LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -A Nebraska offense in dire need of some oomph appears to have found some in Rex Burkhead.
The freshman running back is the hottest thing going for the No. 21 Cornhuskers (9-3) as they prepare for Saturday night’s Big 12 championship game against third-ranked Texas (12-0).
He ran for 100 yards on 18 carries in last week’s 28-20 victory at Colorado after making a faster-than-expected recovery from a broken right foot that kept him out of five games.
Nebraska has committed to a power running game since midseason, and having Burkhead available to spell starter Roy Helu Jr. gives the Huskers a formidable 1-2 punch.
“These highly emotional, physical games, you need guys to come in so people don’t get tired out,” coach Bo Pelini said. “We’ve developed some depth there, and getting Rex back helps that.”
Burkhead was on track to be a major contributor from the start of the season. He won the No. 2 job behind Helu in preseason camp and played in five of the first six games.
ut the week of the Oct. 17 game against Texas Tech, he made a cut near the end of a practice and broke the outside bone in his right foot. The original prognosis had him coming back after the regular season.
He was running again by the second week of November and was able to play sparingly against Kansas State on Nov. 21.
“I was a little hesitant at first,” Burkhead said. “I didn’t feel it at all, but just knowing the possibility of re-aggravating it made me a little hesitant. As I kept running, I got more comfortable with it.”
After running six times for 17 yards and catching a pass for nine yards against K-State, Burkhead was ready for Colorado. He was the Huskers’ main weapon as they were putting the Buffaloes away in the fourth quarter last Friday, carrying the ball on 12 of Nebraska’s 18 offensive plays the last 15 minutes.
He ran nine times for 55 yards on a 13-play, 80-yard drive that put the Huskers up 28-14 with 6:43 left.
“He showed us a lot right there,” offensive tackle Mike Smith said. “He was able to hit the holes quickly, read the defense.”
Burkhead’s work on that drive, which he finished with a 7-yard run, was a glimpse of the future, Smith said.
“He’s going to be an All-Big 12 kid coming up pretty soon,” Smith said. “It’s fun blocking for him. He just goes out there and does his job, whatever he’s asked to do.”
Watson will be asking for more of the same from Burkhead when he gets his chances against the Longhorns. The Huskers’ 92nd-ranked offense generated more than 300 yards in only two of its eight Big 12 games.
The championship game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, will be played a half-hour’s drive from Burkhead’s hometown of Plano.
He was the Dallas area’s offensive player of the year after he ran for 1,762 yards and 28 touchdowns for Plano High in 2008. The Longhorns showed some interest in Burkhead, but never offered a scholarship.
Burkhead said he’s getting inundated with ticket requests from family and friends, but he downplays the significance of his returning to his old stomping grounds for a championship game.
“Every time you get put on a big stage, you want to perform,” he said. “You can’t let everything get to you. You just stay down to Earth and have confidence in yourself and your teammates and rely on the teaching you got from your coaches.”
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