Maryland comes to Lincoln this week in full freefall mode, having suffered two disastrous back to back losses that have Mike Locksley’s seat red hot. The Terrapins are coming off an embarrassing 54-3 home loss to UCLA, a game where ESPN analytics now give Maryland a spindly 7.3 percent chance to pull off an upset at Memorial Stadium. While the Terps appear to be unraveling from the outside, Nebraska cannot afford to overlook the pure individual talent on Maryland's roster.
At the center of Maryland's potential is quarterback Malik Washington, a highly skilled passer who has already thrown for over 1,000 yards on the season. Washington possesses the arm talent and ability to take total control of a game when he gets hot. The overarching question for Maryland is whether he has enough of a functional surrounding cast to execute against a big time defense. The Terps run game has been virtually nonexistent, placing immense pressure on Washington to carry the entire offensive burden.
Nebraska should handle this game comfortably on paper, but the biggest physical test for the Husker offense will be taking on Maryland’s defensive line. That front four remains the strength of their squad and can generate serious heat on the passer when allowed to pin their ears back.
While Maryland’s offense relies on dynamic individual plays, their overall defense ranks as a very middle of the pack unit. Nebraska will not necessarily need to drop 70 points, but the offense should be able to consistently move the chains and control the clock. The defining trench battle will be whether Nebraska's offensive line can protect Anthony Colandrea against Maryland’s disruptive front.
With Jamal Rule expected back in the fold, a clear metric for success on the ground will be reaching or exceeding 150 rushing yards. On the discipline side, keeping self inflicted errors down to 4 penalties or fewer will keep drives on schedule and eliminate the unforced mistakes that plagued the Huskers against Michigan State.
A convincing 42-17 victory is well within reach if Nebraska stays focused. The major storylines to monitor are clear: Can Nebraska’s defense continue its lights out play by suffocating Washington and making Maryland one dimensional? Can Colandrea and the Husker offense click at a high level across all four quarters without hitting mid game lulls?
If Nebraska dominates from the opening kickoff and delivers a blowout, this could very well be the final straw that sends Maryland over the edge to move on from Mike Locksley. However, if Nebraska lets down its guard, Maryland still has enough dangerous weapons to hang around and make things interesting. Expect the Huskers to take care of business at home and keep their momentum rolling into the heart of Big Ten play.
