// This is the single game page 2026 Nebraska vs. Maryland football - HuskerMax game page

Nebraska 48
Maryland 23

Oct. 3, 2026 • 3 p.m. Central
Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE • FS1
1st 2nd 3rd 4th  F 
Maryland 16 7 0 0 23
Nebraska 7 21 0 20 48
McDougle INT return
Nebraska Athletics
Dwayne McDougle’s second-quarter pick-six turned the tide in the Huskers’ favor.
First Quarter
UMD
O’Haire 26 field goal
12:15
NEB
M. Nelson 19 run (Cunanan kick)
9:11
UMD
Durr 65 pass from Washington (O’Haire kick)
8:33
UMD
O’Haire 42 field goal
4:12
UMD
O’Haire 32 field goal
2:22
Second Quarter
NEB
M. Nelson 5 run (Cunanan kick)
12:37
UMD
Williams 3 run (O’Haire kick)
8:54
NEB
McDougle 81 INT return (Cunanan kick)
2:41
NEB
Lindenmeyer 1 pass from Colandrea (Cunanan kick)
0:05
Fourth Quarter
NEB
Genatone 1 run (Cunanan kick)
14:58
NEB
Gilmer 5 pass from Colandrea (Cunanan kick)
10:32
NEB
Gilmer 30 pass from Colandrea (kick failed)
6:35
  UMD NEB
First downs 19 28
  Rushing 5 9
  Passing 10 12
  Penalty 4 7
Rushes-Yds (Net) 25-141 36-209
Passing-Yds (Net) 254 238
  Comp-Att-Int 23-44-2 26-39-1
Total Offense 69-395 75-447
Punt Returns-Yds 1-0 4-38
KO Returns-Yds 2-58 4-74
Int. Returns-Yds 1-24 2-91
Punts-Avg 6-37.2 5-43.6
Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0
Penalized-Yds 12-115 16-132
Possession Time 25:36 34:24
3rd-Down Conv. 1-14 6-13
4th-Down Conv. 1-2 0-1
Red Zone 3-3 5-5
  Touchdowns 1 5
  Field goals 2 0
Sacks by-Yds 2-20 1-10 
Attendance: 85,033
INDIVIDUAL STATS

 

Maryland Rushing
Player No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg
DeJuan Williams 10 79 1 78 1 56 7.8
Iverson Howard 3 34 0 34 0 13 11.3
Malik Washington 10 29 13 16 0 10 1.6
Liam Willson 2 13 0 13 0 11 6.5
Totals 25 155 14 141 1 56 5.6
Nebraska Rushing
Player No. Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg
Anthony Colandrea 10 128 20 108 0 51 10.8
Isaiah Mozee 8 46 0 46 0 13 5.8
Mekhi Nelson 14 45 6 39 2 19 2.8
Conor Booth 1 9 0 9 0 9 9.0
Kwinten Ives 2 6 0 6 0 3 3.0
Vincent Genatone 1 1 0 1 1 1 1.0
Totals 36 235 26 209 3 51 5.8
Maryland Passing
Player C-A-I Yds TD Long Sack
Malik Washington 23-44-2 254 1 65 1
Totals 23-44-2 254 1 65 1
Nebraska Passing
Player C-A-I Yds TD Long Sack
Anthony Colandrea 26-39-1 238 3 30 2
Totals 26-39-1 238 3 30 2
Maryland Receiving
Player TAR No. Yards YAC TD Long
Chris Durr Jr. 11 7 149 105 1 65
Dorian Fleming 9 5 25 20 0 15
Kaleb Webb 10 4 53 12 0 19
Ryan Manning 3 3 23 6 0 20
DeJuan Williams 3 2 0 6 0 4
Jayden Kitchens 2 1 4 6 0 4
Na’eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding 6 1 0 0 0 0
Totals 44 23 254 155 1 65
Nebraska Receiving
Player TAR No. Yards YAC TD Long
Kwazi Gilmer 18 11 147 35 2 30
Isaiah Mozee 5 4 30 26 0 13
Luke Lindenmeyer 4 3 20 6 1 12
Mekhi Nelson 3 3 14 9 0 7
Nyziah Hunter 4 2 17 18 0 12
Jacory Barney Jr. 3 2 11 2 0 7
Janiran Bonner 1 1 -1 0 0 0
Quinn Clark 2 0 0 0 0 0
Totals 40 26 238 96 3 30

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Huskers reel off 34 unanswered to thump the Terps

The defense gave up big play after big play. The offense sputtered badly. Penalties came with ridiculous frequency.

Outplayed through most of a sloppy first half, the Huskers somehow found a way to lead at intermission, 28-23. They then found a way to stymie Maryland’s offense, and it was a 48-23 rout when all was said and done.

