After a 38-27 comeback win over the Michigan State Spartans, Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule said he’s looking forward to the Huskers’ first Big Ten road test against Maryland on Saturday.
“Maryland will present quite a challenge,” Rhule said Monday afternoon. “Fantastic defense, towards the top of the country in terms of yards allowed, third down, great pass rush, great rushers, dynamic wideout corps. So, it will be a great opportunity for us to go out and play a really good football team and get on the road. It’s a chance for our team to grow and build a sense of brotherhood even more, so we’re excited about it.”
Rhule had high praise for the Terrapins’ freshman quarterback, Malik Washington, along with the rest of the offense.
“They’ve got a dynamic young quarterback, a five-star recruit who’s athletic, but who is a passer,” Rhule said. “When you have that combination of you’re a passer first, and you look to throw, but you’re also athletic and extends plays, they hit a lot of deep balls. Their wide outs, (Jalil Farooq), (Shaleak Knotts), and (Octavian Smith Jr.) can run, run, run, run, run. (Smith) can really run. So they’re explosive. It’s the passing game for them that’s really opened up, and they can run the football too, don’t get me wrong, but there’s some challenge there. We’re a pretty good pass defense, so it should be a pretty good match up.”
The head coach also spoke on Maryland’s defense.
“They have a bunch of high-effort rushers that are relentless,” Rhule said. “So, their pass rush is pretty elite, which is why they’re so good on third down.”
Traveling in the Big Ten is one of the most difficult parts of playing in the conference. Rhule said that the Huskers are arriving in Maryland on Thursday rather than Friday.
“This is one time, and the only time this year, that we’ll go out on Thursday, just because of the nature of being on the east coast and traveling in those areas,” Rhule said.
Sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola went 16-for-24 for 194 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Spartans. He took five sacks, but Rhule was sure to hold everyone accountable.
“I saw a lot of good things, and I saw some other things that have to be improved,” Rhule said of the offensive line’s performance. “Some of the sacks were on them, some of the sacks were on other people. Are we giving up too many sacks? Yes. A third-down sack doesn’t really bother me as much as a first- and second-down sack, because if you just hurry up and get the ball out of your hand and don’t get the first down anyway, you’re punting the ball. Now, we don’t want sack-fumbles. So, yeah, there were just some times there as we all saw that things kind of got a little out of whack and out of kilter. We have to be better, but I don’t think it’s like this ‘Oh my gosh, we can’t block anybody.’”
Nebraska’s pass defense is ranked No. 1 in the country in efficiency after holding Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles to 9-of-23 for 85 yards and two interceptions. The Blackshirts sacked him four times.
“I think we’re playing good pass defense,” Rhule said. “I think some of it is unfortunately, we’ve let too much run game go, so people are like ‘Hey, let’s stick with the run.’ This game, we stopped the run to a degree to force them to get into those situations.”
The special teams unit had a terrific day with sophomore wide receiver and return man Jacory Barney Jr. returning four punts for 81 yards and Jamir Conn blocking a punt, which Carter Nelson recovered for a touchdown. Rhule credited the man in charge for the improvements he’s seen.
“I think you’d have to start with Mike (Ekeler),” Rhule said. “He’s brought an energy to it. I think the jumping around in the locker room and all the stuff, that’s not what it is. It’s his teaching progressions are amazing. I think it’s great, because you go to his meetings, and everyone’s dialed in, and everyone’s locked in.”
The Huskers will travel to SECU Stadium to take on the Terrapins on Saturday with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. CT.
