The Morning After: Nebraska’s Win Against Maryland Shows a Glimpse of What Could Be

Even in the wake of a 54 - 7 win over the Maryland Terrapins there is still a lot to be concerned about in regards to whether Scott Frost is the right coach for this program. After the game we learned that Garret Nelson came down with the flu bug. Then Dedrick Mills caught the bug. Then JD Spielman got it from Mills.

Scott Frost’s inability to stop the spread of germs among the players is definitely a concern. It points to gross negligence and therefore his contract should be terminated immediately for cause.

I kid. I kid.

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It all appeared to come to a head yesterday in the game against Maryland. All of the mistakes, turnovers, bad bounces, missed tackles and everything else you can think of had brought Nebraska to a 4-6 season leading up to Saturday.

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Nebraska before yesterday. Then everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Maryland on Saturday. It was like the script was flipped.

That and the fact that Maryland is simply not a good football team. That might be an understatement.

Regardless, we cannot ignore one fact. Nebraska went into the game favored by five points. They won by 47.

That is something. It is not nothing.

It could be a combination of any number of things. Improved play by an offensive line which has had almost an entire season to gain experience and jell. Improved health of Adrian Martinez. Increased confidence from Dedrick Mills. Defense being opportunistic and creating turnovers.

It is the first two which have made all of the difference. The offensive line has made the most improvement of any group on the team. That was shown not only yesterday but also last week against Wisconsin. The same can be said for Adrian Martinez. The mystery of this Martinez season is coming a little bit more clear.

Something may not have been right since the Colorado game.

Things appear to be better now. Martinez still missed some throws and made some poor decisions but the improvement is obvious.

So now Nebraska finds itself with a huge opportunity to make a bowl game. Even if Iowa comes into Lincoln on Black Friday and lays an egg the win against Maryland shows what this program may look like when everything gets going.

If it ever gets there on a consistent basis then watch out.

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