No. 9 Huskers rout Aggies

LINCOLN, Neb. — Utah State didn't give ninth-ranked Nebraska much of a game Saturday night. That, however, didn't stop a record crowd of 78,176 fans from squeezing into Memorial Stadium for the Cornhuskers' 250th consecutive sellout.

While a smattering of 500 or so clad in Aggie blue left disappointed, most folks saw what they wanted and expected to see — a 44-13 victory for Nebraska.

"We did too many things wrong that I think hurt us and didn't really give us a chance to ever really be in the game," said USU coach Mick Dennehy. "Too many turnovers, too many short-field drives and we didn't do a real good job adjusting to Jammal (Lord)."

Nebraska raced out to a 17-0 lead over the first 11 1/2 minutes while holding USU to minus-15 yards rushing and four yards of total offense. Penalties, incompletions and sacks compounded the Aggies' woes — and the Cornhuskers capitalized.

"We just beat ourselves tonight," said USU quarterback Jose Fuentes. "I guess we came into the game a little too excited, which led to some of our penalties."

Leading 3-0 after Josh Brown kicked a 44-yard field goal with 9:18 remaining in the first quarter, Nebraska's offense reached the end zone on its second and third possessions. A 1-yard run by Judd Davies and a 23-yard scoring strike from Lord to Wilson Thomas capped drives that began well inside USU territory.

Both scores were preceded by a quarterback sack and two penalties when the Aggies had the ball. The first lapses contributed to Nebraska getting the ball on the USU 22, while the second sequence allowed the Cornhuskers to take over on the 23.

Trailing by 17, USU responded with its best offensive series of the season. The Aggies marched 80 yards on four plays for their first touchdown since the third quarter of last year's season finale at Fresno State. A 26-yard pass from Jose Fuentes to Kevin Curtis ended the five-quarter drought.

However, it failed to ignite a major shift in momentum. After an exchange of punts late in the opening quarter, Nebraska extended its lead early in the second. In a span of just over 2 1/2 minutes, the Cornhuskers put two more touchdowns on the board to put the game out of reach. A 33-yard touchdown pass from Lord to tight end Matt Herian was followed by a 1-yard scoring run from Lord.