Nebraska’s unbeaten start got a serious test Saturday, and the Huskers answered with a finish that looked nothing like the teams that used to fade in spots like that.
Down 23-14 in the first half against Maryland, Nebraska flipped the game completely and rolled to a 48-23 win over the 2-2 Terrapins. The turnaround was decisive: the Huskers outscored Maryland 34-0 the rest of the way and never let the game get back into doubt.
That swing started with defense. Safety Dwayne McDougle III delivered the biggest momentum grab of the afternoon when he took an interception back 81 yards for a touchdown with 2:41 left in the second quarter. That play trimmed Nebraska’s deficit to 21-23, and the Huskers added another score before halftime to go into the break ahead 28-23.
From there, Nebraska kept stacking plays. The Huskers blocked a punt, intercepted another pass, recorded a sack and shut Maryland out in the second half.
Quarterback Anthony Colandrea was the driving force for Nebraska, and his style set the tone. He played like the team’s tone-setter, the guy willing to dive, leap and take contact to squeeze out extra yards when they mattered.
The result leaves Nebraska 5-0 as the schedule turns sharply toward the heart of the Big Ten grind. The Huskers opened conference play September 26th at Michigan State, but the next stretch is the real gauntlet: four ranked teams over the next eight weeks, with a bye week October 24th.
That run starts Saturday in Lincoln, where Indiana comes in for an 11:00 kickoff. The Hoosiers are the defending national champs, 5-0 and ranked No. 7 in the coaches poll.
Indiana has not lost since December 20, 2024, when it fell to then No. 2 Notre Dame in a CFP game, and it brings a 21-game winning streak into Memorial Stadium.
The last meeting between Nebraska and Indiana came in 2024, Curt Cignetti’s first season at Indiana, and the Hoosiers handled the Huskers 56-7.
Nebraska’s path to an upset is clear enough: avoid the kind of first-half lull that nearly buried them against Maryland. Penalties have been the biggest issue, and special teams have been inconsistent enough to raise concern.
This is also the biggest game of Matt Rhule’s Husker career and maybe of his entire college coaching career. A win would validate what he’s building and push Nebraska back into the national spotlight.
The formula is simple from here. Nebraska has enough talent to win Saturday if it stays out of its own way, limits the mistakes and leans on the energy of 86,000 fans in Memorial Stadium. If it turns into a fourth-quarter game, that crowd could make the difference.
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Urban Meyers latest comments just added another layer to the conversation, and it is the kind of skepticism Indiana is likely to keep hearing until it proves itself against the leagues top tier. Meyer questioned how much weight should be given to wins over lower-level opponents, which only sharpens the pressure on the Hoosiers as they move deeper into a slate that will decide whether this start is just a nice story or something far more substantial. [Read more 🡒]