LINCOLN — Most of the crowd at Memorial Stadium needed a moment Saturday night to digest the situation with 8:07 to play in the second quarter.

Nebraska completed a nondescript running play, and then the words came over the public address: Carry by Rex Burkhead.

A loud cheer followed. It happened again with 12:19 left in the fourth quarter — that sense of recognition for a Husker these people never had seen play. This time, it was Cody Green, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback.

Burkhead and Green had solid debuts in the Huskers' 49-3 win over Florida Atlantic. The much-touted true freshmen from Texas rank as the top backups for Nebraska at its most high-profile offensive positions.

They feel a bond because of their shared backgrounds and similar status. Burkhead and Green share something else, too.

“I guess we're kind of the future,” Burkhead said, “or whatever.”

No doubt, they are.

The Huskers got just a glimpse on Saturday. Burkhead rushed nine times for 39 yards and a touchdown. He also caught one pass for 9 yards and showed nice instincts with the football.

Green completed 2 of 3 throws for 18 yards and rushed twice for 50 yards. His first carry, for 49 yards, electrified the crowd. The second rush went for a touchdown.

He described the experience as “absolutely amazing.”

“I don't really think it hit me until I got to the sideline,” Green said.

Decisive moments in preseason camp led Burkhead and Green to accept their roles as important backups. For Burkhead, it happened Aug. 22, when coach Bo Pelini announced the dismissal of I-back Quentin Castille.

Green began school at Nebraska in January. The quarterback considered redshirting until redshirt freshman Kody Spano suffered a season-ending knee injury on Aug. 11.

“I knew right then,” he said.

Green described his time at Nebraska so far as “a roller coaster.”

“It's probably been the best eight months of my life,” he said. “Seriously. It's something that I've dreamed about for years. And to actually get to do it, it's amazing.”

Burkhead and Green arrived at Nebraska with high expectations. As a senior at Plano High School last year, Burkhead rushed for 1,762 yards and ranked, arguably, as the top player in the Dallas area.

Green accumulated nearly 5,000 yards of offense last fall in Dayton, Texas. He accounted for 62 touchdowns.

The freshmen got good reviews from offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. He said the Huskers kept it simple for Green, a rare newcomer to play at quarterback in his first eligible collegiate game.

Of Burkhead, Watson said: “He's smooth, man. He's smooth. He's a football player.”

Burkhead figures to get increased time, sharing carries with top I-back Roy Helu. The freshman looks versatile enough to fill several roles at the position.

For Green, the immediate future remains more unclear. Watson said he had no plan of when to use Green Saturday.

“We wanted to play him,” Watson said.

That's how it will stay.

“I know in some games, there's not going to be the chance for me to get in there,” Green said. “I'll be able to man it up and do whatever I need to do. I knew exactly what my role was from the beginning. I knew I would have to be there for Zac (Lee).

“Whenever I got the chance to get in there, I kind of had the mind-set of, ‘Now I'm at the reins. Let's see what I can do with it.'”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9587, mitch.sherman@owh.com

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share