5 things we learned from Nebraska’s comeback win over Maryland

Good teams win on the road, and it’s starting to feel like Nebraska football is a good team.

This Nebraska team has flaws. Who doesn’t? What matters is that the Huskers found a way to win. They are 5-1 for the second year in a row, and here are five things we learned from the 34-31 win over Maryland.

The Huskers are a flawed but fun team

Wasn’t that fun?

Forget about everything else — everything that led up to the final few minutes — all people will remember is the last two drives and that post-game celebration.

It was an incredible moment. Nebraska football fans have had precious little to celebrate over the past decade. Saturday, Dylan Raiola and the Huskers engineered a game-winning drive for the first time in years.

This was the first win like this in about eight years, if memory serves correctly. It wasn’t perfect. Raiola needs to play better. So does the defense.

Still, the Huskers found a way, and say what you will about this flawed team, it’s becoming fun to be a Nebraska football fan again.

Dylan as QB1 was never in doubt

Maybe the people calling for TJ Lateef will get a grip on reality. Yes, Raiola threw three interceptions. For the season, he’s got 16 touchdown passes compared to five picks. A Nebraska quarterback is on pace for 34 regular-season touchdown passes. He’s got a good shot at the school record.

Raiola hasn’t been perfect the past two weeks. He was still 20 of 29 for 260 yards on Saturday. The third interception looked like the receiver ran the wrong route. It was a miscommunication at the very least.

The way he responded is what’s important. He’s QB1, and he’s good enough to get Nebraska where it wants to go.

The run defense is still a problem

It’s not all sunshine and roses. Nebraska allowed a Maryland team averaging 3.3 yards per attempt to get 4.3 (130 total). A couple of times, the Huskers gave up the edge on defense.

The defensive line needs to improve. They were limited to just one sack. Yet, the inability to stop the run is the biggest concern, especially after watching USC rush for 224 yards against Michigan.

There are teams on the schedule that can take advantage, and even Maryland, one of the worst rushing teams in the Big Ten, was able to.

The offensive line can get it done

Speaking of run defense, Maryland was allowing just 2.6 yards per rushing attempt going into Saturday’s game. Against Wisconsin and Washington, Maryland allowed just 88 rushing yards per game.

Nebraska ran for 193 yards. Emmett Johnson ran for 176. Johnson was elite. The cuts he was making, particularly on the 50-yard run in the fourth quarter, reminded me of Ameer.

Special teams are still elite

Nebraska got a great effort from special teams once again. Kenneth Williams had an 85-yard kickoff return. The coverage units continue to kill it. Kyle Cunanan keeps being money on field-goal attempts.

All of the stuff that used to kill the Huskers in these close games is turning out in their favor. That’s not an accident. It’s the work of Matt Rhule, who knocked it out of the park with his special teams hire.

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