How to Watch Nebraska Football vs. Maryland with Preview, Breakdown, TV Channel

The Huskers return to Lincoln for homecoming as they face a Terrapins team with their head coach squarely on the hot seat.

Nebraska cruised past Michigan State 31-13 in the Huskers' Big Ten opener and now returns home to face Maryland. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It looked shaky at times, but the Nebraska football team continued to take care of business in a pivotal 2026 campaign.

The Huskers benefited from injuries to several of Michigan State’s top players and some questionable penalties, but Nebraska’s talent advantage was evident in a comfortable road win over a Big Ten opponent.

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea fired in two more touchdown passes and ran for a team-high 66 yards as the offense continued to click between the UNLV transfer and offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen. The Cornhuskers lost star freshman Jamal Rule to injury early in the contest, but that opened the door for Mekhi Nelson to run for 61 yards and a score. Kwazi Gilmer hauled in a beautiful deep pass from Colandrea for NU's first score of the game as the UCLA transfer finished with 104 yards receiving.

The defense did its part to beat up on a poor MSU offensive line with six sacks and forcing three turnovers — one fumble and two interceptions. Williams Nwaneri came away with two of those sacks while San Diego State transfer Owen Chambliss picked off a pass and totaled a team-high eight tackles.

When it seemed like Michigan State was flipping momentum, the Huskers always had an answer and it has resulted in NU's first 4-0 start since 2016. Nebraska now returns to Lincoln for homecoming as they welcome in a Maryland team whose coach is on one of the hottest seats in the country.

Here's all you need to know for NU's showdown with the Terrapins.

How to Follow Along 

• Matchup: Nebraska (4-0, 1-0 B1G) vs. Maryland (2-2, 0-1 B1G)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 3
• Where: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE
• Time: 3 p.m. CDT 
• Watch: FS1
• Line: Nebraska (-14.5) | O/U: 52.5
• TV Crew: Dan Hellie (PxP) & Robert Smith (Analyst)
• Radio Crew: Kyle Crooks (PxP), Jay Moore (Analyst) & Jessica Coody (Sideline)
• Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
• How to Sync Husker Radio with TV Broadcast

Maryland head coach Mike Locksley sits on the hot seat entering Saturday with a 39-51 record with the Terrapins across nine seasons. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Maryland Scout

Head Coach

• Mike Locksley | 9th Season at Maryland; 12th as Head Coach 
• 39-51 (.567) at Maryland; 41-77 (.347) as Head Coach
• 3x Bowl Games
• 1x Broyles Award (2018)
• Previous Head Coach at New Mexico
• Previous assistant at Alabama, Maryland, Illinois, Florida, Army, Pacific (CA) & Towson State

2025 Finish

• Did not qualify for the postseason.

2025 Record & Awards

• Record: 4-8 (1-8 B1G, T-16th)
• National Awards: Lou Groza Award
• All-B1G: 1x First Team, 2x Second Team

All-Time Series

• Nebraska leads 3-1
• Oct. 11, 2025, last matchup; 34-31 NU

Maryland's Malik Washington is one of the top young quarterbacks in the country after a standout 2025 freshman season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Key Returners

