All the talk heading into Saturday’s game between Maryland football and Nebraska centered around the quarterback position. Two of the country’s top young signal callers stepped onto the field in a highly anticipated showdown.

The matchup between freshman phenom Malik Washington and Dylan Raiola — the 2024 high school class’s second-ranked quarterback — didn’t disappoint. An explosive first half turned into a thrilling finish.

Nebraska methodically moved the ball late in the fourth quarter, and Raiola capped it off with a three-yard touchdown connection to Dane Key — his fourth touchdown pass of the night. The Terps fell to Nebraska, 34-31, for their second consecutive defeat.

Coming off a blown 20-point lead last week, the Terps had a chance to deliver the game-winning drive. But ultimately, when it mattered most, Maryland’s offensive magic disappeared. 

“The finish was not what we wanted. To win the fourth quarter is something we emphasized,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “[We] had chances, but didn’t take advantage of those opportunities.”

The Terps have now been outscored 31-0 in the fourth quarter of their two defeats, a worrying sign with plenty of close games still ahead.

While Maryland’s offense found its footing after a pair of sloppy possessions, its first-half performance was defined by undisciplined penalties and special teams’ blunders. Those two areas gave Nebraska repeated short fields to work with.

Three of the Cornhuskers’ final four first-half drives started right around midfield. An 85-yard kick return, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a kick catch interference set Nebraska up with good field position.

“Those after the play penalties are critical,” Locksley said. “We’ll continue to coach our guys up on the proper way to play.”

That resulted in 14 points, flipping a four-point deficit into a two-possession lead. Raiola found tight end Luke Lindenmeyer for a seven-yard score, his second of three first-half touchdown passes. He connected with wide receiver Nyziah Hunter on the ensuing possession.

Even when the Cornhuskers were backed up in their own half, Nebraska still marched down the field. Hunter turned a simple screen pass into a 64-yard touchdown pass, breaking a ton of missed tackles to start the scoring in the opening quarter.

“There were too many explosives in the run game,” Locksley said. “They had a 177-yard rusher. We’ve played the run really well, but the missed tackles again showed up in critical parts of the game. The good teams get the ball on the ground.”

Maryland’s defense failed to force a punt in the first half — its lone real stop coming on the opening possession, when it bottled up a fourth-down attempt. But when the Terps’ pass rush got home on Raiola, they forced the sophomore quarterback into a trio of bad decisions.

After Nebraska went up 10-7 early in the second quarter, Messiah Delhomme jumped a curl route and snatched his first career pick. Four plays later, Washington delivered a dot to Leon Haughton Jr. for a 21-yard touchdown pass.

While Nebraska’s offense quickly marched down the field on its ensuing possession to retake the lead, Maryland’s secondary stopped the bleeding. 

With Cam Rice barreling down on him, Raiola heaved the ball downfield in an effort to avoid a sack. Jamare Glasker uncontestedly caught the ball near the sideline for the Terps’ second takeaway.

Backed up on its 15-yard line following Maryland’s sixth penalty, Washington methodically moved the ball 66 yards into field-goal range. Sean O’Haire drilled the 37-yard field goal to cap off an explosive second quarter.

The two sides combined for seven points in the opening quarter, a sign of what was expected to be a low-scoring game. Maryland and Nebraska ranked top-five in the Big Ten in scoring defense.

But once the Terps found the endzone, both offenses erupted for 34 second-quarter points. Nebraska entered halftime ahead, 24-17. 

Coupling their late field goal, the Terps received the ball to start the second half. Maryland capitalized on its momentum, utilizing 10 plays to find the endzone. The Terps ran the ball six times, including DeJuan Williams’ one-yard rushing touchdown.

After Maryland showed no signs of life on the ground in its first five games — the Terps ranked dead last in the Big Ten with 93.2 yards per contest — Williams and Nolan Ray found gapping holes Saturday afternoon. 

Highlighted by Ray’s 28-yard rushing touchdown in the first half, which was Maryland’s longest run of the season, the Terps totalled 130 rushing yards against Nebraska. Washington surpassed his season-high with seven carries, most of which were scrambles off broken plays.

“Just something that I tried to use a little bit more today,” Washington said. “Find the checkdown or run the ball and become the checkdown myself, just to give the defense another element.”

But Nebraska’s ability to gain chunk plays overshadowed Maryland’s resurgent rush attack. 

The Cornhuskers had a pair of plays for at least 50 yards and several more that gained 20 yards. Takeaways were the only real way Maryland’s defense could get off the field.

With the momentum in Maryland’s favor, the Terps forced Raiola into another errant throw. Dontay Joyner picked off the Nebraska quarterback and returned it 67 yards for Maryland’s third pick-six of the season, giving the Terps a 31-24 lead.

Nebraska kicked a field goal to make it a four-point game, before delivering an 81-yard game-winning drive.