Husker Game Day: Nebraska 56, Washington 21

• Box Score: Nebraska 56, Washington 21

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• Video: Bo Pelini after the NU-Washington game:



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SEATTLE – The eighth-ranked Huskers handled their first real test of the season with ease.

And actually, by the end, a game thought to be an an early season measuring stick coming in seemed more like just another unfair mismatch.

Nebraska (3-0) piled up 533 offensive yards en route to a comfortable 56-21 win over Washington. It's the most points in a non-conference road game since NU totaled 59 at Illinois in 1986.

Hardly fazed by his first appearance in a hostile environment, redshirt freshman Taylor Martinez looked like he was in complete control from the get-go. He completed seven of his 11 pass attempts for 150 yards and rushed 19 times for 137 yards and three touchdowns.

He had some help, though.

Senior Roy Helu ran 10 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore Rex Burkhead had 13 carries for 104 yards and one score of his own.

Nebraska seized control early on, taking a 14-0 lead within the first five minutes.

The highly regarded Washington quarterback, Jake Locker, threw his first interception on his first pass attempt of the day. The Huskers scored two plays later and added another touchdown on a three-play drive moments later.

From there, Nebraska avoided any seismic moment shifts, something that's can be common on the road.

The Huskies did trim their deficit to 21-14 with 5:06 left to play in the second quarter, capitalizing on a fumble by sophomore Cody Green. But NU answered on its next drive, then sealed it early in the second half.

Martinez took the first play of the third quarter 80 yards for a touchdown run. Helu was untouched on his 65-yard touchdown scamper about two minutes later. Then, sophomore Alfonzo Dennard returned an interception 31 yards to give Nebraska a 49-21 lead with 8:21 left.

Washington (1-2) couldn't recover from that, especially on a day where Locker struggled.

Locker, believed by many to be one of the nation's top pro prospects, completed just four of his 20 pass attempts for a total of 71 yards. He threw two interceptions.

A career 53.9 percent passer coming in, Locker hadn't finished a game with a completion percentage lower than 50 percent since his sophomore year – until Saturday.

The Huskers did give up more than 20 points for the first time in 11 games, but their defense kept the game from turning into a back-and-forth shootout.

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Click here for Big Red Today, The World-Herald's comprehensive Husker source for news on game day and beyond, and keep up to date in real time with the BRT blog, only on Omaha.com. Need results from around the conference? Check out the Big 12 scoreboard. Also, once the game starts, keep track with our live stats to follow the action in Seattle.

• NEW: Check out the Big Red Today forums to continue the talk all things Huskers.

• NEW: Also, see The World-Herald's Nebraska football roster roundup, a data visualization including the latest recruits, walk-ons and more. Based on official NU roster information and other reports, see the evolution of the Nebraska football team from the inception of the Big 12 in 1996 to present day, complete with player names, hometowns, recruited position, high school information and player biographies.

Join us at 12:30 p.m. for Husker Talk Live: Game Day, a live chat with World-Herald beat writer Jon Nyatawa, to get all your questions answered about Saturday's matchup. Then, stay tuned to chat live with fans during the game, and check in 45 minutes after the game as Jon comes back to answer fan questions about the game.

Follow OWHbigred on Twitter to get live updates before, during and after the game and to stay in the know with Husker news all week long. Also, follow any of our Husker beat writers for even more updates and insight.

Submit fan photos to our OWH Big Red Photos group on Flickr or e-mail them to sports@owh.com and catch your photos in our fan slideshow.

Check in after the game for the live, streaming postgame press conference with Nebraska coach Bo Pelini and select Husker players.

Also, check Omaha.com throughout the game for our award-winning photographers' photo showcases, featuring the fans, the fun and, of course, the game.

Need printable rosters? We've got those too.

Want the news delivered where you are? Find us on Facebook to get constant updates or to see what is on the mind of the rest of Husker Nation.

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• Video: Highlights from the NU-Washington game:



• Video: Sights and sounds from the NU-Washington game:



• Video: Taylor Martinez after the NU-Washington game:

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PREVIEW STORIES

• History shows wild road debuts for Nebraska QB's
• Shatel: NU needs to paint a pretty picture
• Huskers will feel the noise in Washington
• History: Husker QBs in road debuts
• NU-Washington: 2-minute drill
• NU-Washington: Three things to watch
• NU-Washington: Key matchup
• NU-Washington: Statistics leaders
• Huskers know they must adjust to crowd noise
• Notes: Pelini praises Sarkisian
• NU ready to unveil vertical plan, but can QB execute?
• Notes: NU relishes chance to face Locker
• September chills: NU last exited month unbeaten in '05

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Chat: Husker Talk Live: Gameday



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• Video: See this week's edition of the Big Red Today show to get prepared for the game:



• Video: Husker fans in Seattle (Thursday):



• Video: Husker fans invade Seattle (Friday):

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