KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Nebraska team unveiling in Year 3 under coach Matt Rhule, though rough around the edges, finished as a success Thursday night.
The Huskers beat Cincinnati 20-17 in a pseudo-home game at Arrowhead Stadium, turning away the Bearcats’ attempt at a drive to win or force overtime in the final seconds.
More than 60,000 Nebraska fans filled the NFL home of the Kansas City Chiefs. And with former Cincinnati great Travis Kelce and his fiancée, Taylor Swift, watching from a suite above the field, the Huskers scored one touchdown in each half. Safety Malcolm Hartzog intercepted Brendan Sorsby on a 33-yard throw to the end zone with 34 seconds left to ice the victory for the Huskers.
“That’s what Malcolm Hartzog does,” Rhule said. “He just makes plays.”
MALCOLM HARTZOG JR. CALLED GAME FOR NEBRASKA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/1JB1MXjKhS
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 29, 2025
First things first, Nebraska beat a Big 12 opponent to open its season. In five openers since 2018 against power-conference foes, Nebraska had lost all five. The Huskers last beat a team from a power league to start a season in 2003.
So that’s notable.
Here are the rest of our takeaways from Kansas City:
Nebraska fans are ready
The atmosphere at Arrowhead was electric when Nebraska gave its supporters a reason to get excited. Famous for taking over stadiums far from home, Nebraska fans have not traveled in such numbers to a road or neutral-site venue since the Huskers played at Arrowhead in 1998 against Oklahoma State. The sea of red in the parking lots and as fans streamed into the stadium was a sight to behold.
Nebraska defensive line coach Terry Bradden, who spent the past eight years as an assistant with the Chiefs, embraced several of his former players along the Nebraska sideline during warmups in the hour before kickoff.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and defensive end George Karlaftis stood along the Nebraska sideline before the game. Mahomes, before leaving to watch from a suite with his wife, Brittany, embraced former Nebraska and Kansas City great Neil Smith.
Patrick Mahomes and former Nebraska and Kansas City Chiefs great Neil Smith visit before kickoff Thursday. (Mitch Sherman / The Athletic)
The traveling fans bought into an offseason narrative pushed by Rhule, who claimed the Huskers were ready to take a big step as a program, much as his teams at Temple and Baylor did in their third seasons when he was coach.
“The good thing,” Rhule said, “we’re going right back to work tomorrow. We’ll be in the weight room at 11 o’clock.”
The opener on Thursday did not provide a verdict on the potential for significant improvement. The Huskers’ work will carry into September. After visits from Akron and Houston Christian, a massive test awaits on Sept. 20 at Memorial Stadium against Michigan. — Mitch Sherman, staff writer
Huskers’ offense scored and stumbled
The offense for Nebraska, with Dana Holgorsen back after his four-game stint to finish the 2024 season and quarterback Dylan Raiola as a seasoned sophomore, is expected to lead the way — at least early in the season, as a defense tasked with replacing big bodies along the front takes time to mature.
However, the operation appeared rocky. Mistakes plagued the Huskers almost every time Raiola began to engineer an impressive drive.
When Dane Key stepped up to snag a pair of third-down throws and move the sticks on Nebraska’s second drive of the night, Raiola and Nyziah Hunter miscommunicated on a route to stymie a drive.
Offensive lineman Henry Lutovsky, voted a captain this month, was hit with a personal foul for decking a defensive lineman after Raiola released a throw. That penalty killed the Huskers’ first drive. Alabama transfer Elijah Pritchett, playing behind starter Gunnar Gottula at left tackle, committed a false-start penalty on first-and-goal from the Cincinnati 1 in the second quarter after Raiola hit tight end Luke Lindenmeyer on a nice third-and-6 RPO. Nebraska settled for a second field goal.
It went that way all night. Raiola and the offense negated much of their progress with mistakes.
Raiola threw for 243 yards on 33-of-42 passing without an interception. After quickly moving 40 yards with a chance to win the game offensively in the closing minutes, the Huskers failed to do enough. Cincinnati used three timeouts and harassed Nebraska into a fourth-and-14 punt that Archie Wilson placed at the 9-yard line with 2 minutes. 10 seconds to play.
