Nebraska Postgame Notes

Nebraska Post-Game Notes
Nebraska vs. South Dakota State--Sept. 25, 2010

• Nebraska improved to 4-0 with tonight’s victory, marking the first time it has started 4-0 since 2005. This also marks the first time NU has completed non-conference play unbeaten since 2005.
• Tonight’s game captains were junior WR Brandon Kinnie, senior OL Ricky Henry, junior LB Jim Ebke and sophomore DE Cameron Meredith.
• Nebraska has won 10 of its past 11 games overall, its best stretch since winning 13 straight games between the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
• Nebraska allowed just three points in tonight’s game. In the past two seasons, Nebraska has allowed 10 or fewer points in 10 games. In 10 home games over the past two seasons, Nebraska has held eight of 10 opponents to 10 points or less, including two of three in 2010.
• Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David had 19 tackles in tonight’s game, including 11 in the first half. Tonight marked the second time this season David has had double-figure tackle totals after 13 in the opener against Western Kentucky. David’s 19 tackles are the most by a Husker since Barrett Ruud had 19 tackles at Kansas State in 2004. David also added two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry.
• Nebraska junior cornerback Alfonzo Dennard picked off a fourth-quarter pass, marking his third straight game with an interception. P.J. Smith also added a fourth-quarter interception, his third of the season. Nebraska has 10 interceptions in four games this season and has picked off at least one pass in eight straight games dating back to last season. Dennard also added two pass breakups in tonight’s game, including a tipped pass on Smith’s interception..
• Nebraska has intercepted at least two passes in seven of its past 11 games.
• Senior I-back Roy Helu Jr. rushed for 59 yards on 19 carries in tonight’s game. With his 59 yards, Helu Jr. increased his career rushing total to 2,464 yards, and moved up three spots to 14th on the NU career rushing list.
• Senior place-kicker Alex Henery scored five points in tonight’s game on two PAT conversions and a 30-yard field goal. Henery increased his career scoring total to 317 points, moving him into third place on the Nebraska career scoring list. In tonight’s game, Henery broke a tie with Mike Rozier at 312 points and passed Josh Brown who scored 315 career points. Henery has made 84 straight PATs and 10 straight field goals.
• Henery also averaged 47.3 yards on six punts in tonight’s game, including two punts of 50 yards or more.
• Martinez carried the ball 13 times for 75 yards tonight and has 496rushing yards this season, the most ever by a Nebraska freshman quarterback, bettering Eric Crouch’s 459 yards in 1998. Martinez moved to seventh on the season freshman rushing list with tonight’s effort. Through four games, Martinez is averaging 9.4 yards per carry and 124.0 yards per game on the ground. Martinez had one rush for at least 20 yards in tonight’s game, giving him eight rushes of at least 20 yards in 2010.
• Martinez had pass completions of 64 and 33 yards in tonight’s game. Over the past two weeks, Martinez has completed 13 passes, with five of those pass completions covering at least 20 yards.
• Nebraska senior receiver Mike McNeill had a career-long 64-yard reception in the second quarter, bettering a 53-yard reception against Colorado two seasons ago. He pushed his career receptions total to 65. McNeill, who played tight end each of his first three seasons, tied the position record of 65 catches by Matt Herian from 2002 to 2006.
• Sophomore tight end Kyler Reed had a 33-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. The catch was the longest of Reed’s career and marked his first career touchdown reception.
• Nebraska had one scoring drive of five plays or less tonight and has13 scoring drives of five plays or less this season.
• Nebraska had three plays from scrimmage of 20 yards or longer in tonight’s game, and now has 25 plays of 20 yards or more in the season’s first four games.
• Nebraska senior safety Rickey Thenarse finished with 10 tackles in tonight’s game, establishing a career high. His previous best was eight tackles in two previous games.
• Nebraska did not allow an SDSU player to account for 300 yards of total offense, marking the 21st straight game NU has not allowed an opposing player to reach 300 yards of total offense.
• Nebraska allowed just 95 passing yards in tonight’s game, the third time in four games the Husker defense has allowed 120 or fewer passing yards.
• Nebraska rushed for 205 yards in tonights’s game, marking its fourth straight game to open the season with at least 200 rushing yards. The four straight games with more than 200 rushing yards marks the first time NU has topped 200 rushing yards in four straight games since the final two games of the 2003 season and the first two games of the 2004 campaign.