Nebraska seals 20-17 win over Cincinnati with late interception at Arrowhead

Dylan Raiola threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, while Malcolm Hartzog Jr. sealed the night with a clutch interception in the end zone with 34 seconds remaining, lifting Nebraska to a 20-17 win over Cincinnati on Thursday at Arrowhead Stadium. Raiola connected with Dane Key and Nyziah Hunter for scores, and Emmett Johnson powered the ground game with 108 rushing yards.


Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby struggled through the air, finishing with just 69 passing yards, but he kept the Bearcats in it with 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns. After trailing 13-3 at halftime, Sorsby led two second-half scoring drives, cutting the deficit to 20-17 with just over seven minutes left. The Bearcats had one final chance, driving deep into Nebraska territory in the closing minutes, but Hartzog’s interception ended the rally.



The first half was shaped by a critical mistake. With less than two minutes before halftime and trailing only 6-3, Cincinnati coach Scott Satterfield elected to be aggressive from his own 19. A short completion to Caleb Goodie turned disastrous when the ball came loose, and Nebraska capitalized in three plays for a touchdown. Instead of a narrow deficit, Cincinnati went to the locker room down 13-3 after producing just 20 passing yards in the half.


Nebraska controlled the game statistically, enjoying a 19-minute edge in possession and limiting the Bearcats to 271 total yards, most of them after halftime. The night drew extra attention as Chiefs star Travis Kelce, a Cincinnati alum, attended with fiancee Taylor Swift, joined in the suites by Jason Kelce and Patrick Mahomes.

Nebraska next hosts Akron on September 6, while Cincinnati visits Bowling Green on the same day.