“That’s the type of team we are right now,” Raiola said. “We lean on each other for everything.”
Raiola showed nice connections with Key and Hunter. Hunter, a transfer from Cal, caught a 5-yard fade for the Huskers’ first touchdown of the season. Key, the Kentucky transfer, caught a massive fourth-and-2 throw from Raiola for a 3-yard score in the fourth quarter.
The QB showed more willingness to run than during his freshman season. Raiola’s improved physical shape allowed him to extend plays.
Nebraska added wrinkles. It utilized Heinrich Haarberg, the tight end and former quarterback, twice in its version of the tush push to convert third-down opportunities. Defensive end Cam Lenhardt entered at fullback to help Emmett Johnson gain a first down in a short-yardage moment.
However, the offense as a whole did not yet look ready for the Big Ten tests ahead. After all, Cincinnati was a five-win team last year that didn’t hold a lead in its final 10 quarters of play.
Backup running backs Isaiah Mozee and Mekhi Nelson struggled to hit holes and turn corners in limited playing time. They teamed to rush for minus-2 yards. And veteran receiver Janiran Bonner, who carried twice for 4 yards, suffered an injury that appeared serious, according to Rhule.
Meanwhile, Johnson carried 25 times for 108 yards and caught seven passes. Nebraska must get more out of Mozee and Nelson — or risk diminishing returns from Johnson before November. — Sherman
Nebraska’s defense needs work
First-year coordinator John Butler needs opportunistic play from his band of aggressive defenders. Butler got it late in the first half when linebacker Vincent Shavers stripped wide receiver Caleb Goodie.
And of course, from Hartzog at the end.
“I just made the play,” Hartzog said. “It felt unreal.”
Newcomer Williams Nwaneri recovered the first-half fumble forced by Shavers at the Bearcats’ 24-yard line. And Nebraska turned the turnover into points in the final seconds of the first half on Raiola’s throw to Hunter.
Much as Holgorsen’s offense left plenty of room for improvement, the defense got caught on its heels twice in the second half. And it did not recover. Cincinnati’s tempo beat Nebraska. The Bearcats rushed for 202 yards, including 96 from the quarterback Sorsby.
The Huskers allowed a momentum-changing touchdown drive of 57 yards after Raiola’s fourth-down throw fell incomplete early in the third quarter. And it gave up another of 75 yards midway through the fourth quarter after Nebraska seemingly created breathing room with a 13-play drive to go up 20-10.
The Huskers breathed easy only after Cincinnati’s last push for the end zone fell short. — Sherman
Bearcats squander last-minute opportunity
Looking at the box score, it’s hard to comprehend how Cincinnati was in this game until the final seconds. Nebraska had a 353 to 271 advantage in total yards, was plus-two in the turnover battle and had the ball for 19 more minutes.
The Bearcats threw for just 69 yards and were only 3 for 10 on third down. However, Cincinnati did rush for 202 yards (6.7 yards per carry), including 141 yards in the second half, and made a few key plays that allowed it to stay competitive.
There was a first-half tackle by safety Christian Harrison at the 1-yard line that helped hold Nebraska to a field goal. A fourth-down stop early in the third quarter led to a Cincinnati touchdown on a short drive. A 29-yard scramble by Sorsby in the fourth quarter kept things close, turning a 10-point deficit into a 3-point deficit in short order.
In the end, it wasn’t enough, with the Bearcats capping a dreadful passing performance with a last-minute interception to seal the loss.
It’s a disappointing start to Year 3 of the Scott Satterfield and Big 12 era for Cincinnati, which ended last season on a five-game skid and suffered its second straight losing season. The Bearcats improved the roster and retained key players this offseason, including Sorsby, who led the team in rushing with 96 yards and two touchdowns; Thursday’s leading tackler, Jake Golday; and star defensive tackle Dontay Corleone.
However, all Cincinnati has to show for it is a squandered opportunity in a prime-time, nationally televised season opener. — Justin Williams, staff writer
(Photo of Brendan Sorsby: Frank Bowen IV / Imagn Images)
