Nebraska pulls away from Fresno State
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Taylor Martinez rushed for a pair of touchdowns ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers used a strong 29, in front of an NCAA- record 313th consecutive sellout.
Martinez completed 10-of-21 passes for 219 yards and two interceptions for the Cornhuskers (2-0), who squashed the Mocs of Tennessee-Chattanooga, 40-7, last week. He also carried the ball 15 times for 166 yards.
Rex Burkhead also had a big game on the ground, rushing for 55 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries.
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"I said good win. 2-0. I thought we were going to be challenged tonight," Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini said. "I thought it was a good team win, but I also think it's a win that, in all three phases, did some things that obviously didn't help us win the football game. I think all three phases did some things to put us in the situation we were in."
Derek Carr connected on 20-of-41 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown for the Bulldogs (0-2), who lost 36-21 to California last week. Carr also ran for a score.
Robbie Rouse carried the ball 36 times for 169 yards in defeat.
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"First of all what I want to say is that our offensive line battled their butts off the entire game," Carr said. "That was a great job by them tonight. (Robbie) Rouse averaging five yards per carry really makes my job a lot easier, opening up the passing game. I'm very proud of him and our defense battled and (Nebraska) just made a couple more plays."
Devon Wylie's 67-yard punt return for a touchdown gave Fresno State a 7-0 lead with 7:45 left in the first quarter.
Martinez started the ensuing Nebraska drive with a 57-yard run. He capped the five-play march with a one-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game.
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The Bulldogs promptly responded with a 10-play, 67-yard scoring drive that Carr capped with a three-yard rushing TD for a 14-7 lead.
The Cornhuskers kept the back-and-forth battle going midway through the second period. Martinez started a six-play drive with a 38-yard run. Burkhead rumbled into the end zone from one yard out to make it 14-14 with 4:52 left until half.
Fresno State marched all the way down the field on its next possession, but settled for a 22-yard Kevin Goessling field goal.
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The Bulldogs increased their lead early in the second half. The visitors opened the third quarter with a 10-play drive that Goessling capped with a 36- yarder for a 20-14 edge.
Nebraska responded with a touchdown to take the lead. Jamal Turner caught a 43-yard pass before Martinez and Quincy Enunwa hooked up on a 16-yard score for a 21-20 edge.
The Cornhuskers extended their lead early in the fourth. Kyler Reed caught two passes for 61 yards before Burkhead scampered into the end zone from six yards outs.
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A.J. Johnson caught a 55-yard pass on the first play of Fresno State's next possession. Josh Harper capped the four-play march with a 26-yard touchdown catch. The two-point conversion failed to keep it a 28-26 game.
Ameer Abdullah made sure the Bulldogs got no closer by taking the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
Goessling's 37-yarder cut the gap to 35-29, but the Cornhuskers ran the clock down with Burkhead. Six rushing plays preceded a 46-yard Martinez TD run, which made it 42-29 with two minutes to play.
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Game Notes
This was the first-ever meeting between these two programs...Nebraska has won 22 consecutive games against WAC opponents...Fresno State has lost 13 straight games to teams ranked in the top-25...Abdullah had five kickoff returns for 211 yards, establishing a Nebraska single-game record. The previous record was 186 yards by Josh Davis on seven returns at Kansas State in 2002. Abdullah's 100-yard kickoff return ties for the second-longest in school history and is just the fourth kickoff return of 100 yards or more in school history.