Nebraska's coaches pulled Taylor Martinez midway through the third quarter of the Huskers' loss, with the team trailing, 20-3.
"We made a decision together," Pelini said of the call between himself and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson, "but it was more my decision."
It looked questionable at the time, but Pelini reflected on the call on Monday morning.
"You look back, Taylor wasn't the only problem. We were just looking for a spark," Pelini said. "It's a tough situation. He's a young guy. You live and learn as a head coach. You don't know if that's the right decision to make, but it was a decision that was made and you move forward."
Martinez's replacement, Zac Lee, hadn't played since mop-up duty against Western Kentucky in the season opener. He put together a drive deep in Texas territory that culminated in a field goal, and completed 4 of 9 passes for 14 yards. He whipped a pass over the middle to Brandon Kinnie that looked catchable and would have brought the Huskers to within a touchdown, but Kinnie couldn't haul it in.
Pelini emphasized after the game that Martinez remained the team's starter.
"He's in good spirits," he said. "He's ready to go."