Nebraska holds off Cincinnati with late interception for win at Arrowhead
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dylan Raiola threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. picked off Brendan Sorsby's pass in the end zone with 34 seconds left, preserving Nebraska's 20-17 victory over Cincinnati on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.
Emmett Johnson had 108 yards rushing while Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter had touchdown catches for the Huskers.
Sorsby had just 69 yards passing for the Bearcats, but he also had 96 yards rushing and two scores. And he gamely led them to two second-half touchdowns, and nearly a third that could have won the game had Hartzog not been there to intercept it.
The Bearcats actually led 3-0 early and were still within 6-3 late in the first half when they made a crucial mistake.
Despite his offense going nowhere, Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield tried pushing the ball downfield on first-and-10 at its own 19 with 1:02 left before the break. Sorsby completed a short pass to Caleb Goodie, but the ball popped loose and was recovered by the Huskers, who needed just three plays to punch it into the end zone.
Instead of trailing by a field goal, the Bearcats headed to the locker room trailing 13-3 — a seemingly insurmountable deficit given they had managed 20 yards passing and 81 yards of total offense over the first 30 minutes.
Cincinnati fought to get back in it in the second half, though. It stopped the Huskers on fourth down early in the third quarter, and Sorsby finished the ensuing drive by diving over the pylon for a touchdown. And when Nebraska answered with a TD of its own, Sorsby needed just 3 1/2 minutes to drive the Bearcats 75 yards and get within 20-17 with 7:15 left.
The Bearcats got the ball back with about 2 minutes to go, but Hartzog made the clinching play in the final minute.
It's a love story
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were seen in public for the first time since announcing their engagement this week when the Chiefs tight end — and proud Cincinnati alum — joined the Grammy-winning singer in a suite at Arrowhead Stadium.
Others in the star-studded crowd included Kelce's older brother, Jason Kelce, and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Takeaway
Nebraska dominated every facet of the game except the scoreboard, including a 19-minute edge in time of possession.
Cincinnati finished with just 271 yards total offense. Most of them came as it desperately played from behind.
Up Next
Nebraska plays its home opener against Akron on Sept. 6.
Cincinnati plays Bowling Green the same day.
___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and