* OK, it wasn’t exactly the rousing start the Huskers hoped for. The White team lined up in the I-formation, ready to run an option play on the first play from scrimmage. The crowd would’ve roared its approval — except linebacker Tyler Wortman swooped into the backfield and batted down the pitch. Wortman also recovered the ball at the 7-yard line, and three plays later, Marlon Lucky scored on a 1-yard burst.

* It was arguably the play of the game when Reds quarterback Joe Ganz lofted a perfect strike to wide receiver Curenski Gilleylen for a 77-yard touchdown with nine minutes left in the first quarter. Ganz hit Gilleylen in stride, and the Reds led 14-0. Receivers coach Ted Gilmore was glad to see Gilleylen outrun a pair of defenders to the end zone. “Run, Forrest, run, is what I was thinking,” Gilmore said.

* Ganz made another impressive touchdown pass in the second quarter, this one covering 24 yards. With blitzers charging toward him, the senior quarterback zipped a strike to redshirt freshman I-back Marcus Mendoza, who sprinted into the end zone to give the Reds a 21-0 lead. Ganz finished 4-for-9 passing for 131 yards and two TDs.

* The run of the day? We’re going with 6-foot-1, 245-pound I-back Quentin Castille’s 9-yard gain in the second quarter during which he ran over safety Rickey Thenarse. Castille, however, fumbled on the next play when he was smacked from behind by cornerback Prince Amukamara, the ball popping loose. Castille finished with nine carries for 47 yards, while catching two passes for 55 yards.

* The defenses forced three fumbles, and senior cornerback Armando Murillo came up with the game’s only interception, snatching White squad quarterback Patrick Witt’s throw late in the second quarter. However, it appears that Witt, a redshirt freshman from Wylie, Texas, has the upper hand over sophomore Zac Lee in the battle for backup quarterback.

* It was nice to see senior quarterback Beau Davis lead wideout Matt Donahue perfectly on a 48-yard completion in the second quarter. Davis, of course, has remained in obscurity since that unfortunate night at Texas Tech in 2004. But Davis obviously has come a long way, and his completion to Donahue helped set up Alex Henery’s 35-yard field goal that pushed the Reds’  lead to 24-7.

— Steven M. Sipple