• Video: See what Nebraska coach Bo Pelini had to say after the Huskers' 28-20 win over Colorado:



BOULDER, Colo. — Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee said he'll be “good to go” for the Big 12 championship game after a left ankle injury Friday wasn't as serious as it initially appeared.

Lee was smothered while running an option three plays into the third quarter. After being helped off, freshman Cody Green finished a series that ended in a punt.

“Just got twisted up on,” Lee said. “I had a few bodies lying on top of different parts of mine and in some fun directions.”

Lee returned midway through the third quarter after Colorado pulled within 21-14. The junior limped slightly at times in the second half.

Before Lee emerged from the locker room, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said Lee was “running around, hopping around the locker room.”

“He's fine,” Watson said. “He thought he heard it pop and felt it pop. I didn't see exactly what happened. He said it got rolled underneath him, but I think he got out of it.”

Big 12 road sweep

Nebraska completed a 4-0 record in Big 12 road games, something it hasn't done since its last national championship season in 1997.

Overall, the Huskers are 6-3 on the road in two seasons under Pelini. That includes the 37-31 overtime loss at then-No. 7 Texas Tech last season and the 16-15 loss at then-No. 13 Virginia Tech in September.

“It just shows how this team pulls together,” linebacker Phillip Dillard said, noting that NU again had a prominent following of fans in Boulder.

“With these fans, these really haven't felt like away games.”

A victory, not honors

Ndamukong Suh said he's looking forward to matching against Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, but not for reasons that could impact their candidacies for the Heisman Trophy or other awards.

Suh is a finalist for the Outland Trophy, Lombardi Award, Bednarik Award and the Lott Trophy. McCoy is up for several himself and likely ranks as a favorite for the Heisman after his showing Thursday in the Longhorns' 49-39 win over Texas A&M.

Suh, too, has received some Heisman hype.

“I couldn't care less about the Heisman,” Suh said Friday. “It's a great honor. (McCoy) is an offensive quarterback. Obviously, he's going to be up there. He plays for a great team and puts up great numbers, both running and passing, but I don't think it's a statement game.

“I just want to go out there and win. That'll be my statement. Go out there and win.”

O'Hanlon's total

Matt O'Hanlon's five interceptions rank as the most by a Husker since Daniel Bullocks had five in 2004.

The senior safety said he saw No. 5 coming all the way Friday as Tyler Hansen delivered a strike to O'Hanlon in the second quarter. The QB appeared confused by the Huskers' five-man defensive front, a new look unveiled for the Buffs.

O'Hanlon returned it 20 yards for a touchdown, getting a key block from Suh near the 10-yard line.

“I think Suh about killed somebody,” O'Hanlon said.

Paul's punt return

Colorado's punt coverage units wanted to take away Niles Paul's lateral movement, so the junior simply ran straight up the middle on that first-quarter touchdown return.

Paul said he fielded his third punt of the game, paused a moment, then exploded between two defenders. The 59-yard punt return gave Nebraska a 7-0 lead with 3:34 left in the opening quarter.

“I noticed from the previous punts that they were kind of forcing me to run east and west,” Paul said. “I saw those guys — they were sitting there waiting for me to make a move, and I just took it straight up the field.”

Paul had a 55-yard punt return against Virginia Tech but had never brought one back for a touchdown.

Nate Swift was the last Husker to score on a punt return. He had an 88-yard return against Virginia Tech last year.

Potential touchdown

If Paul hadn't dropped that third-down pass midway through the second quarter, the junior receiver said he probably would have scored.

Lee's pass bounced off Paul's hands as he sprinted across the middle, forcing a punt. There weren't many Buffaloes nearby, Paul said.

“It's a problem that I've been having all year,” Paul said. “I just kind of try to take off before I catch the ball. ... I was upset because I realized if I would have caught it, I would have been gone.”

The former Omaha North standout said he might have been able to score on a similar third-down play in the fourth quarter, but he made an extra effort to guarantee the catch — and then lost his footing.

“I was just trying to focus up on catching the ball and getting the first down,” said Paul, who caught two passes for 20 yards. “My coach made the comment, he was like, ‘If you stayed on your feet, you would have scored a touchdown.' But (the pass) was kind of inside, and I was just trying to make sure I caught the ball first.”

That was one of two passes on a 13-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that sealed Nebraska's win.

D.J. Jones' big game

Reserve D.J. Jones started for the first time in his career, and he delivered a commendable performance, center Jacob Hickman said.

Jones, playing in place of injured starter Marcel Jones at right tackle, executed at the level of a first-teamer, something he's been doing all year, Hickman said.

“We know he's in there, and I don't even notice any difference,” Hickman said.

D.J. Jones, an Omaha Central graduate, was given the team's offensive MVP award last week after he replaced Marcel Jones early in the Kansas State game, Hickman said.

Buff cheerleaders

About 40 to 50 former Colorado players were in the locker room before Friday's game, a show of support for the program and their distaste for Nebraska.

Hansen said it amazed him “just the way they don't like the Big Red.”

“It was awesome,” Hansen said. “It was the first time I really knew I was a Buff.”

— Rich Kaipust, Mitch Sherman, Jon Nyatawa and Nick Rubek

• Postgame analysis with Rich Kaipust:

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