LINCOLN — Cody Green knows that the pressure-free, nothing-to-lose situation he found himself in Saturday is a rarity for a Nebraska quarterback.

The passionate Husker fans, desperate for some semblance of consistency from an inept NU offense, would have probably been satisfied with any new face at quarterback against Texas Tech.

It just so happened that Green was next in line behind struggling starter Zac Lee, so the sellout crowd chanted his name. He received the boisterous ovation.

But as Green makes his way through this well-documented, weeklong audition for the team's starting quarterback spot, he's realizing that his days as a fan favorite could soon be over.

What happens if he wins the position battle and abruptly makes a mistake against Iowa State on Saturday? Well, Green's expecting the worst.

“Everybody's going to be wanting Zac again,” he said. “That's the life I've got to live.”

Green's not complaining. He wants the job.

And it appears that he'll have every chance this week to earn it.

Snaps are being divided equally in practice. The NU quarterbacks on Tuesday shed their no-contact jerseys, creating more of a game-like environment for evaluation. A decision on who starts isn't expected until Saturday.

Still, neither QB plans to change his approach.

“We compete every week in practice. We really do. That's how it is,” Lee said. “Going into practice every week you strive for perfection, you strive to practice as well as you can every day.”

Maybe the more realistic the week's simulation, the better it is for Lee, who appeared tentative to test the back end of the Red Raider defense in several passing situations on Saturday.

He completed 16 of 22 passes, but only three went farther than 10 yards downfield. His longest completion was a short screen to Roy Helu, who avoided tacklers and gained 27 yards.

It wasn't like Lee had been piling up poor practices before that, coach Bo Pelini said.

But when things weren't going Lee's way Saturday, his desire to succeed might have been the reason for failure, Pelini said.

“He's got to stop putting so much pressure on himself,” Pelini said. “He's got to learn how to handle that, handle the quote-unquote negativity, some of those things, and just go out and play.”

It's just not that easy to do, when seemingly an entire fan base is cheering for your backup.

“He feels like the whole state of Nebraska's against him,” Pelini said. “That would affect anybody.”

On the other hand, Green's popularity has skyrocketed since his late-game appearance Saturday, showcasing a throw-through-defenders approach that was viewed largely as a much-needed change of pace.

Green was decisive and aggressive — but only, he said, because circumstances dictated that he operate with a carefree mind-set. Nebraska, down by 21 points, needed touchdowns to get back in the game.

In a sense, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson encouraged Green not to hold back.

“Coach Watson told me once I got on the headset ... you're in the type of position that you have to go take risks,” Green said. “You can't be weak-hearted in those situations. You've got to be fearless and be able to sling the ball around.”

So Green took chances downfield. Fortunately for Green, he said “three or four” ill-advised throws weren't intercepted and his powerfully delivered dart across the middle was caught for a touchdown.

But put Green into the game when it's still early? Maybe he'd be more cautious.

“I could understand where (Lee) was coming from in the beginning of the game,” Green said. “You don't really want to make that one big mistake that's a game-changer. ... I probably would have played the same exact way, trying not to be that one person that slips up.”

Lee denied that he consciously was hesitant against Texas Tech. Maybe on two or three plays, he said, but that was it.

Of course, Lee understands why he's at the center of the scrutiny. He's trying his best to avoid thinking about it, an admittedly difficult task.

Pelini said he wouldn't mind seeing Lee take an “I'll-show-you” attitude to game day.

Actually, Lee says that's the way he's been playing football for some time.

“Having to go through junior college and all that stuff, I feel like there's something to prove every week,” Lee said. “That's my mentality, and that won't change because of this.”

Contact the writer:

402-473-9585, jon.nyatawa@owh.com

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