The game-changing play Saturday came in the second quarter when Dwayne McDougle III jumped a slant route, picked off a Malik Washington pass and returned it 81 yards for a touchdown. It sparked a 34-0 run that made the Huskers’ fifth win of 2026 look easy on the scoreboard.

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea finished with 238 passing yards and 108 on the ground. Three of his throws went for touchdowns.

His favorite target: Kwazi Gilmer, with 11 catches for 147 yards and a pair of TDs.

The Blackshirts turned things around after a shaky start. After Maryland piled up 300 yards of total offense in the first half, Nebraska limited the Terps to 95 in the final 30 minutes.

The Huskers tied a program record with 16 penalties. Ten came during the ragged first half.

1st half

A first half marked by big plays and loads of penalties ended with the Huskers on top by 28-23 even though they were outyarded 300-195.

A blocked punt by Jeremiah Charles set up Mekhi Nelson’s 19-yard touchdown for a 7-3 Husker lead. That didn’t last long, as the Terps took a short slant pass 65 yards to the house. A pair of field goals later in the quarter extended Maryland’s lead to 16-7.

A late hit after Anthony Colandrea was sacked helped spark the Huskers near the end of the first quarter. It turned into a 10-play-79-yard drive, with the biggest gainer coming on a Colandrea-to-Kwazi Gilmer strike for 29 yards. Nelson’s five-yard TD run cut the gap to 16-14.

After a Kade Pietrzak interception was followed by a Nebraska turnover on downs, the Terps ripped off a 58-yard run and scored on the next play for a 23-14 lead.

The Terps were soon driving again, reaching the NU 25 after a three-and-out by Nebraska’s offense. But Dwayne McDougle III changed the complexion of the game by picking off a Maryland pass and returning it 81 yards. The touchdown made it a two-point game at 23-21.

After the Blackshirts delivered a three-and-out, the Huskers got the ball back on their own 20 with just 1:49 to work with and no timeouts. They used all but five seconds to go the distance, helped by three Maryland penalties as well as two Terp injuries that saved precious seconds. The score came on a one-yard pass to Luke Lindenmeyer on a fake run in a jumbo formation, making it a 28-23 game at the break.

2nd half

The third quarter amounted to exchanges of unproductive possessions until Nebraska took over at its own 42 after a Maryland three-and-out deep in the Terps’ own territory. The Huskers covered the 58 yards in 11 plays. Vincent Genatone’s 1-yard touchdown plunge came three plays after Gilmer’s 19-yard catch at the Maryland 3. Two seconds into the fourth quarter, the Huskers led 35-23.

A holding penalty took any life out of Maryland’s ensuing possession, and Nebraska got the ball back at its own 15. Colandrea scrambled up the middle and then cut left for a 51-yard gain to the Maryland 29. A five-yard strike to Kwazi Gilmer in the end zone stretched Nebraska’s advantage to 42-23.

Maryland turned the ball over on downs at its own 43 with 9½ minutes remaining. A third-and-8 scramble by Colandrea kept the Huskers’ possession alive, and then he connected deep with Gilmer for 30 yards and a touchdown. That made it a 48-23 game with 6½ minutes left.

The Terps threatened to tack on a score in the final minute against the Huskers’ backups but could get no closer than the NU 26 as time expired.

Omaha World-Herald*
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Commentary

Stryker

Was that the bad Anthony Colandrea we saw in the first quarter? If so, his floor is higher than almost anyone could’ve predicted.

Tad Stryker
HuskerMax/On SI
Feit

If you're looking for style points, the Huskers are not the team for you.

Dave Feit
HuskerMax/On SI
Shatel

Nebraska gave Maryland every chance to steal one out of Memorial Stadium, but this team would have none of that. Indiana won’t be as accommodating.

Tom Shatel *
Omaha World-Herald
Just

When you’re flagged — rightly or wrongly — 16 times and your opponent is flagged 12 times, that makes for some disgracefully disjointed football.

Amie Just *
Lincoln Journal Star
Rodriguez

Although the Huskers struggled in many facets, their perseverance and eagerness to find their groove remain positive.

Eli Rodriguez
Daily Nebraskan
Johnston

In previous years a game like this turns into a blowout loss or a nail-biter at home. This one finished 48-23.

Jon Johnston
Corn Nation
Gomes

Perhaps the defining stat of the night was Maryland’s third-down conversion rate, 1-for-14. The Terps simply couldn’t deliver when it mattered most — a microcosm of their season.

Trevor Gomes
Inside the Black & Gold
Sherman

Say this for the Blackshirts: They locked in late. Nebraska didn’t allow a point after 8:54 remained in the first half.

Mitch Sherman *
The Athletic
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