Nebraska didn’t wait around to get back on track Saturday. After a rough opening quarter and a pile of penalties, the Huskers settled in, pulled away from Maryland and walked out of Memorial Stadium with a 48-23 win to move to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Big Ten.
The offense finished with 447 yards, but the afternoon was really defined by a few players who made the biggest plays when Nebraska needed them most. Some did it through the air, some on special teams, and some by wrecking Maryland’s rhythm on defense.
Kwazi Gilmer was the headliner on offense. The junior receiver came into the game as Nebraska’s top pass-catcher, and he only strengthened that case by the end of it.
His connection with Anthony Colandrea was the centerpiece of the passing game, even if the two had some trouble syncing up in the third quarter. In the fourth, though, Gilmer took over.
He hauled in touchdown catches of five and 30 yards in the final period to help finish off the Terrapins.
Gilmer ended the day with 11 catches for 147 yards, and he was targeted a game-high 17 times while scoring twice.
Nebraska’s defense had its own turning point, and Dwayne McDougle III was right in the middle of it. Maryland quarterback Malik Washington came out hot, throwing for 177 yards in the first quarter, but Nebraska slammed the brakes on him in the second and McDougle’s activity had plenty to do with that. He brought pressure from the backfield and gave the Huskers a needed spark while Donovan Jones was being tested heavily.
Then came the play that changed the mood even more. McDougle read Washington over the middle, picked him off and took it 81 yards to the house for Nebraska’s first pick-six of the season.
Special teams swung the game early, and Jeremiah Charles was a big reason why. The senior first nearly blocked a Maryland punt on the opening drive after Nebraska forced a three-and-out, but he was flagged for running into the kicker instead.
Maryland took advantage and kicked a field goal. Charles made sure the next chance didn’t go to waste.
On the Terrapins’ next punt, he came off the edge and blocked it, and Jeremiah Jones recovered at Nebraska’s 19-yard line. The Huskers turned that into points on the very next play.
With the running back situation still shaky because of injuries, Mekhi Nelson gave Nebraska the kind of first-half production it needed. Jamal Rule and Nelson both entered the day as game-time decisions, with Rule’s availability looking especially doubtful after last week’s injury against Michigan State.
Isaiah Mozee got the start in the backfield, but Nebraska’s offense found its best rhythm with Nelson carrying the ball. He opened with a 19-yard touchdown run after Charles’ blocked punt, then added a five-yard score later in the second quarter.
Nelson finished with 39 rushing yards on 14 carries, and while the ground game leaned on Colandrea at times after that, Nelson’s early burst mattered.
Kade Pietrzak also made one of the game’s biggest defensive plays. Nebraska’s defensive line has been one of the team’s strengths because of its versatility, and Pietrzak showed exactly why.
The sophomore, who has settled in behind Williams Nwaneri, was used in a different look early in the second quarter. Nebraska sent pressure from the right side and had Pietrzak drop into the middle, where he forced Malik Washington into a rushed throw.
The ball landed right in Pietrzak’s hands for the first interception of his career.
Nebraska stays home next week for a matchup with No. 6 Indiana at 11 a.m.
CT. The game will air on FOX and the Huskers Radio Network.
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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.
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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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