Lucky, No. 20 Cornhuskers run through, over Wolf Pack

LINCOLN, Neb. — It was like old times at Nebraska on Saturday.

The 20th-ranked Cornhuskers ran over an overmatched opponent the way they did in the days of their triple-option offense, with Marlon Lucky rushing for a career-high 233 yards in a 52-10 season-opening victory over UNR.

“We saw a weakness in their defense,” Lucky said, “and coach wanted to pound the ball.”

Coach Bill Callahan’s West Coast offense amassed 413 of its 625 yards on the ground. The rushing output was the most since the Huskers ran for 444 against McNeese State in 2002. The total yards were the most since Nebraska racked up 688 against Baylor in 2001.

Lucky, who ran for three touchdowns and caught a pass for another score, upstaged the debut of quarterback Sam Keller. Keller happily deferred.

“We found out early that we could jam it right down there through the middle,” Keller said. “It was a beautiful thing to see.”

The Huskers, who won their 22nd straight season opener, led 21-10 at the half and broke open the game with three touchdowns and a field goal in the third quarter.

Lucky turned in the biggest rushing performance for Nebraska since Jammal Lord ran for 234 yards against Texas in 2002. Lucky didn’t play after the third quarter. He carried 30 times and caught three passes for 33 yards.

Keller, who transferred from Arizona State, was sharp in his first game since October 2005. He completed 14 of 25 passes for 193 yards, including a 16-yarder to Lucky for the Huskers’ first touchdown.

About the only blemish on Keller’s day was a tipped pass that UNR’s Jonathon Amaya returned 80 yards for a touchdown, putting the Wolf Pack up 10-7 in the second quarter.

Cortney Grixby’s 42-yard kickoff return then set up the Huskers at the UNR 39, and they ran nine straight times, with Lucky scoring from the 1 for a 14-10 lead.

UNR went three-and-out, and Nebraska ran on eight of the next nine plays, with freshman Quentin Castille’s 1-yard run making the score 21-10.

UNR coach Chris Ault said Grixby’s kick return seemed to break his team’s spirit.

“When you talk about momentum-burners, that was it,” Ault said. “You feel pretty good about yourselves, and then they return the ball. It just swung that momentum.”