Nebraska spent the middle of Saturday looking like it might be headed for one of those familiar letdowns. Instead, the Huskers ripped the game away from Maryland and turned a 23-14 deficit into a 48-23 win with 34 unanswered points after the midpoint of the second quarter.
That kind of collapse will do nothing to calm Mike Locksley’s critics. If he was already on the hottest of hot seats before kickoff, allowing Nebraska to pile up that kind of second-half surge only makes the day look worse.
Locksley has already lived through plenty of rough afternoons in Maryland, and this one had a chance to sit near the top of the list. His pregame comments also seemed to wake up the Husker crowd if anyone had been thinking about easing into the game.
Nebraska, though, also deserves credit for being a better team than Locksley has likely dealt with in his time with the Terps. The Huskers still found themselves down 23-14, helped along by a mix of bad officiating and shaky play on both sides of the ball, but they never broke.
Anthony Colandrea was a big part of the uneven start. He did not have his best stuff for much of the afternoon, especially over the first three quarters, and he missed open receivers with throws that simply weren’t there.
Even so, his final line still looked strong: 26 of 39 for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also threw his second interception of the year.
What stood out even more was what Colandrea did on the ground. He posted his first Husker career 100-yard rushing game, finishing with 108 yards on 10 carries. His 51-yard run felt like the moment that slammed the door on Maryland.
The bigger takeaway for Nebraska is what this win says about the team’s makeup. In the past, Huskers teams in this spot too often seemed to fold when the first half went sideways.
This group didn’t. It absorbed the early mess, took control, and kept pushing until the game was out of reach.
That matters even more with the schedule about to tighten up. Nebraska now heads toward No.
6 Indiana in Lincoln and then No. 16 Oregon.
The Huskers are 5-0 for the first time since 2016, and the way they reached that mark might be the most encouraging part of all.
In Other News...
Nebraska Stayed Unbeaten But This Win Raised A Bigger Concern
Nebraska moved to 5-0 for the first time since 2016 with a 48-23 win over Maryland, and the record still looks as good as it has in years. The Huskers shook off an uneven first half and then rolled with 34 unanswered points after the break, getting notable contributions from Mekhi Nelson and Isaiah Mozee as the offense found its rhythm and the game got away from Maryland.
Even with the unbeaten start intact, the bigger question is what Nebraska will need to clean up before the schedule tightens again. The next test comes Oct. 10 against Indiana in a ranked game at Memorial Stadium, and the Huskers will have to show they can bring the same second-half punch from the opening whistle if they want this start to mean more than just a fast beginning. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Faces A Defining Reality Check With National Respect At Stake
Week 6 brings a familiar kind of pressure to the college football calendar, with heavyweight matchups like Alabama against Georgia and Texas against Oklahoma drawing the biggest spotlight. Around those games, the broader board is full of tests that will help sort out where teams truly stand, from the Big Ten to other major conferences, and the betting lines reflect how tight the margins are getting as the season settles in.
For Nebraska, the wider picture matters because the Cornhuskers are still trying to turn respect into something more durable than early-season optimism. This is the point in October when a good start can start to mean something, or when a stumble can quickly reset the conversation, and the games around the country are only sharpening that reality for a program still looking to prove it belongs in the national discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska's Maryland Win Didn't Silence The Worries Fans Still Have
Nebraskas 48-23 win over Maryland offered the sort of response the Huskers needed after a rough opening stretch, and the coaching staff deserves credit for the in-game fixes that helped turn things around. The defense settled in, several players made notable contributions, and the result showed a team capable of recovering when the first half goes sideways.
Still, the victory did not erase the issues that have followed Nebraska around this fall. Penalties remain a problem, the offense can still look predictable at times, and there is a clear need for a more balanced passing attack as Indiana approaches. A win helps, but for a fan base looking for something sturdier, the bigger questions are still waiting. [Read more 🡒]