Tre Bryant was not going to play, so Mike Wilbon prepared to make his first career start this week.
The Huskers relied heavily on the junior during Saturday's 21-17 loss to Northern Illinois at Memorial Stadium. Of Nebraska's 33 rushing attempts (not counting sacks), Wilbon touched the ball 24 times, part of a new workload for the 5-foot-9, 200-pounder.
The Chicago native was being met by defenders at or behind the line of scrimmage often, yet scratched and clawed his way to a career-best 90 yards (3.8 yards per carry).
Asked how he felt running the ball, Wilbon said, "Average.