2009 Game by Game (updated 12-14-09)
Florida Atlantic: Led the Husker offense with 152 rushing yards on 16 carries... set career best with three TDs... fifth career 100-yard rushing game... helped NU average 8.1 yards per rush. Arkansas State: Game captain... paced Nebraska on the ground with 60 yards... added versatility to the offense with four receptions out of backfield for 44 yards. Virginia Tech: Continued his strong play on the road against ranked teams, piling up a career-best 169 rushing yards... nearly matched carry total from first two games (30) with 28 totes vs. Hokies... had four runs of at least 20 yards... averaged 6.0 yards per carry against strong Hokie defense... led the team with four catches for 33 yards while compiling 202 all-purpose yards. Louisiana-Lafayette: Led team with 83 rushing yards on 15 carries... added two rushing TDs... turned backward pass into 39-yard run to set up another score... added two catches. Missouri: Posted 88 yards on ground during Husker comeback win... scored on 5-yard run which he set up with 41-yard scamper one play before. Texas Tech: Gained 68 yards on 16 carries with a long of 11 yards... added one reception for 27 yards on 3rd down to keep NU’s first scoring drive alive. Iowa State: Had five carries for 24 yards... added three catches for 13 yards. Baylor: Game captain... had seven carries for 24 yards... added one catch for three yards. Oklahoma: Got back on track with another impressive performance against a ranked team... had 20 carries for 138 rushing yards, including career-long 63-yard run... averaged 6.9 yards per rush... added team-best three catches for 15 yards, giving him 158 of the team’s 180 total yards. Kansas: Posted second straight 100-yard rushing effort with 156 yards on season-high-tying 28 carries... helped NU to second-highest rushing total (214) of the season... had two rushing TD and recovered a fumble in the end zone for a third score... rushed for 85 yards in on NU’s last two drives of fourth quarter to seal the victory with a pair of scores. Kansas State: Just missed out on third straight 100-yard rushing game... finished with 95 yards on 26 carries... added final points of game with a 14-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, his 10th TD of season... improved season totals to 1,057 yards on the ground, the 29th 1,000-yard rushing season in NU history... also became 25th Husker with 2,000 career rushing yards as he finished game with 2,069. Colorado: Had 14 carries for 54 yards, including long of nine. Texas: Totaled 10 carries for 28 yards with a long of seven yards against a stiff Texas defense.

2009 Outlook
Roy Helu Jr. (pronounced HELL-ue) was a key part of a three-man rotation at I-back in 2008, and the California native emerged as a go-to back in November. Helu Jr. and fellow junior Quentin Castille head into 2009 as proven performers at I-back, and the duo should give Nebraska one of the top rushing tandems in the Big 12 Conference.

Helu's play late in the 2008 season earned him honorable-mention All-Big 12 honors from the league coaches, and he is poised to compete for bigger honors as a junior. The Californian finished as Nebraska's leading rusher with 803 yards, while averaging better than six yards per carry. The 6-0 Helu Jr. worked hard in Nebraska's off-season strength and conditioning program and now checks in at 215 pounds while maintaining the speed, elusiveness and vision that has made him a success during his first two seasons.

2008 (Sophomore)
Helu played in all 13 games in 2008, with a pair of starts. He had 803 rushing yards on 125 carries, an average of 6.4 yards per attempt, the best average by a Husker in seven years. He was the first Husker with at least 100 carries to average better than six yards per rush since 2000. He also showed his ability as a receiver, with 25 catches for 266 yards.

Helu topped 50 yards on the ground seven times during the season, including 100-yard games against Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado. He ranked 10th in the Big 12 in rushing and his 80.0 rushing yards per contest in league games ranked fifth in the conference.

Helu opened the year with 52 yards against Western Michigan, and added 59 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in the win over San Jose State. Helu had 47 yards on 10 carries on the road at Texas Tech, then had 66 yards on just six carries at Iowa State. His effort against the Cyclones included a 50-yard run and a career-long 27-yard catch.

Helu then rushed for 510 yards in the final four games of the regular season, topping the century mark three times. His play led a rejuvenated Nebraska running game that averaged 211.6 yards in the final half of the regular season.

His first 100-yard outing came at Oklahoma when Helu ran for 157 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, including a career-long 57-yard run. He added 115 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas, while setting career bests with eight catches for 61 yards in the 45-35 win. The back-to-back 100-yard rushing outings marked the first time a Husker back had accomplished that feat in Big 12 play since 2006.

Helu added 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 13 carries at Kansas State and capped the year with a great effort against Colorado. He carried 25 times for 166 yards, the second-highest rushing total in a Big 12 game in 2008. In the contest, Helu surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards and also caught five passes for 49 yards to total a career-high 215 all-purpose yards. Helu was slowed by a minor leg injury in the Gator Bowl and had just five first-half carries.

2007 (Freshman)
One of 11 true freshmen to see action, Helu played in just two of the first six games, but was a key performer in a five-game stretch in the second half of the year. He finished as Nebraska’s third-leading rusher with 45 carries for 209 yards, an average of 4.6 yards per tote. Helu also showed the ability to catch the ball, snaring five passes for 40 yards.

Helu had six carries for 26 yards in the opener against Nevada, then had four carries for 13 yards and a reception against Ball State. He carried a season-high 14 times for 55 yards against Oklahoma State. Helu also caught a season-long 21-yard pass against the Cowboys.

Helu added 39 rushing yards against Texas A&M, 14 yards at Texas and had nine carries for a season-high 56 yards at Kansas. His performance against the Jayhawks included a season-long 24-yard run. Helu carried twice against Kansas State, but did not see action at Colorado in the season finale.

Before Nebraska (San Ramon valley HS)
Helu was one of four signees from California in the 2007 class and came to Lincoln after an impressive career at San Ramon Valley High School for Coach Dave Kravitz. Helu helped San Ramon Valley to a 10-2 record in 2006, earning first-team all-league honors at running back. He finished his senior campaign with 1,085 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns and added another 300 yards and one more score on 20 receptions. He also had one interception as a free safety.

As a junior, Helu rushed for 1,526 yards and 19 scores on 186 carries during the 2005 season, good for an impressive 8.2 yards per carry. He added 30 receptions for 500 yards and four touchdowns to earn All-East Bay League honors. Helu was also a dangerous return man for San Ramon Valley throughout his high school career. Helu only visited Nebraska, but also received offers from numerous schools, including BYU, California and Oregon.

Personal
Helu was born on Dec. 7, 1988 and is the son of Roy Helu Sr. and Kilistofa (Kristi) Helu. He has not declared a major and has volunteered his time at Eastmont Towers and as part of Nebraska’s team hospital visits.

Helu's Career Statistics