Nebraska’s 48-23 victory over Maryland was a absolute tale of two halves, showing both the frustrating floor and the sky-high ceiling of this team. For the first two quarters, the Huskers played flat out awful football. The offense could not run the ball, could not complete a pass, and looked completely out of rhythm. Defensively, Nebraska struggled to set the edge and stop Maryland’s ground game, leaving them outgained by over 100 total yards heading into the locker room at halftime. It felt like a classic trap game where the Huskers had clearly overlooked a desperate Maryland squad while looking ahead to next week’s massive showdown against top 10 ranked Indiana.
Then came the second half, and the game was completely over in a flash.
Whatever adjustments were made at halftime worked like a charm, as Nebraska came out and completely dominated the final two quarters. The defense stepped up and shut the door, led by sensational performances across all three levels. Owen Chambliss, Donovan Jones, and Vincent Shavers Jr. played relentless, physical football, while Dwayne McDougle III seemed to be everywhere on the field making big stops. The defensive line finally found its pass rush and held the line of scrimmage, forcing Maryland into obvious passing downs and turning the momentum entirely.
Once Anthony Colandrea walked back onto the field after halftime, he simply took the game into his own hands. Operating with supreme confidence, the gunslinger cut through Maryland's secondary and showcased his incredible chemistry with Kwazi Gilmer. Gilmer had an absolute monster night, hauling in 11 catches for 147 yards and 2 touchdowns, serving as Colandrea’s go to target every time the offense needed a big play. Colandrea added 108 yards on the ground himself, fueling a total second half takeover that turned a ugly start into a 25 point blowout victory.
What made this game so fascinating is something Husker fans haven’t felt in nearly 20 years. Even during that brutal first half stretch, there was never a moment of panic. You never felt like Nebraska was actually going to lose the game; it felt like everyone was just waiting for this team to finally step on the accelerator and take off.
Watching a lot of college football, you realize there are really two types of teams. There are teams that have rough starts and either barely squeak out a win or choke it away in the fourth quarter. Then there are real contender teams that might hang around in a close game at halftime, but then put their foot down in the second half, pull away, and win by three scores. That is exactly what Nebraska did tonight.
Looking ahead, next week’s matchup against Indiana could be a lot more explosive than national pundits expect. Colandrea is a certified gunslinger, and with elite targets like Gilmer locked in, this offense has firepower to match anyone. If Nebraska can bring that second half intensity from the opening kickoff, Indiana is in for a real fight in Lincoln.
