Nebraska put up 49 points Saturday, but the first six are the ones that will stick with me for a long time.
With two minutes left in a scoreless first quarter, senior Zac Taylor rolled right and delivered a perfect ball to Matt Herian 13 yards away in the end zone.
Holding the ball with one hand, Herian raised his arms and looked to the West Stadium crowd as if to say, "Thank you for your support."
After all, it's been a long time since the tight end's last touchdown grab, against Southern Mississippi on Sept. 11, 2004. Less than two months after that catch, Herian hurt his leg against Missouri. He hadn't played since.
Until Saturday.
Herian said after the game he just hoped he wouldn't drop the pass in the end zone since he was so wide open.
"I think it was the longest I've ever seen a ball hang in the air," Herian said. "After I caught it, it was a good feeling to do that again."
And he deserves it. The senior has worked his tail off for nearly two years to get back to his former football self, enduring frustrating physical setbacks and answering countless "How are you?" questions from fans and media members.
Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan said he couldn't be more pleased for anyone. Junior running back Brandon Jackson said the tight end is looking more like "the old Matt", the one who was a second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection in 2004 and averaged more than 50 receiving yards per game.
On Saturday, Herian finished with 61 yards on three receptions. In addition to his touchdown catch, the Pierce native also had grabs of 17 and 31 yards, and showed off a nifty juke move - one he said he doesn't remember - that was met with the approval of 85,000-plus fans in the stands.
Oh, by the way, his last catch put his career receiving total at 1,154 yards, passing former NU standout Tracey Wistrom for tops in school history for a tight end.
Not bad for a guy who easily could have given up on his football career more than a year ago.
Cornhusker fans should also be happy for Herian - and themselves - because NU's 49-10 unraveling of a decent Louisiana Tech team looks like the beginning of a special season in Lincoln. In his senior year, Herian can hopefully forget about Nebraska's tepid beginning to the Bill Callahan Era and focus on working toward at least a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.
It wasn't hard to dream big Saturday, with Herian the first of four Husker tight ends to catch a touchdown pass and one of seven different players overall to grab footballs put up by Taylor.
Yet in the midst of the satisfaction of a convincing season-opening win and mixed in among inquiries about his health, Herian was the senior voice that kept saying the team could - and would - improve in the coming weeks.
Just the thing for a team chock-full of young talent. (I hate to be "that guy", but it is worth noting that NU's 39-point margin of victory is identical to the Huskers' 56-17 season-opening win against Western Illinois in 2004, the one in which Herian reached the end zone twice. Yes, I know a lot has changed since then, I'm just saying.)
The Huskers are just one game into a long season. Quite a bit can change between now and December. But in the ups and downs of Nebraska's games this fall, I'm going to remember what Herian tells himself these days.
Every time something happens, enjoy the moment. It may never come along again.
