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Nebraska hands Maryland a 48-23 loss in Lincoln to drop Terps to 2-3

Maryland led 16-7 after the first quarter but couldn't hold on, surrendering 41 unanswered points as Nebraska rolled to a 48-23 victory at Memorial Stadium.

Maryland left Lincoln with a 48-23 loss Saturday, a result that felt much worse than the first quarter suggested it would be.

The Terrapins came out swinging. Sean O'Haire hit a 26-yard field goal on the opening drive, and then Malik Washington found Chris Durr Jr. on a 65-yard strike to push the lead to 13-7. O'Haire added field goals of 42 and 32 yards before the first quarter ended, and Maryland sat on top 16-7. Nebraska was on its heels.

It didn't last.

Mekhi Nelson scored twice on the ground for Nebraska, once in the first quarter and again early in the second. DeJuan Williams answered with a 3-yard touchdown run to keep Maryland within striking distance at 21-16, but the Cornhuskers broke the game open in the final two minutes of the first half. Dwayne McDougle III returned an interception 81 yards for a touchdown with 2:41 left, and then Anthony Colandrea hit Luke Lindenmeyer on a 1-yard score with five seconds on the clock. Maryland went to halftime down 35-16, and the game was effectively over.

The second half belonged to Nebraska. Colandrea, a dual-threat quarterback, finished with 238 passing yards, three touchdowns and 108 rushing yards on just 10 carries. Kwazi Gilmer caught 11 passes for 147 yards and two scores, pulling in touchdown grabs of 5 and 30 yards in the fourth quarter to push the final margin to 25 points.

Washington completed 23 of 44 passes for 254 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Durr finished with 7 catches for 149 yards, and his 65-yard touchdown in the first quarter was the high point of Maryland's afternoon. Williams carried 10 times for 78 yards.

Nebraska improved to 5-0. Maryland fell to 2-3, with that early lead against the Cornhuskers now just a footnote to a long afternoon in Lincoln.