No. 18 Nebraska 31, McNeese State 24: Ameer Abdullah caught a 58-yard pass for the game-winning touchdown with 20 seconds left as Nebraska survived a scare from the visiting Cowboys.

Tommy Armstrong Jr. went 16-of-31 for 242 yards and two touchdowns through the air and added 131 yards and a score on the ground for Nebraska (2-0), which improved to 37-9 at home under Bo Pelini. Abdullah was held to just 54 yards rushing, but chipped in with 96 receiving yards to go along with two touchdowns while Jordan Westerkamp caught a touchdown pass for the Cornhuskers.

Tyler Bolfing threw for 101 yards and added a touchdown on the ground while Daniel Sams threw for 59 yards and rushed for 74 more for McNeese State (0-1), which fell to 0-9 all-time against teams from the Big Five conferences. Aaron Sam added a defensive touchdown and Derrick Milton chipped in with a rushing score for the Cowboys.

McNeese State jumped out to an early 7-0 lead courtesy of Milton's 9-yard run before Nebraska responded with touchdowns from Westerkamp and Abdullah to pull ahead by seven. Sam returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-14 before the Cornhuskers reclaimed the lead on Armstrong Jr.'s quarterback sneak on fourth down with 5:47 left in the second quarter.

Drew Brown kicked a 31-yard field goal to put Nebraska on top 24-14, but the Cowboys refused to quit and cut the deficit to three after Bolfing's one-yard plunge. McNeese State tied the game at 24 following Alex Kjellsten's 24-yard field goal with 4:21 remaining in the game before Abdullah caught a short pass and broke numerous tackles to score the winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Nebraska WR Kenny Bell caught one pass for 14 yards before leaving the game in the first quarter with an undisclosed injury. … The Cornhuskers improved to 11-0 all-time against FCS opponents. … Nebraska P Sam Foltz averaged 51.2 yards on six punts with a long of 61.