Instant Takes: Maryland 13, Nebraska 10
Nebraska loses 13-10 to Maryland behind yet another poor quarterback performance featuring five turnovers.
Here are three instant takes from the Huskers’ fifth loss of the season to become 5-5. The Terrapins advance to 3-4 after four straight losses.
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Husker QB battle wide open
Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg earned his eighth start of the season. However, it was highlighted by bad decisions passing the football. He had two bad interceptions against Michigan State and one against Maryland.
Haarberg had two bad reads and throws that were caught by a Maryland player in Nebraska’s first drive. The first was called back due to defensive holding. He wasn’t even close to hitting a Huskers’ receiver.
After a successful punt fake, Haarberg threw an interception one play later. He totally overthrew Thomas Fidone and Dante Trader Jr. snatched the ball and returned it 21 yards.
Haarberg limped off the field and into the medical tent. He didn’t return. Before the game, Head Coach Matt Rhule said that Haarberg was available but beat up.
The sophomore went 1-for-5 for zero passing yards and threw one interception. Haarberg ran for zero yards on two attempts.
Jeff Sims, who started the first two games of the season, led the Huskers’ longest drive of the first half. He took off for a 12-yard run up the middle on his first snap.
Later in the drive, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound QB also threw a bullet to Billy Kemp Jr. on 3rd-and-9. However, he was still two yards short and the Huskers didn’t convert.
After playing two drives, Sims was 6-for-7 for 50 passing yards. He rushed for 14 yards on four carries. Overall, Sims went 8-for-13 for 62 passing yards and had 33 rushing yards on 10 carries.
After the Husker defense forced two turnovers, Nebraska and Sims converted on both to get 10 points and go up 10-7.
However, Sims had a fumble on the very first play of the fourth quarter. The Terrapins nailed a 35-yard field goal to tie it up 10-10. Sims came back in after the field goal and immediately threw an interception.
Both Haarberg and Sims both have a huge turnover problem. The duo has 21 turnovers this season. With that in mind, Sims did a better job of running the offense against Maryland. He has a more accurate arm and is an explosive runner, just like Haarberg.
After Sims’ interception, NU put in Chubba Purdy. He ripped off a 13-yard gain on his second play. Emmett Johnson had a 29-yard gain to get into the red zone. But, Purdy threw an interception in the endzone with a shot to take the lead with three minutes left.
This offense and team can go as far as their quarterback can take them. That’s their biggest problem.
Nebraska’s front seven and Ty Robinson have a dominant performance
Nebraska’s front seven was on fire against Maryland. They allowed 101 rushing yards, including zero in the first half.
Maryland has struggled to run the ball recently. The trend continued against the third-best rushing defense in the country.
The Huskers’ greatest weakness on defense was its passing defense against Maryland. The Terrapins averaged 280.8 passing yards per game before Saturday. They had 283 total passing yards, including 53-yard and 43-yard catches. NU missed cornerback Quinton Newsome, who was out.
On the other hand, Nebraska’s front seven made some huge plays to keep NU in the game.
Defensive end Jimari Butler started out hot with a big pass breakup in the middle on a slat to force a 3th-and-10 on the first drive. An offsides call on James Williams gave Maryland a fresh set of downs. On 2nd down, Butler broke through the line and took down Octavian Smith Jr. for a loss of six. The Terrapins had to punt.
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He made several other great plays to finish with three tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
At the end of the first, defensive lineman Ty Robinson took over with three huge plays in a row. He had a three-yard tackle for loss on second down. Then he earned a massive sack, but it was called back because Maryland had a false start.
Robinson wanted that sack, but he settled for a tackle way behind the first down marker. He finished with seven tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. He recovered a fumble on Nebraska’s three-yard line in the middle of the fourth quarter. Javin Wright forced the fumble with a huge hit to Roman Hemby.
On a fourth-and-two towards the end of the third quarter, Nash Hutmacher stuffed Antwain Littleton II for a loss of one yard. Maryland turned over the ball on downs at Nebraska’s 21-yard line.
Wright led the Huskers with eight tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.
Nebraska can go only as far as its offense will take them
The Huskers’ defense has proven they are bowl game worthy. They have a top-five rushing defense filled with seniors.
The defense stepped up for a handful of huge plays against Maryland. They forced two turnovers, which the offense converted to 10 points. Those were the only points NU scored with a short field.
Nebraska’s special teams are starting to step it up as well. They ran a successful fake punt in the first quarter to continue a long drive. However, it ended with a Haarberg interception.
Punter Brian Buschini had two punts and averaged 44.5 yards. Freshman kicker Tristan Alvano is settling in after a tough start to the season. He knocked in a 38-yard field goal to tie it up 10-10.
Nebraska’s offense had five turnovers against Maryland. They are close to leading the country in turnover loss. The Huskers are up to 27 total turnovers; 21 of them are from a quarterback.
They have great pieces on this offense. Johnson led the team with 84 rushing yards on 17 yards with a 29-yard run in the fourth quarter. After missing a few games, Kemp made a huge catch for 24 yards on a nice throw from Purdy.
Tight end Thomas Fidone is a proven threat but had one catch on three targets against the Terrapins. NU is littered with talented, fast freshmen receivers.
This offense has suffered lots of loss this season, especially at wide receiver, running back and offensive line. But they still have good players. It’s up to the quarterbacks to put them in a good position to make a play. With five turnovers, there wasn’t much time for that against Maryland.
If Nebraska makes it to a bowl game, it’s because their quarterbacks stepped up while the defense and special teams continue to improve.
