Position Groups To Watch: Nebraska vs Maryland

Nebraska will travel to College Park to take on Maryland on Saturday. The Cornhuskers will look to avenge their one-score loss to the Terrapins in 2023. But in order to do that, these position groups need to play well against Mike Locksley’s squad.

Offensive Line

Donovan Raiola’s unit performed its run-blocking duties fairly well against Michigan State.  Emmett Johnson was able to rush for 83 yards and three touchdowns against the Spartans.  However, the same can’t be said for their pass blocking. Nebraska’s offensive linemen surrendered a total of five sacks in Memorial Stadium. Elijah Pritchett was the worst offender in Memorial Stadium. In his first start at the left tackle spot, the junior gave up two sacks. Gunnar Gottula and Henry Lutovsky also slowed down the Huskers’ offense with their penalties. The unit will have to find its footing early in College Park. Otherwise, Sidney Stewart will feast. In only four games as a Terrapin, the freshman defensive lineman has had 4.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hurries. Dylan Raiola will also have to be extremely decisive with the football. The sophomore struggled to decide where to throw the football against the Spartans’ defense, which led to unnecessary sacks. This will be the key to neutralizing Maryland’s defense under Ted Monachino.

The Secondary

The Huskers are having a historic season under Addison Williams. Nebraska’s defensive backs have only allowed 91.8 yards per play, which has propelled them to a number one spot in the national rankings.  The Alabama Crimson Tide follow close behind with a total of 118.4 yards per game. We should expect the Huskers to press their air advantage against Maryland. They already did it once against Bryce Underwood. However, the Cornhuskers don’t have their home crowd behind them. This should give Malik Washington the confidence he needs to play well against Nebraska’s secondary. The true freshman has had an impressive start to the season through the air. In just five games, Washington has managed to throw for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns.