Report card from Nebraska’s nail-biting victory over Maryland

Nebraska (5-1, 2-1) found itself in a fierce clash at Maryland (4-2, 1-2) on Saturday afternoon. Despite another uneven outing, the Huskers managed to lock in for a big fourth quarter, scoring ten unanswered to win 34-31. Both teams found themselves on the end of massive momentum swings, resulting in huge swings on the scoreboard.

Nebraska and Maryland finished near even in passing, while the Huskers edged out the Terrapins in rushing by over 60 yards. However, much of Maryland’s offense found success due to mistakes by Nebraska. The Huskers, both on offense and defense, slipped up multiple times, giving the Terrapins opportunities to score, which they took advantage of.

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Though Nebraska found ways to bounce back from these mistakes, it cannot continue to make them, or else these close games will result in losses once again. Here is the report card for Nebraska’s 34-31 win against Maryland.

Quarterbacks: C+

Though Dylan Raiola arguably put together a better game than last week, he gets his worst grade of the season thus far on the year due to his three interceptions. All three of his picks were avoidable, even with the clamoring Maryland secondary, and resulted in 17 points for the Terrapins.

In any other game, this would’ve been the backbreaking factor in a for-sure loss. But Raiola managed to overcome the mistakes and take advantage of the opportunities his team gave him.

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However, such opportunities don’t always come, and atonement can only do so much if such mistakes continue, especially when facing opposing offenses that know how to put points on the board. Plus, even outside those three mistakes, Raiola also missed a few throws that slowed down drives.

But he still put together a game-winning drive and finished with 260 passing yards and four touchdowns. If he continues to perform strongly and take away the interceptions, he can head into the second half of this season with a much-needed surge.

Running Backs: A-

The Huskers finished with 193 rushing yards on 31 carries, their best outing on the ground against a power four team this season. Though they didn’t score any touchdowns, their play helped Nebraska strike from multiple fronts.

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Johnson delivered a career game against Maryland, rushing for 175 yards on 21 carries, the most by a Husker in a game since 2020. Johnson made big cuts and broke tackles in the win, including a massive 50-yard run in the fourth to set Nebraska up in the red zone.

Isaiah Mozee also picked up five carries for 24 yards, averaging just under five per run. Johnson and Mozee also combined for four catches for 30 yards.

The only real mishap for the group on the day came in the first quarter, when Johnson got called for a controversial pass interference penalty in the red zone, robbing Nebraska of a touchdown. But, outside of that, Johnson played with immense speed and agility after being slowed down the past few weeks.

Wide Receivers: A-

Raiola’s atonement for his three interceptions came in part because of his receiving corps once again coming through on their end. Nyziah Hunter once again scored on a big screen pass in the first before snatching a touchdown in the second, ending the game with 125 yards on just five catches.

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Luke Lindenmeyer finished with two catches for 30 yards, but both catches resulted in massive plays. He first made a toeline grab in the endzone in the second, handing the lead back to Nebraska. He then turned a simple screen into a key 23-yard reception in the fourth, getting the Huskers moving on the eventual game-winning drive.

Heinrich Haarberg finished with just one catch, but he also made a key reception on Nebraska’s final drive, setting the team up on the three-yard line. Dane Key then delivered on a game-winning touchdown catch after just missing a touchdown reception on the last drive.

Much the running back room, the wide receivers did everything they could to get Nebraska’s offense moving, outside of a holding penalty in the fourth. So long as this group continues to be a threat to opposing defenses, the Huskers’ offense will continue to be stellar.

Offensive Line: B+

The pipeline entered this game with a chip on their shoulders, and they delivered with their best performance against a power four team this year. Though Nebraska still suffered a sack and three tackles for loss, that didn’t completely overshadow the offense’s performance.

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Raiola, for most of the game, had time in the pocket to throw, and Johnson had holes big enough to drive a truck through. All of this doesn’t happen if the line didn’t stand their ground like they did.

But the group didn’t have a perfect outing. Along with the one sack and multiple tackles for loss, the line also failed on another fourth-down play and committed three penalties that contributed to stalled drives.

So there is still room for improvement for this line, and with more formidable defenses awaiting them, they need to build on this win and not slip up.

Defensive Line: B-

Nebraska’s front line quickly got to Malik Washington, pressuring him early on and continuously throughout the game. However, despite bringing the pressure, the Huskers barely got to him. The group sacked him once, and although Washington has rarely been sacked all season, they missed opportunities to sack him more.

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Washington managed to escape the line each time and sometimes took off down the field in the process. There were also times when the front line once again couldn’t prevent holes from being formed or contain the outside, allowing for Maryland to finish with 130 rushing yards, a season-high against power four opponents.

But despite not getting to Washington often, they did prevent a few plays from going the Terrapins’ way. The biggest one was a potential wide-open touchdown on Maryland’s final drive. If the line didn’t get through and force Washington to throw it away, leading to an intentional grounding penalty, Maryland could have at the very least gotten in field goal range.

The line did just enough to secure the win for Nebraska. But, it needs to be able to get to the quarterback and slow down the run, considering upcoming opponents are known for taking off.

Linebackers: B-

Nebraska’s linebackers also had a mixed outing, delivering plays that became crucial moments but couldn’t stop the run at times. The second level also let a few crossing routes get by them,

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But again, the group did make plays that helped the team. Arguably, the biggest play was Dasan McCullough’s third-down tackle for loss at the start of the fourth. This play sent Maryland back and helped Nebraska regain possession, starting the comeback.

However, if the second level continues to allow a few runs to get by, bigger plays can emerge because of it.

Defensive Backs: C

Nebraska’s secondary faced its toughest passing team of the season, with Maryland leaning heavily on Washington’s arm through its first six games. Though the Huskers held the freshman quarterback to around his season average, they still allowed way too much to happen.

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Washington completed 27 of his 37 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown. But many of Washington’s incompletions came from bad throws rather than good coverage. Maryland’s receivers got open, leading to some drives continuing when Nebraska had the chance to end them.

The near touchdown that occurred late in the fourth was also due to a breakdown in the secondary. But the Blackshirts also missed numerous tackles that led to eventual touchdowns.

Plus, the defensive backs just missed big-time plays. The biggest play was Donovan Jones’ third-quarter tackle, which was just a split-second late from becoming a forced fumble that would have prevented a Maryland touchdown.

The Huskers can certainly rebound from this, but with more versatile offenses coming up, the secondary cannot let opportunities get by.

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Special Teams: A-

Special teams once again came through with a game-changing play, with Kenneth Williams breaking out an 85-yard kick return to set Nebraska up on the 10-yard line. The return came just after Maryland took a 14-10 lead, quickly swinging momentum back towards the Huskers.

Williams only got two returns in the game, but finished with 108 yards in large part due to his massive second-quarter burst. Mozee also got a kick return, taking one back 29 yards. Caleb Benning, meanwhile, got a 25-yard return. Kyle Cunanan finished 2-for-2 in field goals, hitting a 27-yarder and a 43-yarder.

Jacory Barney, however, only earned three yards on two punt returns after finishing with 81 yards last week. Archie Wilson also only punted once in the game, but sent it just 20 yards.

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Although this is the only downside to the third phase, its performance continues to demonstrate how much it’s grown since last season and the impact Mike Ekeler has had.

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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Report card from Nebraska’s nail-biting victory over Maryland