Vanilla is no longer on the menu for the Nebraska offense.

After an unproductive and unimaginative display on offense last season, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson spent the offseason reenergizing the playbook.

And this year, the Cornhuskers have the players to execute it.

“We don’t believe in vanilla,” Watson said. “Vanilla’s bad.”

Nebraska didn’t let its opportunity to show Husker fans how effective the offense can be go to waste. On Saturday, NU totaled 536 yards on offense in its win against Western Kentucky. Offense was also evidently balanced, as 289 yards were on the ground and 247 came through the air.

Watson said heading into the game the offense had a plan to get multiple guys involved in positive situations.

“We work hard at targeting out people,” he said. “We’re not one dimensional in the way that we target our guys. When we build plans, we’re thinking about individuals in our offense getting touches and creating touches for them because they’re the guys who can give us explosion plays.”

The Huskers had 11 different players carry the ball during the game, with all three quarterbacks totaling at least three rushing attempts. Leading the way was Taylor Martinez, who averaged 18.1 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns.

The wide receivers even got in on the running action, as Niles Paul and Tim Marlowe each had a carry.

“When the season ends or a game ends, you want to see multiple touches by multiple people,” Watson said.

The shared wealth produced impressive numbers. Nebraska rushed for 8.8 yards a carry, its best total since 2004. The Huskers’ 289 rushing yards were the most since 2008, in large part due to the eight NU players who rushed for 20 or more yards.

Watson believes it is important to have a productive run game from the quarterback position, a philosophy he developed when Joe Ganz was quarterback. Watson has spent the years since learning and perfecting a quarterback run game.

Martinez, who had 129 rushing yards Saturday, fits the bill for that system.

“We’re still doing the same things,” Watson said. “It’s how he does what we do. He just enhances what we do and takes it to another level.”

While Martinez was a highlight of Nebraska’s new offense on Saturday, there are still a handful of players who might prove problematic to opposing defenses.

Sophomore Rex Burkhead showed a lot of versatility as a freshman, and that was something Watson wanted to use in 2010.

“It’s huge to have a back like Rex,” Watson said. “Rex can be a receiver. Rex can be a blocker. Obviously, he’s a great runner. He can do multiple things for you and he’s got a great feel for it. That’s a huge piece in our big puzzle. He’s a player. He makes plays.”

Burkhead was efficient during the first game of the season on Saturday: He scored on a 20-yard run in the first quarter, totalling 57 yards on the ground on five carries and catching two passes for 47 yards.

“We have a lot more energy and positive atmosphere,” Burkhead said. “You see people bouncing around a lot more. It gives you that motivation and drive to sacrifice for your teammates.”

Burkhead said it’s important to get the running backs in the passing game because it opens things up for the receivers.

Nebraska completed 17 of 25 passes against Western Kentucky, 11 of which were to either Paul or Brandon Kinnie.

Watson said he plans to isolate both Paul and Kinnie in certain situations so they can show their play-making ability.

“He’s a guy that we target in several different ways,” Watson said of Paul. “We target him all over the lot. You’re not going to see him ever line up in one specific position. He’ll be all over the place. He’ll handle it in the passing game. He’ll handle it in the run game.”

Paul rushed once for eight yards, and caught five passes for a game high 92 yards, highlighted by a 33-yard touchdown strike from Cody Green.

“Our pass game is good,” Green said. “We didn’t get to pull that out because we didn’t have to. Our pass game is legit. We have very, very good balance at run and pass in our arsenal. When it comes to we have to throw the ball, we will be able to throw the ball.”

Watson said it’s the coaches’ responsibility to be creative and put the players in a position to perform.

Whether it’s in the air or on the ground, the offense has added some flavor.

“Now the defense can’t say, ‘They just do this,’” Watson said. “We do a lot different things that allow a lot of people to touch the ball so it keeps the defense off balance and guessing.”