Any worries about Zac Lee's left hand injury affecting his play were quickly erased Saturday night.
The Nebraska offense flew up and down the field, tallying 433 total yards against Louisiana-Lafayette's defense en route to a 55-0 win. The Cornhuskers did most of it through the air, with Lee airing it out for 238 yards on 15-of-18 passing.
It was a welcome sight for Husker fans after Lee struggled against a speedy Virginia Tech defense the week before.
Nebraska center Jacob Hickman said a lot of Lee's success came because the Ragin' Cajuns focused on the run all game long.
"It's just the fact that they had eight to nine guys in the box, and if they are going to stuff the run like that, we are going to have some guys open," Hickman said. "You can't bring in four linebackers and expect to cover our tight ends. They were leaving our receivers basically alone. Zac and the guys out there took advantage of it."
Lee said he was happy with his play, especially after his performance in Blacksburg, Va., a week before.
"That was important for me personally," Lee said. "After Virginia Tech, I made an effort to be sharp and get back on track and make sure I refocus myself."
Lee, along with backup quarterback Cody Green, connected with 13 different receivers throughout the night, totaling a fitting 300 yards during Nebraska's 300th consecutive sellout.
Lee completed four of his 15 passes for more than 20 yards with two of those being more than 40 yards — proving that the deep ball is always in his pocket, according to wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen.
The sophomore wideout said he wants to ensure that teams will have to focus on more than just NU's leading wide receiver Niles Paul.
"I definitely want to be a big play guy, and if Niles is on the field while I'm on the field, I don't want them to be able to just lock on him," Gilleylen said. "I want them to defend the whole field. He doesn't have to have all the attention."
Gilleylen got away from Lafayette defenders on a big third down early in the third quarter, catching a 43-yard heave from Lee who scrambled his way out of the pocket. The third-and-24 play resulted in a first-and-goal on the Lafayette 7-yard line, which eventually led to another Nebraska touchdown.
Although it was the passing game that dominated Saturday night, running back Roy Helu Jr. still punched in two touchdowns on 85 yards rushing.
It might not have been a statistically brilliant night for Nebraska's marquee back, but Gilleylen said he and the rest of the receivers wouldn't be able to do what they do without his presence on the field.
"It's a blessing for us because if we have a running back that's effective like that, we have to be able to put the ball up in the air," Gilleylen said. "No matter what, we're going to try to force them to take away something, and we can always execute doing the other thing."
No receiver had more than three receptions on the night, exhibiting Lee's ability to spread the ball around to multiple threats. Gilleylen led all receivers with two grabs for 85 yards while wideout Chris Brooks followed with 50 yards receiving on three catches and one touchdown.
No player would say that the offense has reached its peak potential quite yet, but Green joked that things must be going at least OK offensively if they could score on a play that wasn't supposed to happen.
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