Four Observations From Nebraska’s 20-17 Win Over Cincinnati in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY—Nebraska football opened the season with a 20-17 win over Cincinnati Thursday night.

In the inaugural Kansas City Classic from Arrowhead Stadium, fans and celebrities alike saw the Huskers hold off a late charge from the Bearcats. Below are my four observations from the neutral site event that ended with NU at 1-0.

What an Atmostphere

Nebraska fans are unlike any other.

We saw it with trips to Boulder and Norman over the past few years, but the prevailing sentiment on Thursday was that this had the feel of an old Big Eight/12 road trip. Kansas City is in the neighborhood for travel to places like Ames, Columbia, Manhattan, and Lawrence—and Husker fans made it feel like trips of old to those destinations.

The official attendance for the game was 72,884. Nebraska fans made up at least 65,000 of those. Besides the band and the team on the field, it was hard to find anyone associated with Cincinnati around the stadium before or during the contest.

Even more than showing up, the Husker faithful showed out. The crowd was loud, especially at the end when the team needed that extra little juice to close out the win.

Of the few Cincinnati fans to show up to the game were Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, a Bearcat Alum, and global superstar Taylor Swift. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Timely Blackshirts

Bend but don’t break, but also get the ball back in key moments. That’s what the Blackshirts did on Thursday.

Cincinnati was able to run the ball well early on, and again late, against Nebraska. But they were never consistent in the act, having back-to-back three-and-outs in the first half and one more in the second.

Nebraska Cornhuskers defensive back Malcolm Hartzog Jr. intercepts a pass against Cincinnati Bearcats wide receiver Caleb Goodie. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Bearcats rushed for 202 yards, something that would seem to lean towards a successful outing. On the passing side, it was just 69 yards on the evening, with 45 yards coming in the fourth quarter.

It was also passing plays that resulted in two major swings for Nebraska. Late in the second quarter, a short pass saw the receiver get blown up, resulting in a fumble. The Huskers recovered and scored three plays later.

With less than a minute to go in the game, Cincinnati quarterback threw a pass to the end zone just to see it picked off by Malcolm Hartzog.

Workhorse Emmett Johnson or Thin Running Back Room?

Emmett Johnson rushed a career-high 25 times for 108 yards, just his second 100-yard effort in his career. He also made a game-high seven receptions for 27 yards.

Nebraska’s second-leading rusher? A tie between wide receiver Janiran Bonner and tight end Heinrich Haarberg, who each had four yards rushing.

For the rest of the actual running back room, Mekhi Nelson had one carry for no gain while Isaiah Mozee had one carry for -2 yards. Mozee also caught one pass for two yards, ultimately giving the non-Johnson running backs three total touches on the night.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola hands the ball off to running back Emmett Johnson in the Kansas City Classic against Cincinnati. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Is that sustainable? We’ll see. For one night, at least, Johnson was in full workhorse mode in a way that worked for Nebraska.

Special Teams Did Their Job

No mistakes on that third phase of the game. Not a bad snap. Not a bad punt. No muffed returns.

Was there anything special in the return game? No, but there weren’t soul-destroying mistakes either. And the rest of the operation with Nebraska in possession was outstanding.

Kyle Cunanan went 2-for-2 in his Husker debut, including a 52-yarder to tie the game at the start of the second quarter. The debut of Archie Wilson saw him punt the ball four times, with three spotting the Bearcats back at their 14 or worse. The only punt to land outside the 20 was a 41-yarder, his long for the day, that Cincinnati caught on their own 35.

Nebraska offensive lineman Henry Lutovsky holds up the Battle Sports Kansas City Classic trophy after defeating Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska Athletics Postgame Notes

Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule

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