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LINCOLN, Nebraska (Ticker) -- It was quite a daunting task for Troy State, but it succeeded in gaining the respect of mighty Nebraska. Faced with playing its first game as an Division I-A team at a graveyard for visiting teams, Troy State scored first and totaled 163 yards in a competitive first half, but was shut down in the second half and suffered a 42-14 loss to the fourth-ranked Cornhuskers. "We certainly don't have anything to be ashamed of I don't think," Troy State coach Larry Blakeney said. "We exhibited the pride of our program." Winners of 51 of its last 52 home games, Nebraska (2-0) wore down the Trojans with Dahrran Diedrick, who rushed for a career-high 177 yards and three touchdowns. "Troy State, it appears to me, has some good athletes," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. "They played hard and they played well. I was really pleased with our football team in terms of how they responded. But I think there are a lot of things we need to work on." The Cornhuskers' top I-back, Diedrick was suspended from last week's game against Texas Christian following his arrest for his part in a disturbance outside a Lincoln bar. In Diedrick's absence, Thunder Collins ran for 71 yards and two touchdowns in Nebraska's season-opening 21-7 victory in the Pigskin Classic. Nebraska wasn't expecting a struggle from Troy State on Saturday, but the former Division II power made quite an impression as a 49-point underdog. "They're a good team. They gave us their best shot," Diedrick said. "Every team that comes into Lincoln is pumped up and we have to be ready for that." "We knew we were better than the 50-point underdogs we were," Blakeney said. "We just wanted to show the nation that we can compete with top teams in Division I-A and I think that we accomplished that today." The Trojans (0-1) even scored first after David Philyaw forced a fumble by Nebraska punt returner Keyuo Craver and Lee Walls recovered for Troy State at the Nebraska 29. Two plays later, Brock Nutter hit Heyward Skipper with a 20-yard pass and Demontray Carter followed with a nine-yard touchdown run 3:17 into the game. As expected, Nebraska (2-0) responded with an 11-play, 69-yard scoring drive, with all the yards coming on 10 rushes. Diedrick ran for 23 yards on six carries before breaking off a 38-yard run around left end to the Troy State 1. He plunged into the end zone on the ensuing play to tie the game with 6:45 left in the first quarter. Willie Amos intercepted a pass by Nutter at the Nebraska 46 to set up the Cornhuskers' second touchdown -- a one-yard run by quarterback Eric Crouch with 4:05 remaining in the quarter. Nebraska's all-time leader in total offense, Crouch passed for 109 yards and ran for 48 yards on 15 carries. Hanging close at 14-7 after the first quarter, Nebraska built the lead on the second play of the second quarter when Nutter fumbled after being sacked by blitzing linebacker Lannie Collins and Jon Clanton recovered and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. "I picked it up, and the first thing I was thinking was, 'Oh God, don't trip on the ground.' I guess I stayed up and got in." An 11-yard scoring run by Diedrick with 10:29 left in the half increased the lead to 28-7, but Troy State responded with an impressive nine-play, 88-yard drive, capped by a 31-yard touchdown from Nutter to Skipper with 6:54 remaining. Diedrick scored on a 33-yard run in the third quarter and Thunder Collins, who rushed for 52 yards on 11 carries, added a seven-yard touchdown in the fourth. Troy State was never able to establish a running game, but Nutter passes for 167 yards in the first half while Nebraska totaled 252 yards. "Our execution was not good in the first half," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. "We played better in the second half on both sides of the line." In the second half, the Cornhuskers dominated as expected, totaling 205 yards, including 181 on the ground. Meanwhile, Troy State has just two yards in the second half and finished with minus-25 yards rushing on 35 carries. Nutter completed 15-of-36 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions, but was just 3-of-9 for 23 yards in the second half and was sacked eight times. Skipper had four receptions for 81 yards. "I think we were a little more successful than we thought we would be," Nutter said. Located in Troy, Alabama, Troy State claimed I-AA playoff bids in eight of its nine seasons in the division after winning Division II national titles in 1984 and 1987. In its move to Division I-A, Troy State received a $1.4 million for playing games at Nebraska, Maryland, Miami and Mississippi State. After playing Nebraska close for a half, Troy State forced a turnover to start the second when Diedrick fumbled after being hit by defensive end Brandon Knight and Vernon Marable recovered for the Trojans at the Nebraska 19. But two plays later, Nutter's pass over the middle was intercepted by linebacker Mark Vedral at the 4. Diedrick ran behind left guard for his 33-yard touchdown with 6:26 left in the third quarter. Nebraska methodically consumed the clock with its running game in the second half and Collins completed the scoring with his seven-yard touchdown with 6:54 left. Nebraska will host Notre Dame next Saturday night.
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