Matt Rhule sent his players back out from the locker room to the field following Nebraska football’s 34-31 victory at Maryland Saturday. Of course that’s not something he ordinarily would do.
But the energy from Husker fans, about a quarter of the 39,623 in Maryland Stadium, was “palpable, the way it felt,” he said after Nebraska improved to 5-1. “You could feel it.”
In the fourth quarter, when the Huskers scored 10 points, the second of Kyle Cunanan’s two field goals with 7:47 remaining and a seven-play, 81-yard touchdown drive ending with 1:08 left, “I thought our crowd just became electric,” Rhule said. “It felt it was inevitable we were going to score. So I give a ton of credit to the fans, the crowd (that) was here.”
He also gave credit to Dylan Raiola, whose 3-yard touchdown pass to Dane Key proved to be the winner. Raiola’s “just the ultimate competitor,” said Rhule. “This guy’s a stone-cold, fighting winner.”
The touchdown pass was Raiola’s fourth of the game, to nullify three interceptions. Going in, he had thrown only two interceptions, one each in the last two games.
But he answered the call with the game on the line. Included in the winning drive was a 23-yard completion to tight end Luke Lindenmeyer on the first play and a 33-yard pass to wide receiver Nyziah Hunter on the third play. Raiola completed the Hunter pass across the field as he was falling down after tripping. He and Hunter teamed up on two of the touchdown passes, a 64-yard tunnel screen to open the scoring midway through the first quarter and a 12-yarder in the second on a fade.
Hunter’s 12-yarder followed a 7-yard touchdown pass to Lindenmeyer two minutes earlier to give the Huskers a 24-14 lead with 5:37 remaining in the first half. They looked like they might be taking control.
Maryland managed a field goal with 24 seconds left in the half, however, and scored two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter, the second a 67-yard return of a Raiola interception.
The stage was set for Nebraska’s fourth-quarter comeback, and its third game decided by one score. The others were Cincinnati (20-17) and Michigan (27-30).
Mention of Raiola doesn’t mean he was the only reason the Huskers won. He’s just reflective of Nebraska’s grit and determination, its physicality and belief it could wear down Maryland, which it did.
Another significant offensive factor? Running back Emmett Johnson, who rushed for 176 yards on 21 carries, only one of which resulted in a loss — of minus-1. Johnson out-rushed Maryland, which was more effective than expected on the ground, rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
Rhule used the same description of Johnson he used for Raiola, “the ultimate competitor.”
There were numerous Huskers who could have been described that way, including sophomore reserve running back Kenneth Williams, who returned a kickoff 85 yards to set up the Raiola-to-Lindenmeyer touchdown pass. Williams was a walk-on from Lincoln (Neb.) High. “Was” because he’ll be on a scholarship moving forward, a “wrong” righted, Rhule said afterward.
Linebacker Javin Wright led the defense with 12 tackles, and back-up linebacker Marques Watson-Trent had six. Defensive lineman Kade Pietrzak had a sack of Malik Washington, Nebraska’s biggest problem on defense. The freshman was 27-of-37 for 249 yards and a touchdown.
Remember, Nebraska went into the game ranked first in the NCAA in passing defense and had allowed only one pass of 20 yards or more. Washington had four.
There was no panic on the sideline in the fourth quarter, according to Rhule. Part of that was the vocal support of the Husker fans. Both Raiola and Johnson said it felt like a home game.
“What an atmosphere,” Raiola said.
“It felt like we were at Memorial Stadium,” said linebacker Vincent Shavers Jr.
Which is why Rhule sent the players back to the field afterward.
