HEINZ FIELD Huskers hang on to preserve 24-17 victory over Pittsburgh

Nebraska converted three Panthers' turnovers into points.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Nebraska finally succeeded in winning the turnover battle. But the one time the Cornhuskers gave the ball away nearly cost them.
After 11 turnovers in their first two games, the Huskers got into trouble against Pittsburgh on Joe Dailey's late interception.
The Huskers managed to preserve a 24-17 win Saturday by batting down a pass in the end zone on the game's final play. However, their first meeting with the Panthers since 1958 shouldn't have been that close.
"We had a key turnover and it was almost like last week's game against Southern Miss," Nebraska linebacker Wali Muhammad said. "It was pretty frightening, but we battled back."
The win kept Nebraska (2-1) from dropping below .500 for the first time in 23 years.
Early lead
The Huskers converted three of Pittsburgh's four turnovers into scores in the first half, but still gave the Panthers a chance to come back.
"We don't like the fact that we had a 14-point lead that dwindled in the second half," Nebraska coach Bill Callahan said.
Linebacker H.B. Blades picked off Dailey with 4:53 remaining, and one play later Pitt's Tyler Palko threw a 34-yard scoring pass to Greg Lee to pull the Panthers within a touchdown.
On Pitt's final drive, Palko's 31-yard completion to Darrell Strong on fourth down with 6 seconds to go put the ball inside the 20. Palko scrambled to his left on the final play and threw a floater into the end zone, but cornerback Titus Brothers knocked it down.
Dailey, who entered the game with a nation-high seven interceptions, was 11-of-22 for 142 yards and a touchdown. He also scored untouched on a 17-yard run.
Palko shaky again
Palko, who passed for just 49 yards in last week's win against Ohio, again looked shaky. He was 22-of-45 for 228 yards and a touchdown. The left-hander threw three interceptions.
Redshirt freshman Joe Flacco took over for a series late in the third quarter but couldn't move the offense.
The Panthers (1-1) only rushed for 30 yards, which didn't help Palko, Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris said.
"He's got a tough job," Harris said. "This is his first year at quarterback. He's got a lot of young people around him."
The Panthers' defense kept them in the game by holding the Huskers to 265 total yards and shutting them out in the second half.
Three of Nebraska's first-half scores were set up by turnovers -- each giving the Huskers the ball inside Pittsburgh's 10-yard line.
Fabian Washington intercepted Palko on Pitt's first possession and returned it 19 yards to the Nebraska 4, leading to a field goal. Muhammad later picked off Palko, leading to a 2-yard scoring run by Cory Ross, who led the Huskers with 73 yards on 24 carries.
Marcus Furman had a 96-yard kickoff return for Pitt. He ran right through the middle of the Huskers' coverage unit.
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