Raiola leads game-winning drive as Nebraska outlasts Maryland in back-and-forth affair

COLLEGE PARK — In a game full of more momentum swings than a boat in a raging sea, it was Nebraska who steadied the tide as Maryland was once again washed ashore.

Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola threw four touchdowns and three interceptions, including a pick-six, but led the game-winning drive in the final four minutes in a see-saw contest as Nebraska outlasted Maryland, 34-31.

“We’re competing, scratching, scraping and fighting to find a way to win. And I think with that type of effort, you’ll you’ll see the results of it,” said Maryland coach Mike Locksley. “Obviously didn’t do it today.”

The Terrapins held a seven-point lead, 31-24, halfway through the fourth quarter. However, Nebraska chipped away with a field goal and the eventual game-winning touchdown from Raiola to receiver Dane Key on a fade from the 3-yard line with 68 seconds left.

Raiola’s three interceptions were more than double his total entering the game, adding to Maryland’s nation-leading 12. But the Terrapins were tripped up on special teams and by penalties, allowing an 85-yard kickoff return after scoring back-to-back touchdowns in the second quarter and committing eight penalties for 73 yards.

“We can’t, obviously, do things that allow us to give things away. I mean, that’s the part for us,” Locksley said. “We played clean on offense. The defensive side of the ball, those penalties showed up today, which hadn’t been an issue.”

Maryland freshman quarterback Malik Washington completed 27 of 37 passes for 249 yards — the most yards the Huskers’ No. 1-in-the-nation pass defense had given up all season — with his 10th touchdown pass of the season.

“They do a really good job of getting depth in their defense, and that’s why some of the underneath stuff was there,” Washington said, “and we allowed guys to catch and run. And I think that’s what they’ve done, is kind of try to limit the explosives that people get against them.” 

Maryland’s Big Ten-worst rushing game also gained steam, gaining 136 yards, with 100 of those from Terrapins running backs. Still, Locksley said there was more to be had from the effort, which featured more tight end-heavy formations and running off tackle and the ends of the line.

“Still not enough,” he said. “We needed to get the run game going. We’re still not getting enough explosives out of the run game.”

At least one explosive came from running back Nolan Ray, who took a handoff off-tackle and into the end zone for a 28-yard score in the second quarter, cutting Nebraska’s lead to 10-7. After Raiola’s second interception, Washington found Leon Haughton for a 16-yard strike in heavy coverage for back-to-back scores and a 14-10 lead.

“Really love the fight, the effort that this team continues to show, to show resiliency in this game, you know, down two times 10 or more points, and they battle back,” Locksley said. “And to me, you know, when people leave here, they look and they see that this team has and will play hard.”

The second-straight loss for the Terrapins (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten) comes ahead of a cross-country trip to UCLA. The newly resurgent Bruins have won two straight after an 0-4 start. Locksley is still adamant the skid won’t extend into a winless October.

“Nobody can watch what we did today and feel like it’s the same old Maryland,” he said, “because I don’t see that.”

Two of Raiola’s touchdowns were to Nyziah Hunter. On the first play of Nebraska’s second drive, the receiver took a screen pass from Raiola’s left, making half a dozen Terrapins miss as he hit the jets down the left sideline for a 64-yard TD and 7-0 Huskers lead. They’d connect again from 12 yards out later in the second quarter.

A 37-yard Sean O’Haire field goal in the final minute before halftime trimmed the Terrapins’ deficit to 24-17 at the break. Maryland was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct three times in the final 10 minutes of the second quarter, including on the return on Raiola’s second interception to Jamare Glasker.

“I think the penalties happen when players play beyond the whistle. They’ve got to make better decisions,” Locksley said of the flags, which continue to be a theme in Year 7 of his tenure. “Again, as a parent, that’s like saying why your kid continues to make mistakes. Well, as a parent, I’m gonna keep coaching. I’m gonna keep teaching them.”

Maryland held a 31-24 lead entering the fourth quarter after a DeJuan Williams rushing TD and a 67-yard interception return for a touchdown by Donate Joyner, the first such play in a conference game in seven years for Maryland.

“I love the way that the kid responded, obviously the maturity level of being able to bounce back after not having a great day at the office a week ago,” Locksley said. “I’m glad to see that we saw a lot of guys maybe take some steps forward in terms of the resiliency of bouncing back.”

But the Terrapins only gained 22 and 26 yards, respectively, on their two fourth-quarter drives. Nebraska (5-1, 2-1) chewed the clock to notch a field goal before Key’s winning score.

“Right now, of course, you know, nobody’s excited, right?,” Washington said. “And I think we’re just gonna have to come back as a team on Monday and have a kind of a player meeting maybe, and just talk about us moving forward and how we’re gonna go about things and not letting this week carry into next week.”