Homecoming Saturday in Lincoln. Nebraska hosts Maryland at Memorial Stadium, kickoff set for 3 p.m. CT on FS1. The weather looks about as good as it gets for early October — sunny skies, highs around 70, and a light south breeze.

No weather-related excuses for a slow start.

The Huskers roll in 4-0 and 1-0 in the Big Ten after the road win at Michigan State. Maryland sits at 2-2 and 0-1 after getting dismantled 54-3 by UCLA last weekend. Woof.

Don't look ahead - but this is the last soft landing before the schedule gets real.

Indiana is next week. Oregon the week after that. How this one goes tells us a lot about whether the Huskers are actually ready for that stretch or if they’re still figuring things out on the fly.

1. Don’t look ahead to Indiana and Oregon

It’s easy to do. The non-conference slate is done, the first Big Ten win is in the books, and the next two opponents are the ones that actually move the needle. Maryland just got smoked at home by UCLA and has looked uninspired all year. That combination is dangerous if you start treating Saturday like a give-me.

Head Coach Matt Rhule has talked all season about stacking good weeks and not skipping steps.

This is the week that either proves the message stuck or shows the team is already peeking at the schedule. Play the team in front of you, finish drives, and get out of Memorial Stadium with a clean win. Everything else can wait until Sunday.

2. Who is getting the touches at running back

Jamal Rule is doubtful after leaving early against Michigan State. He has been the lead back so far this year, 333 yards and five touchdowns on the ground through four games, plus another score through the air.

Mekhi Nelson is listed as questionable and has already been carrying a bigger load in Rule’s absence (227 yards and two scores). If both are limited, the ball is going to Isaiah Mozee and Vincent Genatone, with Kwinten Ives mixed in.

Mozee has shown burst in spots, but has not broken out yet.

Genatone scored twice at Michigan State when the depth got tested, but his ability as a consistent between-the-tackles runner is questionable.

Maryland’s run defense isn’t elite, but if the Huskers are cycling three or four backs and none of them gets into a rhythm, the offense loses the balance that has made it hard to game-plan against. Who actually gets the early-down work, and whether Dana Holgorsen trusts any of them in the red zone, will tell us how deep this room really is.

3. Can the defense contain Malik Washington’s passing attack

Maryland’s offense runs through sophomore quarterback Malik Washington. He has thrown for 1,034 yards and six touchdowns this season, but he also has four interceptions — all of them in last week’s blowout loss to UCLA, where he completed just 47 percent of his passes and looked rattled under pressure. That is the version Nebraska wants.

Defensive coordinator Rob Aurich’s group has been generating sacks at a good rate and creating pressure in the backfield.

Washington can sling it when he has time — he put up 359 against Virginia Tech — so the plan has to be simple: don’t let him settle into rhythm, force him off his first read, and make him beat you with his feet if the pocket collapses.

If the Blackshirts can keep him uncomfortable the way UCLA did, Maryland’s offense doesn’t have a second answer.

If he gets clean pockets and starts connecting downfield, this turns into the kind of game that looks closer than it should.