Demorrio Does Defense Photo By Kelli Kellogg September 7, 2003 DEMORRIO & DAILEY SHOW Williams' potent attack, Joe Dailey debut, highlight NU's 31-7 win over Utah St. By Jim D. Berryman MissingNebraska.com Maybe Nebraska should consider a half-time pep talk before the game. After a shaky start in which the scoreboard read 7-6 in favor of Utah St. after the 1st quarter, the Huskers bounced back big in the second half to defeat the Aggies 31-7 in Lincoln Saturday. Nebraska jumps to 2-0 (1-0). Utah St. drops to 0-2. The only thing that gave me solace in the 1st quarter as I watched the game at TK’s American Café in New Haven, was the TV set at the back of the room showing the Ohio St.-San Diego St. game. Seems the big bad Buckeyes were struggling at home with a less-than-stellar team too. Ohio St. eventually went on to win 16-13, and all of a sudden it became clear. This is college football and anything can happen. It’s a rebuilding year for NU and the Huskers went on to dominate the game in the 2nd half. The 31-7 final score could have been much worse. NU won, now let’s move on to Penn St. It didn’t start out that way. In the opening quarter, Utah St. was able to pass against the Blackshirts with ease, and Husker fans were left rubbing their eyes in confusion. “This is Utah St., right?” could be heard in the stands and in living rooms across the country. But the second half was a completely different story, thanks to Demorrio Williams, who was able to find a way to hurry and sack Utah St. QB Travis Cox a number of times. The confident Cox seen in the 1st quarter was suddenly hearing giant footsteps, and they got closer and closer with every play. Just like the NU-Oklahoma St. game, defense saved the day. And just like the game against the Cowboys, Nebraska’s penalties and difficulties in the red zone kept the final score much closer than the game actually was. If each of the Huskers’ field goals were touchdowns, the score would have been a lot different. The Aggies’ huge passing numbers against the Blackshirts in the 1st quarter dropped off in a major way in quarters 2 through 4. Freshman quarterback Joe Dailey made a sparkling debut late in the 3rd quarter. Despite his fumble at the goal line in the final moments of the game, fans at TK’s were commenting that perhaps it is time to give Dailey a shot at starting QB. Husker QB Jammal Lord struggled at times once again. As I said in a previous story, Lord can’t be a comfortable starter. Nebraska has big things to look forward to in years to come from Dailey, who seemed to fit into the Husker scheme with ease. He didn’t look like a just-out-of-high school player. He appeared confident and in control. His passing was crisp. He broke tackles when he should have been down. His speed was impressive. The debate will rage all week on whether or not Dailey should be the NU starting QB rather than Lord. One thing that can’t be debated is that Penn St. is coming to town on September 13. Even though the Lions were sidelined by Boston College in a loss Saturday, Nebraska can’t afford the mistakes and early-game jitters any more. After all, Utah St. was ranked at the bottom of Division 1-A college teams and from now on, the stakes are higher, the opponents get tougher. We’re glad Nebraska is 2-0 heading into the showdown with Penn St. We’re also glad the game is going to be played in Lincoln, far away from the drunken Happy Valley fans who treated Husker fans to a bad time at the game in Pennsylvania last year. What goes around comes around you say? Well that may be true. But somehow I think Husker fans will treat PSU fans much better than Husker fans were treated in the stands at Happy Valley last year. NU fans have more class. Our sweet revenge will come on the field. Feedback NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS vs. UTAH ST. AGGIES GAME STORIES & LINKS 09-07-03: Freshmen and a fierce defense helps Huskers make a decisive rush to judgement More from LJS 09-07-03: Dailey Debut heats up QB talk More from LJS 09-07-03: Linebacker helps NU sack Utah State More from OWH 09-07-03: NU-USU game statistics More from OWH 09-07-03: Fast start spoiled More from Logan, UT Herald Journal 09-07-03: Closer than expected More from GII 09-07-03: Nebraska vs. Utah State Story & Stats from USA Today 09-07-03: Quarterbacks on display in Nebraska victory More from KC Star Huskers on ESPN.com Husker Hot Pics Photos from AP Husker Game Watch Locations Nationwide