LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has lost one game on a Hail Mary and another in overtime after it made a huge comeback. Now here was Southern Mississippi moving down the field in the last minute with a chance to tie after Nebraska had blown most of a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter.

“I guess it’s really true. It’s never easy,” coach Mike Riley said after his Cornhuskers held on for a 36-28 victory Saturday.

During an afternoon when the Huskers and Golden Eagles combined for almost 1,100 yards of offense, it was defensive end Freedom Akinmoladun who secured victory for Nebraska, sacking Nick Mullens near midfield to end the game.

Tommy Armstrong passed for 368 yards and two touchdowns in his duel with Mullens, who threw for a career-high 447 yards.

“I’m happy we got a win, but I’m not satisfied at all,” Armstrong said. “We could have put up a lot more points on the board. We’re probably 30-45 seconds from going into overtime, and then who knows what?”

Southern Miss (2-2) stayed within striking distance after entering the fourth quarter down 22 points. Mullens and Casey Martin teamed up for two touchdowns, and Jalen Richard’s 1-yard run pulled the Eagles to 36-28 with 6:55 left.

“I thought we gave it all we got,” Mullens said. “Everything we had, we left it out on the field. It was a resilient group of men trying to make plays and win the game, probably one of the funnest games I’ve ever played.”