Nebraska Football’s Emerging Identity - Clutch, Grit, and Closing Time

by T.J. Birkel

The Nebraska football team won an absolutely wild one at Maryland on Saturday, in their first true road test of the season. The Huskers gave away two 10 point leads, survived a treacherous third quarter, and overcame a seven point deficit late in the game to seal the deal. There were tremendous individual performances in this outstanding team win, as Nebraska has now won two in a row and sits at 2-1 in the Big Ten.

We cover it all in the Topline Takeaways. 

CHEERS TO THAT

EMMETT!!!!! Even though he didn’t get into the end zone, this was Emmett Johnson’s best game as a Husker. He finished with 176 rushing yards on 21 carries, and much more importantly, he put the offense on his back and willed this team to victory. On Nebraska’s second-to-last drive, he made something out of nothing on a screen pass, gaining a crucial ten yards to give the Huskers a chance on third down (which they would ultimately convert) after a holding penalty had set the team back. Later in the drive, he ripped off an incredible 50 yard run, making multiple Terrapins miss to get to the 10 yard line. Nebraska would get a field goal on the drive, setting them up for the game winning touchdown on the following drive. At 650 yards on the season, Johnson now sits at 2nd in the Big Ten in rushing. 

The Kickoff Return Team Has Entered the Chat. After Nebraska took a 10-0 lead to start the game, Maryland came storming back for the next two scores to make it 14-10 in the middle of the 2nd quarter. After it initially appeared the Huskers might cruise to victory, the Terps suddenly had all the momentum. That is, until Kenneth Williams had other ideas. The sophomore from Lincoln took the ensuing kickoff 85 yards, putting the Nebraska offense in prime position to score, which they did two plays later. We’ve seen most special teams units show massive improvement this season, but kickoff return was…

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