Instant Analysis: Maryland 13, Nebraska 10
The game was ugly throughout and mired in turnovers, but the Terps found a way to win at Nebraska on Saturday, with a Jack Howes walk-off field goal giving Maryland a 13-10 victory.
Maryland's defense forced five Nebraska turnovers, while the secondary came up with four interceptions, including one late in the fourth quarter which led to the game-winning field goal. Taulia Tagovailoa finished with 283 yards and a touchdown through the air, while running back Roman Hemby finished with 74 yards on the ground, including 36 yards on the final, game-winning drive.
With the win, their sixth of the season, the Terps snapped a four-game losing streak and are now bowl eligible for a third straight season for the first time since 2006-2008 under Ralph Friedgen.
The Terps will return home for next week's game when they will host No. 3 Michigan.
RELATED: Watch Mike Locksley Nebraska postgame press conference | Terps become bowl eligible with walk-off win at Nebraska
Below are several key takeaways from Maryland's win over Nebraska.
Terps win the turnover battle
Through the first five games of the season, the Terps were one of the top teams in the country in turnover margin. But during their four-game losing streak, the Terps turned the ball over nine times to just one turnover for their opponents.
And while it wasn't pretty Saturday in Lincoln with Maryland and Nebraska combining for eight total turnovers, the Terps got back to their winning formula, which includes winning the turnover battle. Defensive backs Dante Trader Jr. and Tarheeb Still each came up with a pair of interceptions (Trader had a third INT that was called back because of a Maryland penalty).
Still's second interception came late in the fourth quarter inside Maryland's own end zone with the Huskers having driven the ball inside the Terps' 10-yard line with a chance to take the lead. Maryland was only able to score six points off of Nebraska's five turnovers, but none were bigger than the three that came on Howes' walk-off field goal following Still's second INT to give Maryland the win.
Hemby comes up huge late in the fourth quarter
To say Maryland struggled running the ball early in the game versus the Huskers would be a monumental understatement. As a team, the Terps had zero rushing yards in the first half Saturday at Nebraska and just 30 yards total through three quarters.
Enter Roman Hemby.
The sophomore back rushed for 60 of his 74 yards in the fourth quarter, including 36 yards on the Terps' final, game-winning drive. None were bigger than his 21-yard run on the final drive to put Maryland inside Nebraska territory and on the cusp of field goal position. Four plays later and Hemby had one final carry of five yards to get the ball down to the Huskers' six-yard line and set up a chip shot attempt for Howes.
Coming off of the PSU game in which he had zero yards rushing, perhaps Saturday's fourth-quarter performance gets Hemby back on track for the final two games of the season.
Penalties nearly cost the Terps
The Terps racked up 10 penalties for 92 yards on Saturday. And while many were self-inflicted and costly for Maryland, the Terps were able to overcome and find a way to win.
One of the most costly penalties was a personal four call against tight end Corey Dyches in the final seconds of the first half with the Terps driving with a chance to attempt a field goal. The penalty pushed the Terps outside of Howes' field goal range and meant the teams went into the locker rooms tied at 10 all.
In looking at a replay of the penalty, the refs certainly did not get that one right. Dyches never even touched the Nebraska defender, it was offensive lineman Corey Bullock that should have been called for the penalty. But on second viewing, it can be clearly seen that the defender is holding Dyches and then essentially does a flop when touched by Bullock.
Making matters worse, there was a questionable late hit in the head region by Nebraska prior to the dead ball foul that appeared to be completely missed by the officiating crew.
At the end of the day, the Terps simply committed too many self-inflicted mistakes that nearly cost them the game, including the push by Bullock at the end of the first half. But that call was questionable at best and the Terps should have been attempting a field goal with a chance to take the lead into the locker room. Luckily for Maryland fans, in the end it didn't matter.
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