There was a time when Nebraska was a powerhouse and a game against Maryland would have never been in question. But that has all changed. Matt Rhule is right when he says, “It’s the Big Ten, they’re all good teams. It’s hard to win.” Husker fans may not want to hear that but it’s true. If you don’t believe it, just look at what UCLA did to Penn State last weekend. Nobody expected an 0-4 UCLA team to defeat James Franklin and Penn State. It was a given the Nittany Lions would be out for blood after dropping a close game at home to Oregon, but QB Nico lamaleava dismantled DC Jim Knowles’s defense.
Such games are now a possibility every Saturday. Although, I won’t go so far as to say Ohio State needs to look out for Illinois. Yet, they better not forget what UCLA did either.
As Nebraska heads east for what will truly be their first road game of the season, they better not listen to the odds makers and prognosticators. The Maryland Terrapins will give the Huskers all they want and then some. Nebraska is one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten, but right now HC Mike Locksley is recruiting at a high level and has a cast of freshmen that aren’t phased by the Big Ten. These boys brought their ‘A’ game.
It starts with QB Malik Washington, a 6’5” 230lb true freshman. Washington is a guy who can’t be described as a runner, but he has great pocket awareness and can move when needed. If he does run, he’s a load to bring down. However, he prefers to stand in the pocket and sling the ball. He’s thrown for 1,257 yards, 9 TDs and 2 INTs. As far as running, his yards aren’t worth mentioning, but what needs to be noted is his 3 rushing TDs.
Washington’s has four top targets, starting with Octavin Smith Jr. another true freshman who is 6’0” 180lbs. He’s the Terps leading receiver with 19 catches for 324 yards. Up next is Shaleak Knotts, 6’3” 195lbs,18 catches 305 yards and 5 TDs, along with Jalil Farooq, 6’2” 213lbs, 25 catches for 233 yards. Rounding out the foursome is TE Dorian Fleming, 6’3” 245lbs, has 21 catches for 171 yards, 2 TDs. The big, bodied Fleming can be especially dangerous in the red zone. Nebraska’s secondary may want to take notice that all these guys are good size. The other stat the Blackshirts will want to be aware of is that this group sometimes hears footsteps and has 22 drops on the season. To put that number in prospective, the Huskers have 6 drops on the season.
The leading rusher for the Terps is another true freshman, DeJuan Williams, 5’11” 215lbs, he has run for 209 yards and 1 TD, with a 3.5 yards per carry average. These aren’t daunting numbers and part of that is due to Maryland being last in the Big Ten in rushing. They average 93.2 yards a game and a 3.3 yard per carry average. However, it should be noted whatever struggle the offensive line has at run blocking is made up for in in pass protection, only allowing 2 sacks on the season.
Everything points to Maryland’s offense being a good matchup for the Blackshirts. Nebraska’s strength is pass defense, and we saw an improved pass rush from Nwaneri, Lenhardt, and McCullough against MSU. Wright, Shavers, and Merritt have taken on a different look as well, playing faster and filling run gaps. The Blackshirts seem to be settling in with DC John Butler’s scheme and are starting to play in sync with the secondary. Between Phil Snow, Butler, and Addison Williams you can be assured they studied Washington and what they did against Maryland in the fourth quarter. The trio will come up with some looks that will confuse the Terps young QB. What the Blackshirts must do is get off the field, they can allow double digit drives.
Defensively, The Terps like to bring the pressure, and they have a pair of freshmen Edge rushers who are good at it. DL Sidney Stewart 6’2” 255lbs has 20 pressures, 6 QB hits, 3 Sacks, and 11 hurries on the season. Line mate Zahir Mathis 6’6” 222lbs, has 18 pressures, 3 QB hits, 4 sacks, and 11 hurries. As a team the Terps have 58 QB pressures and 19 sacks with 35 tackles for a loss. Another notable name to be aware of on the defense is LB Daniel Wingate, 6’5” 230lbs. He has 27 so called stop tackles. A stop tackle is considered a tackle of impact. In comparison, Nebraska’s leading stop tackler is Vincent Shavers Jr. with 11.
The Terps seldom blitz and prefer to rush with four and cover with the remaining seven.
The key for Nebraska offensively will be pass protection and keeping the Maryland defense off balance with runs. The Huskers must find a running game with leading rusher Emmett Johnson rushing for at least 100 yards. Sometimes the best way to defeat a pass rush is to run straight at them. OC Dana Holgorsen will need to use play designs that are quick hitters, whether it’s runs or throws. If Nebraska’s receivers get open quickly, I like Raiola’s chances of passing for 250 plus yards.
The big difference in this game will be Nebraska’s special teams. We saw what Mike Ekeler did against MSU in blocking the punt. We also saw Jacory Barney have his best day as a punt returner and punter Archie Wilson and kicker Kyle Cunanan continue to impress. This is game six for both teams and there’s plenty of film for Ekeler to review. He will have found something to capitalize on and have his special teams ready to go. A couple of notable stats from special teams. Going into this game Nebraska hasn’t allowed a single positive yard on punt returns (-1). Also, opponents on average start their drives from their own 18-yard line, which makes things much easier on the defense.
Last week both teams had Twilight Zone experiences as both games provided weird twists.
For example, at one point Nebraska ran 25 plays for 19 yards in two quarters of play. Not to be out done, Maryland had a 20-0 lead and ran 19 plays for 52 yards and no points on their last four possessions of the game and ended up losing 24-20. This one could come down to which team can erase that experience from their minds. Nebraska overcame the bad stretch by scoring points and winning their game. Maryland faltered to the end and lost theirs.
Everything says Nebraska should win this game, but we all saw UCLA vs Penn State and the Twilight Zone is still out there.
GO BIG RED!!
Stats gathered from ESPN – Serving Sports Fans. Anytime. Anywhere.
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