Nebraska Postgame Notes vs. Washington

#8 Nebraska 56, Washington 21
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010
Husky Stadium (Seattle, Wash.) 

• Nebraska improved to 3-0 with today's victory marking the second time in three seasons, but just the third time in the past seven seasons NU has opened by winning its first three games.
• Nebraska's victory was its fifth straight on the road, including all four Big 12 road contests last season. It marks the first time NU has won five straight road games since the final two road games of 1999 and the first three road games in 2000. Under Coach Bo Pelini Nebraska is 7-3 on the road and 10-4 in games away from Lincoln.
• Nebraska has won nine of its past 10 games overall, its best 10-game stretch since a 9-1 record spanning the 2005 and 2006 seasons.
• Today's game marked the fifth time in school history Nebraska had three players top the century mark in rushing and the first time since four players had 100-yard rushing days at Baylor in 2001. Taylor Martinez had 137 yards, Roy Helu Jr. added 110 and Rex Burkhead rushed for 104.

• Nebraska had six plays from scrimmage of 20 yards or longer in today’s game, including three of its first four snaps of the game. Nebraska now has 22 plays of 20 yards or more in the season’s first three games.

• Nebraska scored on its first drive of today's game and has scored a touchdown on each of its three opening drives in 2010. Dating back to last season, Nebraska has scored in the first four minutes of the game in five of its last six games away from Lincoln (all except Colorado).
• Nebraska's opening two scoring drives lasted two and three plays, and NU opened the second half with a one-play, 80-yard rushing touchdown and a four-play scoring drive. Nebraska has 12 scoring drives five or fewer plays this season, including seven of three plays or less.
• Nebraska scored 56 points in today's game, marking its fourth straight game with at least 30 points. Nebraska had not reached 30 points in four straight games since scoring 30 or better in seven straight games, including the final three games of 2007 and the first four games of 2008. The 56 points are the most by Nebraska in a non-conference road game since scoring 59 points at Illinois in 1986. 
• Nebraska redshirt freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez rushed 19 times for 137 yards and three touchdowns. Martinez became the first Nebraska quarterback to rush for more than 100 yards in three straight games since Eric Crouch in 2001.
• Martinez's 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the second-longest run ever by a Nebraska quarterback (Eric Crouch, 95 yards, 2001 at Missouri) and the longest ever by any Nebraska freshman.
• Martinez has rushed for eight touchdowns in the first three games and his eight rushing touchdowns are the most ever by a Nebraska freshman quarterback. Martinez's eight rushing touchdowns are the fourth-most by any NU freshman.
• Martinez's 421rushing yards this season moved him into the top 10 on the Nebraska freshman rushing list at No. 8.  He is just 38 yards from Eric Crouch's freshman quarterback record of 459 rushing yards. Through three games, Martinez is averaging 140.3 yards and 13.3 carries per game, while averaging 10.5 yards per rush.
• Martinez completed 7-of-11 passes in today's game for150 yards and one touchdown. The 24-yard scoring strike to Mike McNeill in the first quarter was the first touchdown pass of Martinez's career. Martinez averaged 21.4 yards on his seven completions, including 25.0 yards on his five first-half completions.
• Senior I-back Roy Helu Jr. rushed for 110 yards on 10 carries, including an eight-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a career-long 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The 65-yard run bettered his 63-yard run against Oklahoma last season in Lincoln. Helu finished the day with his second straight 100-yard rushing game and the ninth of his career.
• Helu has at least one touchdown in each of the first three games. The TD runs today were the 20th and 21st of Helu's career, making him one of 24 NU players with 20 career rushing touchdowns. Helu pushed his career rushing yardage total to 2,405, moving him past Marlon Lucky into 17th place on the NU career list.
• Sophomore I-back Rex Burkhead rushed for 104 on 13 carries. Through three games, Burkhead is averaging 79.3 yards on his 40 carries, including 8.8 yards per rush.
• Nebraska rushed for 383 yards in today's game, after opening the year with 289 rushing yards against Western Kentucky and 360 against Idaho. The three straight games with more than 250 rushing yards marks the first time NU has topped 250 yards in three straight games since midway through the 2003 season (Missouri, Texas A&M, Iowa State). Prior to today, Nebraska had not rushed for more than 300 yards in two straight games since topping 300 yards in three straight games late in the 2002 season (Texas A&M, Texas, Kansas).
• Nebraska amassed 533 yards of total offense after posting 536 yards against Western Kentucky and 471 against Idaho. Nebraska is averaging 513.3 yards of total offense through the first three games.
• Nebraska senior receiver Mike McNeill caught a 24-yard touchdown pass to open today's scoring. The touchdown was the 11th of McNeill's career.
• Junior receiver Brandon Kinnie's 55-yard reception in the first quarter was the longest catch of his career, and the longest pass play by Nebraska this season. Kinnie's previous career long reception was 16 yards.  Kinnie finished the game with a career-high 105 receiving yards on five catches. Kinnie also returned one kickoff for 39 yards. Kinnie totaled 144 all-purpose yards.
• Nebraska held All-America candidate Jake Locker to a 4-of-20 passing effort, including two interceptions. The Huskies totaled just71 passing yards in the game, and NU opponents are completing just46 percent of their passes this season and are averaging just136.7 passing yards per contest.
• Nebraska senior safety Eric Hagg intercepted his second career pass in the first quarter to set up the Huskers' opening touchdown drive. The pick was the second of Hagg's career with his other coming against Texas in the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game.  Hagg's interception also marked the first time this season UW quarterback Jake Locker had been intercepted.
• Nebraska junior cornerback Alfonzo Dennard intercepted his second pass of the season in the third quarter and returned the ball 31 yards for a touchdown. Dennard's return for a touchdown was Nebraska's third pick-six of the season, NU's most since also having three picks for touchdowns in 2003. The school record for interceptions for touchdowns in a season is five in both 1995 and 1971.
• Nebraska interceptedtwo passes in today's game, giving the Huskers eight picks in the first three games. Nebraska has intercepted at least two passes in six of the past 10 games dating back to last season.
• With Locker accounting for 130 total yards, today's game marked the 20th straight game NU has not allowed an opposing player to reach 300 yards of total offense.
• Washington's 21 points in today's game ended Nebraska's nation-leading streak of 10 straight games allowing 20 or fewer points.
• Today's game captains were senior IB Roy Helu Jr., senior DB DeJon Gomes, junior DT Jared Crick and junior DB Austin Cassidy.