at each other. I guess you just get through that and wait for the fall.”

Contact the writer:

402-444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com
twitter.com/RKaipustOWH

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• Video: Nebraska football spring game highlights:



• Video: Nebraska spring game postgame analysis with Jon Nyatawa:



• Video: Nebraska coach Bo Pelini after the spring game:



• Video: Nebraska's Taylor Martinez after the spring game:



• Video: Nebraska's Rex Burkhead after the spring game:



• Video: Sights and sounds from the spring game: