Tight end Reed jumps into action to help Huskers win

As he stood in the end zone for the first time in three years, Kyler Reed wasn't quite sure how to react.

The last time he'd scored was back in high school at St. Thomas Aquinas in Overland Park, Kan.

Now, after hauling in a 33-yard scoring toss from Taylor Martinez with just less than 11 minutes left in the second quarter, Reed was in unfamiliar territory.

"I was almost like, ‘What do I do? Should I celebrate a lot or something?'" Reed said. "It's a great feeling to be back in there."

The play wasn't intended for Reed. The main read was instead an option route for Niles Paul, but pressure flushed Martinez out of the pocket. The quarterback looked like he might take off, but at the last moment he lofted it down the right sideline to Reed, who didn't have a defender within 10 yards of him.

Given Martinez's prowess running the ball, he surprised even his intended target when he pulled up to pass.

"I was almost on my way back to block for him, but he threw it and I'm happy that he did," Reed said.

Reed said Martinez's reputation as a scrambler left some opportunities open in the passing game.

South Dakota State coach John Stiegelmeier said the Jackrabbits often devoted two defenders to watching the quarterback, and Reed noticed the safeties flew toward the line of scrimmage at the first sign that Martinez might run.

On this night, however, the Cornhuskers struggled to capitalize on those opportunities. Martinez suffered his worst game as a passer, completing just six of his 14 attempts and throwing two interceptions. Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson saw his young signal caller try to force some plays, and when they didn't work out, he became frustrated.

"He's gotten accustomed to playing pretty well," Watson said. "He'll be fine. He's a tough, competitive kid. He'll bounce back."

There aren't many positives to take from a game in which the offense struggled so much, but Reed's potential emergence is one of them. Just three plays before his first career touchdown, Reed had again beaten his man on a deep ball. Martinez underthrew the pass, but Reed came back and forced a pass interference penalty.

His blocking has often been the aspect of the game that's kept him off the field, as Reed played wide receiver and safety in high school. But Reed's improved consistency in that area earned him more time Saturday.

But even with his career milestone, Reed realizes the Huskers' effort wasn't where it needed to be Saturday afternoon.

"We've got to realize that we've got to come back down to Earth," he said. "We had a good win at Washington, but we can't overlook people."

danhoppen@dailynebraskan.com