Cornhuskers left with some offensive questions

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LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -- The way DeJuan Groce played, Nebraska could afford a bad performance by its offense.

Groce returned two punts for touchdowns and grabbed two interceptions to help the Cornhuskers (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 9 AP) defeat Troy State 31-16 Saturday night.

Nebraska quarterback Jammal Lord, who finished with 92 yards rushing, sprints for a first-quarter score.

"It was kind of like in basketball when somebody gets the hot hand. I had the hot feet,'' Groce said.

Dahrran Diedrick and Jammal Lord each added touchdown runs for the 'Huskers (2-0), who needed all the special-teams help they could get.

Nebraska had 313 yards of offense, its lowest total since gaining 270 against Notre Dame in the third game of last season. The performance followed a sporadic effort in last week's opener against Arizona State.

"There is no question that we need to improve as an offense. We are young at some spots, and these were two very important games for us,'' coach Frank Solich said.

Troy State, which proved a surprisingly tough opponent during its first Division I-A season, didn't flinch in the first game of its second year. The Trojans, who lost at Nebraska 42-14 last year, outgained the heavily favored 'Huskers 374-310, aided by a 73-yard scoring drive in the final minute.

"It's very frustrating. Our offense did not play bad and the defense played great,'' Troy State running back LeBarron Black said.

Hansel Bearden was 9-for-26 for 153 yards with two interceptions for the Trojans. He also ran for 61 yards. Jermaine Richardson had a rushing touchdown and Matt Ray added another in the closing seconds.

"We hung close longer this time, but a loss is still harder to build on than wins,'' Troy State coach Larry Blakeney said.

Groce, a senior cornerback, had both of Bearden's interceptions. As a kick returner, he gave Nebraska a 14-0 lead with his third career punt return for a touchdown. He fielded the punt at the 17, took off up the middle and outran punter Thomas Olmsted in a break for the right sideline.

"You take those touchdowns away and his performance, it's a completely different game,'' Nebraska defensive end Chris Kelsay said. "DeJuan took it upon himself to make it happen.''

Groce's second touchdown put Nebraska up 28-10 late in the third quarter and was nearly identical to the first. He took off from the 28 and again went up the middle, but had to break a tackle this time when Chris Cox got a hand on his leg. Groce ran right through it and once again outran Olmsted.

"Man, that thing was wide open,'' Groce said. "The one person I had to beat was the kicker, and he wasn't doing too good at tackling.''

Lord, the successor to Eric Crouch, ran for 103 yards in the opener last week against Arizona State but had a shaky second start. He finished with 92 yards on 23 carries and was 8-of-15 for 115 passing yards with one interception. Lord also dropped several snaps and fumbled, allowing Troy State to cut Nebraska's lead to 14-10 early in the third quarter.

Deloise Moore blitzed and knocked the ball from Lord, and Shelton Felton recovered the ball for Troy State at the Nebraska 12. The Trojans got 6 more yards when Nebraska was called for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Richardson ran the ball around the right end for a score on the next play.

The touchdown silenced the stunned crowd of 77,831 and seemed to shock the 'Huskers back to life. Diedrick opened the next series with a 17-yard option run to start a 16-play, 91-yard touchdown drive. Diedrick scored on a 1-yard run.

"We were sleeping in the first half, so we had a lot of energy in the second half,'' Lord said. "The defense played well all game, and in the long run, we're going to need that.''

Nebraska pulled away when Groce followed Diedrick's score with his second TD return, and Josh Brown added a 34-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter.