Northwestern rallies from double-digit deficit to jar Nebraska

Northwestern rallies to defeat Nebraska in Dublin

A trip to Ireland to open the college football season was supposed to be a step in the right direction for Nebraska.

Instead, when they return to Lincoln, the Cornhuskers likely will be in ire land.

Northwestern rallied from a double-digit deficit in Dublin on Saturday to down Nebraska, 31-28.

The loss dropped Cornhuskers Head Coach Scott Frost to 15-30 overall. Frost is 5-21 in one-score games at Nebraska.

His team led the Wildcats 28-17 in the third quarter but could not stop the Northwestern offense on a pair of drives that turned it into a 31-28 deficit.

Nebraska had Northwestern pinned inside the 5 in the fourth quarter but the Wildcats ate up 53 yards and the clock on 8 plays in a time-consuming drive.

When Nebraska finally stopped the Wildcats, punter Luke Akers pinned the Cornhuskers at their 4.

Three plays later, Casey Thompson was picked off by Xander Mueller and Northwestern was 1-0, and Nebraska had a long flight home to think about a one-possession loss.

Nebraska has lost three straight openers. Its defense allowed more than 500 yards to the Wildcats.

Ryan Hilinski threw for 313 yards and was magnificent in managing the clock, draining it to the final seconds on the fourth-quarter drive that devoured minutes.

Evan Hull rushed for 119 yards and a TD.

Thompson threw for 355 yards on 25-of-42 but Nebraska failed to score over the last 24 minutes of the game.