Maryland walked into Memorial Stadium with two straight losses and a coach under pressure, and for a while Saturday looked like it might turn into the kind of game Nebraska has let slip before.
It didn’t.
After a messy first half, Nebraska football steadied itself and rolled to a 48-23 win over the Terrapins, moving to 5-0 for the first time since 2016. The Huskers scored 21 points in the second half and rattled off 34 unanswered to flip the game for good.
The opening stretch was ugly enough to make the building uneasy. Nebraska’s offense could barely get moving, while Maryland hit enough big plays to seize control early.
The Huskers managed only 38 total yards in the first half, and 19 of those came on Mekhi Nelson’s touchdown run. Nebraska didn’t pick up its second first down until 1:42 remained in the first quarter, and that came on its fifth offensive possession.
The defense had its own problems, even while holding up in the red zone. Maryland found chunk gains through the air and on the ground, including five completions of at least 15 yards and two runs of 10-plus yards.
One of those passes went for 65 yards and put the Terrapins in front 10-7. Maryland sophomore running back Dejuan Williams, back after missing time with an injury suffered in Week 1 against Hampton, was a real problem in the first half with six carries for 71 yards and a touchdown.
He accounted for Maryland’s only second-quarter touchdown, and the Terrapins finished the first quarter with a 16-7 lead.
Nebraska also helped Maryland with a costly giveaway. Colandrea threw an interception right to Maryland senior defensive back Jamare Glasker, giving the Terrapins the ball at Nebraska’s 19-yard line.
Still, the Huskers found enough answers to keep from letting the game get away. One of the biggest swing moments came on special teams, where senior cornerback Jeremiah Charles made his presence felt twice.
On Maryland’s first punt after a three-and-out, Charles got a hand on the ball but was flagged for running into the punter, allowing the drive to continue from the Maryland 35. On the next punt, he made up for it in full, getting all of the ball for a block that set Nebraska up at the Maryland 19.
Nelson cashed in immediately with a run around the right sideline for a 7-3 Nebraska lead.
Charles was one part of a penalty-heavy afternoon for both teams, but Nebraska’s flags were especially damaging. The Huskers were penalized 16 times for 132 yards, with 10 of those penalties and 91 yards coming in the first half.
Maryland added 12 penalties for 70 yards in the first half. The opening half dragged on for more than two hours.
Nelson wound up carrying the load with both freshman Jamal Rule and junior Mekhi Nelson listed as game-time decisions before kickoff. Rule remained sidelined in pads, while Nelson handled the bulk of the backfield work.
Sophomore Isaiah Mozee got the first carry, but Nelson quickly became the featured runner. He opened with a 19-yard touchdown down the right sideline to put Nebraska ahead 7-3, then added a second score early in the second quarter from 5 yards out.
The production wasn’t always clean. Nelson finished with 2.8 yards per carry and had nine runs of two yards or fewer, even with the two touchdowns.
Mozee, though, gave Nebraska a lift in a different way. He finished with 38 rushing yards on five carries in the second half and added four catches for 30 yards before halftime, ending with 76 all-purpose yards.
Nebraska also got a milestone from senior tight end Luke Lindenmeyer, whose second-quarter touchdown was his first of the season.
There were a few other notable numbers worth filing away. Gilmer’s back-to-back 100-plus-yard receiving games are the first by a Nebraska player since Samori Toure in 2021. Colandrea’s 346 all-purpose yards pushed him past 10,000 career all-purpose yards.
Nebraska gets its next test back at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 10, against ranked Indiana. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT, and the game will be on FOX.
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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 🡒]
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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.
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Nebraska Finally Looks Built To Handle The Moment
Nebraskas unbeaten start took another step forward with a comeback that looked a lot like the sort of game this program has too often let slip away in recent years. After falling behind 23-14, the Cornhuskers seized control and rolled past Maryland 48-23, a result that pushed them to 5-0 for the first time since 2016 and added another layer of credibility to a season that is beginning to feel different.
Anthony Colandrea was at the center of it, throwing for 238 yards and three touchdowns while also piling up 108 rushing yards, highlighted by a 51-yard run that helped flip the games energy. Maryland never recovered after the midpoint of the second quarter, as Nebraska ripped off 34 unanswered points and turned a tense road test into a statement win, leaving the bigger question now not about whether the Cornhuskers can survive the moment, but how far this start can carry them. [Read more 🡒]