Louisiana-Lafayette (2-1) at (14) Nebraska (2-1)
Currently: - Game info: 7:00 pm EDT Sat Sep 26, 2009
Nebraska will celebrate Memorial Stadium’s NCAA-record 300th consecutive sellout Saturday night, with the Cornhuskers donning throwback jerseys and the band playing music from the era of the stadium’s last non-sellout.
The best way for the Huskers to mark the occasion, though, would be to get back on track after another loss to a ranked opponent.
With the usual 85,000-plus fans expected, No. 25 Nebraska hopes a return to Lincoln will help it rebound from disheartening defeat as it faces Louisiana-Lafayette for the first time.
Memorial Stadium has been sold out for every game beginning with a homecoming victory over Missouri on Nov. 3, 1962. Nebraska has gone 260-39 during those contests.
The next-longest home sellout streak is Notre Dame’s 207.
The Huskers (2-1) defeated Florida Atlantic 49-3 and Arkansas State 38-9 to open the season with a pair of home victories. They failed to reach 3-0 for the second consecutive season, however, falling 16-15 at then-No. 13 Virginia Tech last Saturday.
It was Nebraska’s 10th straight loss to a Top 25 team, and 21st in 25 games against ranked foes.
Leading 12-10 in the fourth quarter, the Huskers failed to score after quarterback Zac Lee’s 17-yard run gave them first-and-goal from the Hokies’ 6-yard line.
Two holding penalties and two false starts left Nebraska out of range for junior Alex Henery, who kicked a career-high five field goals in the game and was named Big 12 special teams player of the week.
“We didn’t have penalties the entire game until that series,” junior wide receiver Niles Paul said. “It came at a point where we really needed the points. That hurt us.
“We left a lot of points out there on the field. … It’s really frustrating when your defense is playing the way they were.”
Nebraska is tied for seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision with 9.3 points allowed per game, although the Huskers couldn’t stop Tyrod Taylor’s winning 11-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left.
After being among the nation’s most efficient passers in the first two games, when he went 42 of 57 for 553 yards and six TDs, Lee was 11 for 30 for 136 yards and two interceptions against Virginia Tech.
With his left thumb wrapped, the first-year starter did not practice Monday, giving way to freshman Cody Green. Nebraska coach Bo Pelini called Lee’s wrap “just a little splinter,” and said he didn’t practice due to taking medicine for an unspecified reason.
Lee and Nebraska will face their third Sun Belt Conference opponent of the season, and will try to improve to 9-0 against teams from that league.
Like his counterpart, Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Chris Masson is looking to rebound from a rough game. WIth a chance to guide the Ragin’ Cajuns to their first 3-0 start in 21 years, the sophomore was intercepted twice in a 31-3 road loss to then-No. 9 LSU last Saturday.
“It’s so frustrating right now because we were able to move the ball,” Masson said after going 16 for 36 for 159 yards. “We just couldn’t capitalize. We kept putting our defense in bad situations, and we have to stop doing that.”
Louisiana-Lafayette, allowing 158.3 yards per game on the ground, will have to find a way to slow down Roy Helu. The Huskers junior is seventh in the nation with 127.0 rushing yards a contest.
