Nebraska Turns Corner in Comeback Win at Maryland

Story by

Story by
Nebraska Turns Corner in Comeback Win at Maryland

Kyle Wood · Athlon Sports

Sun, Oct 12, 2025 ·

4 min read

About Our Ads

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — It wasn't always pretty, but Nebraska delivered in the clutch in front of a sea of red and dispelled a prevailing trend in the process.

Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule said the pesky one-score losses that plagued the first two years of his tenure are no more after his team pulled off a 34-31 comeback win on the road against Maryland on Saturday.

Nebraska can thank quarterback Dylan Raiola for putting that storyline to bed. The redshirt sophomore threw three interceptions, including a costly pick-six, but he also marched the Cornhuskers down the field in crunch time. Raiola said he "blacked out" on his go-ahead touchdown throw to Dane Key from three yards out that put Nebraska ahead for good.

The scene at SECU Stadium resembled Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, at times. Multiple Cornhuskers players said it felt like a home game, and Rhule even sent the team back out of the locker room to celebrate with the thousands of fans who stayed afterward to bask in the win.

"I want our players to enjoy that moment," Rhule said. "That's two straight close wins. There was a time we were talking about bowl droughts and never winning a close game. Well, we're figuring a lot of that stuff out."

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks the sideline during his team's game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium on Oct. 11, 2025.Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Nebraska (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) racked up over 400 yards of offense in a conference game for the first time this season thanks to Emmett Johnson. The junior running back ran for a career-high 176 yards against a Terrapins defense that was holding opponents under 100 yards per game on the ground. However, it was Raiola who capped off all four of the Cornhuskers' touchdown drives.

Raiola opened up the scoring on a screen pass to Nyziah Hunter that he took 64 yards to the house. He tossed two more touchdowns in the first half, including one to tight end Luke Lindenmeyer after walk-on Kenneth Williams returned a kickoff 85 yards — earning himself a scholarship in the process.

But Raiola also kept Maryland (4-2, 1-2) in the game with some costly mistakes. He threw an interception in the first half in Nebraska territory that set up freshman quarterback Mailk Washington and the Terrapins for a go-ahead touchdown four plays later. Raiola's second pick allowed Maryland to cut the deficit to one score just before halftime.

Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Emmett Johnson rushes as Maryland Terrapins defensive lineman Dillan Fontus (46) pursues at SECU Stadium on Oct. 11, 2025.Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

It looked like the Terps were headed for an upset victory when Dontay Joyner took Raiola's third interception 67 yards to the house to pull ahead 31-24. But Raiola led two 80-yard scoring drives in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback, and his defense nixed Maryland's last-second comeback effort.

All told, Maryland turned three Cornhuskers turnovers into 17 points. Raiola had thrown two picks in five games heading into Saturday's contest, but Maryland's opportunistic secondary made him pay. Rhule harkened back to his time on the New York Giants ' coaching staff when he saw Eli Manning throw three early interceptions and come back to lead a walk-off drive. He called Raiola, who was banged up in the game, "the ultimate competitor."

"I'm just glad that this team bounced back and won a close game because they say we can't win close games," Johnson said.

Nebraska dropped five one-score games in 2022, Rhule's first season. That included a 13-10 loss to the Terrapins. Five more one-score defeats followed in 2024, though the Cornhuskers qualified for a bowl for the first since 2016.

Halfway through Year 3, Nebraska is one win away from bowl eligibility with a winning record (2-1) in one-score games.

Rhule cautioned that Nebraska also started out 5-1 last season and dropped five of its final six games. "It's just about playing the next game, playing the next play," he said.

A tight loss a few weeks ago to Michigan (30-27) might haunt the Cornhuskers, but all of their goals are still in front of them with no ranked teams remaining on their schedule.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Oct 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: