Lincoln, NE (SportsNetwork.com) - Ameer Abdullah had two touchdown runs and a touchdown catch and No. 24 Nebraska grabbed a 41-31 win over Miami-Florida on Saturday.0
Abdullah finished with 229 yards on 35 carries and Tommy Armstrong was 9- for-13 for 113 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Cornhuskers (4-0).
Brad Kaaya went 28-for-42 for 359 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for the Hurricanes (2-2), who came into the game having won their previous two.
Trailing by three points, Miami grabbed a big turnover as Tracy Howard picked off a bad throw from Armstrong near the Miami 30.
Four plays later, though, Duke Johnson had the ball knocked out of his hands on a carry and Josh Mitchell recovered the ball, taking it 57 yards for a score and a 31-21 lead with 2:23 left in the third.
Nebraska appeared to come up with another big play on defense as Nate Gerry picked off a Kaaya pass, but a roughing the passer call negated the turnover and the Hurricanes held on to the ball.
Miami eventually had a 1st-and-goal at the 8, but Kaaya was sacked on second down and the team had to settle for a 34-yard field goal from Michael Badgley to make it a 31-24 game 1 1/2 minutes into the fourth.
Nebraska answered with a 39-yard field goal from Drew Brown to make it a 34-24 contest. The eight-play drive ate up a little over four minutes.
Kaaya was intercepted by Joshua Kalu on Miami's ensuing possession, and Abdullah put the game away with a 10-yard TD run for a 41-24 lead with 4:13 to play.
Kaaya tossed a 4-yard score to Braxton Berrios in the closing seconds to account for the final score.
Miami started the game with the ball and grabbed a 7-0 lead on a Johnson 2- yard run, but Nebraska came right back with a touchdown of its own as Armstrong and Kenny Bell connected for a 40-yard score.
Kaaya and Clive Walford got together for a 6-yard score just over a minute into the second to give the Hurricanes a 14-7 lead, but again the Cornhuskers answered as Abdullah caught a pass for a 3-yard score with 7:10 to play.
Brown hit a 19-yard field goal as time expired to give Nebraska a 17-14 lead at the break.
Abdullah's 6-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the third quarter made it a 24-14 game, but Kaaya guided Miami back down the field and tossed a 9-yard score to Malcolm Lewis for a 24-21 game.
Game Notes
Nebraska opens Big Ten play next week when it hosts Illinois ... Johnson finished the game with 93 yards on 18 carries ... Walford led all receivers with seven catches for 80 yards ... Nebraska now leads the series with Miami, 6-5 ... Nebraska controlled the ball for 33:20.
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