Memorial Stadium, Lincoln — Nebraska lost two of its top three safeties to injuries in the first half.

Rickey Thenarse went down while covering a kickoff in the first quarter. He was helped from the field and remained on the sideline, though his pads were removed.

Trainers appeared to be looking at his right knee. After the game, defensive backs coach Marvin Sanders termed the injury as potentially serious, although Thenarse had yet to be examined by a doctor.

The news was better for fellow senior Larry Asante, who suffered an injury to his left ankle in the final steps of a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Asante slowed during the final 10 yards of the return and fell to the turf in pain after scoring. Trainers were examining an area of his lower leg before Asante left for the locker room, walking by himself but slowly. Sanders dubbed it a short-term injury, and coach Bo Pelini said it was just a bruise.

Asante's interception return was the first taken for a touchdown by a Nebraska defensive back since Fabian Washington in 2002 against Arizona State.

* * *

Red Zone vs. Cajuns Is a Happier Place

The Huskers performed much better in the red zone Saturday after going without a touchdown on five trips inside the 20-yard line against Virginia Tech.

With Zac Lee at quarterback, the Huskers scored touchdowns on all four red-zone opportunities — a fumble recovery in the end zone by Ben Cotton, a 4-yard Lee pass to Chris Brooks and two 2-yard runs by Roy Helu.

* * *

Husker Signal Caller Is Back in the Groove

Quarterback Zac Lee did not struggle to handle the football Saturday while wearing a device to protect a broken bone in the tip of his left thumb.

Lee regained the rhythm that disappeared last weekend and rarely looked tentative while playing with the injury. For good measure, he even jumped high to field several snaps in the shotgun from Jacob Hickman.

* * *

Cornhuskers Cream Cajun Playcallers

Louisiana-Lafayette's veteran offensive line had not allowed a sack in the Ragin' Cajuns' first 98 passing attempts in the first three games.

They stretched that to 107 attempts before Nebraska defensive end Cameron Meredith dropped quarterback Chris Masson for a 9-yard loss on the second play of the second quarter. Linebacker Phillip Dillard also had a sack, dropping backup quarterback Brad McGuire for a 5-yard loss in the fourth quarter.

ULL had entered the game as one of two FBS teams that had not allowed a sack this season. The other, Kentucky, also gave up one on its first offensive play in a loss to Florida.

* * *

Busy Backfield For Ragin' Cajuns

McGuire saw his most extensive game action of the season as he took over for starter Masson and played most of the second half.

“Chris was a little banged up at halftime,'' ULL coach Rickey Bustle said. “We had a bunch of guys out in the second half.''

Masson completed 13 of 22 passes for 102 yards in the opening half but threw an interception that Larry Asante returned 74 yards for a touchdown.

McGuire, who had played sparingly in the Ragin' Cajuns' first three games, completed 2 of 5 attempts for 18 yards. ULL also used third-string quarterback Blaine Gautier for its final possession of the game.

* * *

ULL Hangs With The Big Gridders

Saturday's game marked the first time ULL had played three consecutive games against teams from BCS conferences. The Ragin' Cajuns had beaten Kansas State on Sept. 12 before dropping a 31-3 decision on Sept. 19 to ninth-ranked Louisiana State.

It also marked just the second time that ULL had played back-to-back games against ranked opponents. The other time came in 1996 when the Ragin' Cajuns played at No. 4 Florida and No. 25 Texas A&M in consecutive games.

ULL dropped to 1-23 against rated opponents, with all the losses coming on the road. The Ragin' Cajuns also slipped to 2-16 against teams from the Big 12, with 14 of the losses coming away from home.

* * *

Ugly Duck Kick Falls Flat for Cajun

Trailing 10-0, the Ragin' Cajuns drove to the Nebraska 33-yard line late in the first quarter. When the drive stalled, Bustle elected to have Tyler Albrecht attempt a 50-yard field goal instead of trying to convert on fourth-and 4.

Albrecht, in his first season as ULL's starting kicker, won the Kansas State game with a 48-yard field goal. He also had converted his only other kick of the season, a 40-yarder against LSU.

Against Nebraska, Albrecht's kick fell woefully short.

“He just kicked an ugly kick,'' Bustle said. “He's got that range, but it was just a bad kick.''

* * *

Anger Fuels Blackshirts' Fire

There was a different look on the defensive side of the ball Saturday night, Phillip Dillard said.

And it's right up the senior linebacker's alley.

Equal parts anger and frustration from last weekend's disappointment at Virginia Tech, mixed with a team eager to get back on the field, made for one salty defense.

“There's a lot of spark and there's a lot of determination,” Dillard said. “We had a big chip on our shoulders. We weren't feeling sorry for ourselves. Nobody was.

“We need that kind of play. We're going to play as if the score is 0-0 every down.”

* * *

Rookie's Mistake Still Hits Paydirt

It wasn't the first mistake Cody Green said he's made under center. Nor will it be the last.

Just the first to go for a touchdown.

The freshman quarterback actually called the wrong play on his shovel pass to Rex Burkhead that went for a 24-yard score in the fourth quarter.

“It worked,” Green jokingly said.

And what did offensive coordinator Shawn Watson think about his mistake?

“That's the same thing Coach Watson said,” Green said. “He goes, ‘Oh well, I can't get mad at you. It's a touchdown. So oh well.'”

* * *

Table is Set for Missouri Matchup

The stage has been set for the first marquee Big 12 North game as Nebraska can start looking ahead to its Oct. 8 game at Missouri.

The Huskers will be 3-1 and the Tigers 4-0 for the 8 p.m. ESPN game at Faurot Field in Columbia.

“That's going to be a great game,'' NU defensive end Pierre Allen said. “Thursday night, everybody going to be watching.

“If I was here and saying I didn't want to get them from last year, I'd be lying. I definitely do. So we're going to go in there with a great game plan and focus.''

Missouri beat Nebraska 52-17 last year in Lincoln.