WACO, Texas —- The punt block wasn't on, but that didn't stop Eric Martin on Saturday.

The backup Nebraska linebacker ran into the Baylor protection wedge with such force that Martin pushed a blocker into a kick leaving the foot of punter Derek Epperson. It went into the air and was caught by cornerback Justin Blatchford of Ponca, Neb., who returned it 25 yards for a Husker touchdown just 89 seconds into the game.

“Last week we had that fake against us, so coach just told me every play to go and just hit the middle of the wedge so they wouldn't fake it,'' Martin said. “That's what I did.

“I didn't know it was blocked until I heard the crowd yelling and stuff. I looked around, and Blatchford was picking it up and taking it back.''

Martin said it's something that has worked in practice. Even when Baylor increased its shield from two to three blockers, Martin almost got to the Bears' second punt as well.

“We thought it would be a good role for him this week, and he executed it really well,'' said assistant coach John Papuchis, who coordinates the special teams. “Obviously that ended up being a huge play in the game.''

Watson relocates

Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said he chose to call plays from the sideline Saturday so he'd have face-to-face interaction with his freshman quarterback.

Watson knew Cody Green would inevitably make mistakes. So instead of sitting in the press box like normal, Watson said he thought it would be beneficial to stand next to Green, helping him through it.

“I wanted to be there with the guys,” said Watson, who hadn't spent a game on the sidelines since 2007. “(It's) something some of the older guys asked me about, so I did that for that reason.”

Receivers coach Ted Gilmore, who normally coaches from the field during games, took Watson's spot in the press box.

Dennard eyes OU game

As he broke up a pass Saturday, sophomore cornerback Alfonzo Dennard reinjured the same shoulder that he originally sprained against Texas Tech two weeks earlier.

Dennard said he plans to be back for next weekend's game against Oklahoma. However, after he was helped off the field Saturday, Dennard never returned.

He forced a punt when he knocked away a third-down pass in front of the Baylor sideline on the Bears' second possession. He appeared to land awkwardly on the shoulder, though. He did the same thing against Texas Tech on Oct. 17.

On both occasions, junior Anthony West replaced him at cornerback.

Grinding on ground

Head coach Bo Pelini was displeased Saturday with the Huskers' running game. NU rushed for 145 yards on a season-high 38 attempts (3.8 per rush).

The yardage marked Nebraska's highest total since it rushed for 207 on Sept. 19 at Virginia Tech. But Pelini expected more against a foe that ranked last in the Big 12 and 100th nationally in rushing defense before Saturday, allowing 184.4 yards per game on the ground.

“Absolutely, it's a huge concern,” Pelini said. “We've got to be able to run the football better. We didn't run the football to my liking.”

True freshman Dontrayevous Robinson led the Huskers with 61 yards on 13 carries. Starter Roy Helu rushed for 24 yards on seven carries as he continues to fight a shoulder injury.

Helu has gained 204 yards and scored once in the past four games after rushing for 464 and five touchdowns in the first four games.

Bo interrupted

About 40 seconds into Pelini's postgame press conference, someone standing nearby among a group of NU fans screamed an insult directed at offensive coordinator Watson. Watson was not in the area.

Pelini stopped for a moment and then continued without commenting on the interruption.

The press conference for the visiting team at Floyd Casey Stadium is held outside the locker room in an area accessible to fans. They are restrained by a fence.

Pelini, after finishing with the news media four minutes later, approached the fans, apparently looking for the person who yelled, but to no avail.

Evaluating the QBs

Green had no answer Saturday when asked if he had won the quarterback job for good. The freshman deferred to his coaches.

“Time will tell,” Pelini said. “Every position on this team is week to week.”

Watson, who notified Green and Zac Lee of the Huskers' decision Thursday, said Lee did nothing to lose the job.

“We'll keep evaluating it, looking at it,” Watson said.

Lee wore a visor on the sideline. He stood next to Watson when the Huskers were on offense and signaled plays.

Still buddies

Green said the situation at quarterback has not strained his relationship with Lee. The junior Lee approached the freshman Green in the minutes before kickoff, offering a handshake and words of encouragement.

“This thing hasn't changed our friendship,” Green said. “I told him before the game, ‘I'm going to need you now more than ever before.' He helped me out tremendously. I went to him after every series.”

Sleepy Bears

The bad start against Nebraska continued a trend for Baylor, which has been outscored 65-10 in its four Big 12 games.

Saturday marked the 23rd straight time the Bears have lost when trailing at intermission.

Baylor managed only 103 total yards on 34 plays in the first half, and quarterback Nick Florence was intercepted twice — the first of which came in the end zone.

Critical misses

For the second year in a row, Baylor's Ben Parks missed a crucial chip-shot field goal against Nebraska.

On Saturday, Parks was wide left on a 24-yard attempt that would've brought the Bears within 20-13 with 6:28 left.

Last season, the Bears led 20-17 late in the third quarter and Parks lined up for a 20-yard field goal. But his kick hit the left upright and fell no good. The Huskers drove 80 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and never trailed again in a 32-20 win.

— Jon Nyatawa, Rich Kaipust, Jason Orts and Mitch Sherman