Nebraska Football is 5-0 and Cynicism Still Has a Seat — The Morning After
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Nebraska is 5-0 for the first time in 10 years.
They are one win from being eligible for the third season in a row.
These are good things.
On Friday morning my Flakes article made the argument that Nebraska media and fans are (at times) allowing cynicism to take over. It is my belief that we need to fight the cynicism and enjoy these wins as they come.
Well, last night’s 25-point win over Maryland will surely not help in that regard.
When Maryland kicked their third field goal of the game to go up 16-7, it was the defense that played exceptional situational football that kept the score from being 28-7. The defense holding up early in the game was what allowed Nebraska to get its footing which then resulted in a 25-point win.
Regarding Maryland, it is clear that they are not lacking in talented players. I do not know exactly why the program is struggling so much but it isn’t because of a lack of talent.
Maryland might be a poor man’s USC. The way they run their offense means their defense does not get a great look in practice against a team that wants to be physical. I could be completely off-base about Maryland but a team that does not look interested in running the ball can only win one way. Saturday we saw exactly what happened when Maryland could not adjust against Rob Aurich’s defense and then suddenly it looked like the defense was taking everything away from Maryland.
Maryland Head Coach Mike Locksley and Quarterback Malik Washington had no answers after landing the initial body blows on Saturday. I believe it was defensive lineman Kade Pietrzak’s interception which started everything going in Nebraska’s favor. The avalanche did not come right after Pietrzak’s interception but the tide started to turn. Maryland’s Malik Washington likely stopped trusting what he was seeing in front of him.
Later in the second quarter it was Dwayne McDougle’s pick-six which finally triggered the avalanche. This is when Nebraska dominated in a way we expected after seeing Maryland lose to UCLA 54-3 last week.
On the other side of the ball, it looks like Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea had a few too many coffees prior to the game. Everything looked sped up. The timing was off and he had a few of his 100-mph missiles to 5-yard crossing routes which are hard to catch. There were some throws he clearly missed particularly to Kwazi Gilmer. Even with those missed throws to Gilmer, Kwazi still ended up with 11 receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
But Colandrea proved (again) just how valuable he is to this team. His 108 rushing yards was a career high but he was able to convert multiple 3rd and longs to keep the offense on the field which resulted in Nebraska (as a team) scoring five touchdowns after Maryland went up 23-14 in the second quarter.
The final score was not indicative of how the game started but after seeing Minnesota beat Michigan, Purdue beat Illinois and Northwestern beat Penn State — I think it could go a long way to shift our perspective when it comes to winning games in the Big Ten.
At this point in the season, you cannot do any better than 5-0. A great opportunity against Indiana comes next.
The Morning After
Steven Sipple: If you’re a Nebraska fan, lean hard on Huskers’ second-half flex for sake of your sanity
Bring on Indiana.
You feeling it, Nebraska football fans?
If you readily say “yes,” I get it. I also get it if you pause and don’t want to answer right at this moment.
Bottom line, Nebraska is 5-0 (2-0 Big Ten) following a rather bizarre 48-23 win Saturday against Maryland before 85,033 spectators at Memorial Stadium.
What we learned from Nebraska’s win over Maryland
In one of the stranger 25-point victories you’ll see, Nebraska pulled away for a 48-23 victory over Maryland on Saturday.
Here are our five biggest takeaways from the win and what it means for head coach Matt Rhule and the Huskers going forward…
Rhule’s initial thoughts on Nebraska’s 48-23 win over Maryland — and the flags
It wasn’t tracking as hoped for about 27 minutes of action.
But Maryland finished 1-of-14 on third down, and this would be the costliest failure of them all.
Leading 23-14 and driving, Malik Washington let go of a present as far as Husker safety Dwayne McDougle was concerned. McDougle was about to make an 81-yard house call. Nebraska was about to score 34 unanswered points.
Undefeated Nebraska ultimately rolls Maryland, but are Huskers ready for Indiana?
LINCOLN, Neb. — The stage is set. Nebraska dispatched Maryland 48-23 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, overcoming a mistake-riddled first half to extend its best start to a season in 10 years.
Nebraska (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) scored the final 34 points and pitched a second-half shutout after falling behind by nine twice in the first half against the reeling Terps.
Maryland football outlasted by Nebraska in 48-23 meltdown
Maryland football outplayed Nebraska in the first half. The Terps had 300 total yards with a balanced offense — it had 177 passing yards and 123 on the ground. Yet they still trailed, 28-23, at halftime.
Penalties and turnovers were a big reason why. Maryland had eight penalties for 70 yards, including three on Nebraska’s final drive of the first half. Malik Washington, who threw a career-high four interceptions against UCLA, had a pair of picks on Saturday.
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