SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 3, 2011

Taylor Martinez threw for 116 yards and rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns as No. 10 Nebraska cruised to a 40-7 victory over Chattanooga on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.

Martinez, Nebraska’s sophomore quarterback, had a 43-yard second-quarter touchdown run on fourth down that helped the Huskers take a 20-0 lead with 2:07 left in the first half.

He added a 47-yard touchdown run in the third quarter as Nebraska increased its lead to 40-7.

The win, Nebraska’s 26th straight in a home opener, was the first for the Huskers as a member of the newly expanded Big Ten Conference. The Huskers joined the Big Ten in the offseason after a 15-year run as a member of the Big 12.

The Huskers haven’t lost a home opener since falling to Florida State, 17-13, in 1985.

Nebraska outgained Chattanooga 361-230 and limited the Mocs to just 57 rushing yards on 30 carries. The Huskers forced four punts in the first half and recorded an interception on the Mocs’ other possession.

For Chattanooga, the outcome was eerily familiar. The Mocs lost for the fifth straight time against a BCS opponent and failed to score more than seven points for the fourth time during that span. In three previous games against BCS teams, the Mocs scored 0, 2 and 7 points.

Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman finished 20-of-34 for 177 passing yards and a touchdown. The Mocs’ lone score came on Marlon Anthony’s 13-yard touchdown catch, which pulled them within 23-7 early in the third quarter.

Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead finished with 74 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.