Behind Enemy Lines: Nebraska edition

6 hours ago

3 min read

Maryland football will make their second road trip of the season when they head to Lincoln, Nebraska in what will be their first Big Ten road game of the season. Maryland and Nebraska will kickoff at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, October 3rd at 4:00 pm. The game will be televised on FS1. After a thumping 54-3 loss to UCLA at home, this is a game that Maryland is playing for pride in. The Terps enter this contest as 14.5-point underdogs, per FanDuel. To learn more, I connected with Bobby Schnieder from On3’s Huskers Online to dive into this matchup:

IBG: What have you seen from Anthony Colandrea thus far, and how has he added a new dimension to the offense that it didn't have under Dylan Raiola?

Huskers Online: Anthony Colandrea has been the difference for Nebraska. His mobility has reignited the Dana Holgorsen tenure in Lincoln. Although it is early, we saw what his dual-threat ability will bring to the table last week against Michigan State. Sure, the Huskers have an improved offensive line. However, I truly believe Colandrea is the primary reason that the Big Red is averaging nearly 250 yards per game on the ground and through the air. Dylan Raiola has elite potential, but he doesn't fit the Nebraska QB mold. There haven't ever been many successful pocket passers coming from Lincoln, Neb., and the unpredictability that the 6-foot Colandrea brings to this offense has been nothing short of exciting.

IBG:How has the addition of Kwazi Gilmer improved an already talented receiver room, and how has the connection between him and Colandrea been?

Huskers Online: The Colandrea-Kwazi Gilmer chemistry is impossible to go unnoticed. The UCLA transfer leads the Husker pass-catchers with 26 targets, 18 receptions, 240 yards and four touchdowns. More importantly, Gilmer plays like the do-it-all type of receiver you need as a WR1. He has speed, the deep-ball threat, and if you watch him closing, he's quite the route-running artist. The NU receivers are definitely one of the top strengths of the team.

IBG: What is a strength and weakness you have noticed from Matt Rhule's squad this year, and are either of them surprising to you?

Huskers Online: Offensively, Nebraska's strength has relied on off-schedule playmaking from Colandrea to set up explosive inside and outside zones before the Big Red hits a play-action deep. Unlike previous years, the offensive line has held its own. And on top of that, the Huskers are finishing drives in the red zone, converting at a 94.1% clip. A weakness that I have noticed is that Nebraska has hurt itself on numerous occasions with penalties. That's something that still must be cleaned up if NU wants to contend the next two months.

Rob Aurich has been a WOW thus far in Lincoln. What has surprised me the most is that D-line. It was a weakness last year, but the front seven is stuffing the run. But out of nowhere, former five-star+ EDGE Williams Nwaneri appears to have come into his own. He had two of the Huskers' six sacks at Michigan State, and the pass rush as a whole has been nothing short of eyebrow-raising. However, Nebraska does tend to struggle against tempo. Michigan State's 79-yard drive came from when it went tempo, and Malik Washington and the Terrapins' up-tempo offense do concern me.

IBG: Despite Husker fans being disappointed with how last season ended, what does Trae Taylor's commitment tell Husker fans about what Matt Rhule is building, and does that instill any confidence in Rhule within the fanbase?

Huskers Online: Trae Taylor's commitment has helped shine a light at the end of the tunnel. However, it's win-now for Matt Rhule. You can't make many excuses in today's college football, especially when you see what Curt Cignetti did at Indiana. I mean, Indiana was a laughingstock of the Big Ten and is now an ongoing dynasty.

Plus, the Huskers have the facilities and the fan base to win. Look at basketball, baseball, volleyball and wrestling... those programs are thriving at a hot rate. So far it has been a great-looking Year 4 under Rhule, but we won't truly know until November. He's 2-10 in that month since taking the Husker job.

IBG: Score prediction?

Huskers Online: This one definitely screams trap game for Nebraska. Maryland appears to have great players like Washington under center, Chris Durr at WR and Sidney Stewart off the EDGE. But the Terrapins don't appear to be a good team, if that makes sense. They have talent, but it doesn't seem to complement each other. I have Colandrea and Co. having a big day, defeating the Terps 49-21, and I wouldn't be shocked to see Mike Locksley let go on Sunday.

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