The new Cornhusker quarterback said he had a little bit of “anxiety” when he stepped out on the field for the first time.
“That faded pretty quickly once I got hit,” Lee said.
Lee didn’t take a bunch of hits. He had time to scan the field and wait for his receivers to get open.
He finished with 213 yards and two touchdowns against Florida Atlantic.
Most importantly, Lee picked up right where his predecessor Joe Ganz left off, displaying an ability to run an efficient West Coast offense.
There were a lot of questions surrounding Lee entering this season. He hadn’t played significant minutes, he wasn’t even Ganz’s main backup last season, and his last meaningful playing time came in the fall of 2006.
But Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini said he wasn’t concerned about his quarterback before his first game. Pelini saw nothing from Lee to make him think he lost that confidence.
“I thought he played the way he’s been practicing,” Pelini said. “I thought he played outstanding. He made good decisions. You can see how confident he is, and he carries himself the right way. He leads this football team and leads that offense.”
Lee looked sharp hitting receivers in stride, displaying nice arm strength and making good reads.
In the second quarter, Lee hooked up with wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen for a touchdown.
On the play, Gilleylen was running a streak from the slot position. As the wide receiver ran past the safety, he almost brought up his hand to call attention to how open he was.
He didn’t have to.
Lee saw a flat-footed safety looking in the backfield and released a pass in Gilleylen’s direction before the receiver had even gotten past the safety. The ball hit Gilleylen right in stride for a 51-yard touchdown to give the Huskers a 14-0 lead.
Spending three years learning the system can only do so much. Eventually, instincts have to take over.
Lee looked poised, and, more often than not, he got the ball to the open receiver.
When he did force a pass, it was to Mike McNeill along the sidelines in the second quarter.
Rolling to his left, Lee showed off his arm strength rifling the ball to McNeill. He placed the pass so only his tight end could make a play on it.
Not everything was perfect for Lee on Saturday night. In the third quarter, he didn’t put enough air on pass intended for Gillylen over the middle, and it landed in the hands of a FAU defender.
“That interception was a bad interception,” Lee said.
It’s the type of interception that Pelini can live with. Lee was taking a shot down field on third and long. It wasn’t a drive-killer. It was just Lee trying to make a play.
It would be easy to say that Lee should have just thrown it away and allowed the special teams to pin Florida Atlantic deep in their own territory. But that would be assuming that Lee should never take risks.
Lee can be more than a game-manager. He doesn’t have to be a nameless player handing off the ball to Roy Helu Jr.
He shouldn’t be scared of throwing into tighter coverages or worried about bringing the ball down and taking off down field to make a play.
Lee’s play should be modeled after another “Zac” in the Big 12.
Nebraska’s offense sets up very much like the one led by Zac Robinson of Oklahoma State. Robinson has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal with running back Kendall Hunter and wide receiver Dez Bryant.
But Robinson is a playmaker, too. He showed that against Georgia on Saturday. He found Bryant over the top for a touchdown in the end zone. He hit Bryant again in the fourth quarter to put the Cowboys up by two scores. He carried the ball nine times against a punishing defense and finished with a touchdown.
Last season, Robinson led the Cowboys to the Holiday Bowl in his first full season of play.
That’s an attainable goal for Lee. He’s got the ability to get the Huskers there and perhaps further.
“We are very confident in our system and our coaches,” Lee said. “We are not going to limit ourselves.”
michaelschaefer@dailynebraskan.com
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