LINCOLN, Neb. -- Freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson ran for a career-high 126 yards and passed for 177 yards, and Northwestern held on for a 30-28 victory over Nebraska on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

Northwestern (6-2, 2-2 in the Big Ten) had run only 32 plays through three quarters and possessed the ball for a mere 11:48, but controlled the fourth quarter.

Thorson threw a 37-yard touchdown pass to Dan Vitale with 9:53 remaining to put Northwestern in front 27-22, and Jack Mitchell kicked a 27-yard field goal with 7:27 remaining for a 30-22 lead.

Quarterback Tommy Armstrong, who passed for 291 yards and a touchdown to lead Nebraska, scored on a four-yard bootleg run with 4:23 left, but he threw an incomplete pass on the two-point conversion, leaving the Huskers short yet again.

Nebraska (3-5, 1-3) has lost games by five, three, one, two and two points, with the previous four losses coming on the opponent's final offensive snap.

Cornerback Nick VanHoose returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown, and scrambling runs of 68 and 49 yards by Thorson set up a touchdown and a field goal for the Northwestern, which led 17-12 at halftime.

Trailing 7-3, Nebraska converted a safety when Ross Dzuris and Jack Gangwish combined to sack Thorson in the end zone, a play after Miles Shuler fair caught a punt at the Northwestern four-yard line.

After his interception, Armstrong threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Reilly to finish a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that pulled Nebraska to within 14-12, and he scored on a four-yard touchdown run to finish a 15-play drive to open the second half for a 19-17 lead.