• Malik Washington | QB | Soph. | After breaking numerous freshman school records in 2025, Washington elected to stay with Locksley and the Terrapins for his sophomore campaign, which has seen the former four-star throw for over 1,000 yards, six touchdowns and four interceptions through four contests.
• Iverson Howard | RB | Soph. | Despite being second on the depth chart, Howard has ran for a team-high 177 yards and four touchdowns.
• Dorian Fleming | TE | R-Jr. | A former transfer from Georgia State, Fleming has caught 13 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown so far in 2026.
• Rahtrel Perry | OT | R-Sr. | Anchor at left tackle for the Terrapins after starting in all 12 games last season for the program.
• Isaiah Wright | OG | Gr. | After transferring from Buffalo, Wright missed all of 2024 due to an injury sustained in preseason camp. He returned in 2025 to start in all 12 contests and was named a team captain.
• Jaylen Gilchrist | OT | R-Fr. | A former top-120 prospect nationally, Gilchrist suffered a season-ending injury in the 2025 season opener before returning in 2026 to lock down a starting job at tackle.
• Carlton Smith | LB | Soph. | The Virginia native saw action in all 12 games as a freshman in 2025 and now starts at linebacker for the Terrapins this season where he leads the team with 26 total tackles.
• Daniel Wingate | LB | Sr. | Veteran linebacker for the Terrapins that ranks right behind Smith with 25 tackles while forcing a fumble.
• DD Holmes | DE | Soph. | The second-year transfer from Florida State it tied for the Maryland lead in both TFLs (2.5) and sacks (2.5) through four games.
• Eyan Thomas | DT | R-Jr. | The 337-pound defensive tackle plugs the middle for UMD and is among the team leaders with 2.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks.
• Messiah Delhomme | FS | Soph. | Ranked as the No. 6 safety in the country coming out of high school, the Virginia native leads the Terrapins with two interceptions.
• Sean O'Haire | PK | R-Soph. | The kicker from Ireland converted on 87.5% of his kicks in 2025 to earn All-Big Ten First Team honors and the Lou Groza Award for the best placekicker in college football.
• Bryce McFerson | P | R-Sr. | The former Notre Dame transfer finished second in the conference last year with a 44.2-yard average to earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors.

Maryland wide receiver Chris Durr Jr. leads the Big Ten with 35 receptions after transferring from Wyoming. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Impact Transfers/Newcomers

• Kaleb Webb | WR | R-Sr. | The 6-foot-5 Tennessee transfer is a big red zone threat, but he has yet to score in 2026 despite hauling in 13 catches for 182 yards.
• Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding | WR | Jr. | The junior has recorded 239 receiving yards with two touchdowns in his first season at the Power Four level after transferring from Old Dominion.
• Chris Durr Jr. | WR | Jr. | After being one of Wyoming's top contributors in 2024 and 2025, Durr Jr. joined Maryland over the offseason and leads the Big Ten with 35 receptions while posting a team-leading 312 yards and three scores.
• Zion Elee | DE | Fr. | The five-star recruit from Baltimore is having an impact as a first-year college football player with two tackles for loss and two sacks through his first four games.
• Derrick LeBlanc | DT | R-Jr. | The transfer from UCF is one of a handful of players that ranks near the team lead in both TFLs (2.5) and sacks (2.0).

Key Departures

• Shaleak Knotts | WR | Graduated | Led Maryland in 2025 and tied for 11th in the Big Ten with six touchdown receptions while also recording a team-high 717 receiving yards.
• Jalil Farooq | WR | Graduated | Spent his last college season in College Park after four seasons at Oklahoma. Led the Terps with 58 catches and ranked second in both yards (545) and touchdowns (4).
• Jalen Huskey | DB | Graduated | Anchored the Maryland secondary with a team-high four interceptions en route to Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
• Jamare Glasker | DB | Graduated | The former transfer from Wake Forest was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten after tying the team high with four picks and adding six pass breakups.

Maryland linebacker Zion Elee is among the team leaders in both TFLs and sacks as a freshman and former five-star recruit. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Outlook

Entering the season on the hot seat after consecutive 4-8 seasons, Maryland head coach Mike Locksley had legitimate hope for an improved 2026 campaign.

With improved NIL support, the Terrapins were able to hold onto star quarterback Malik Washington, who took the country by storm with a breakout freshman season in 2025. The defense returned most of its talent, including sack leader Sidney Stewart, and former five-star defensive end Zahir Mathis. Plus, Locksley recruited one of the top prospects in the country, Zion Elee, to College Park while also returning their all-conference punter and Lou Groza award-winning placekicker.

There was still plenty of questions to answer with a whole new wide receiver unit coming in through the transfer portal while replacing most of the secondary from 2025 that recorded the most interceptions for Maryland since 2010. The bad vibes started with the season-injury to Mathis during preseason camp, putting an immediate ceiling to the defense's potential. The team looked decent in wins over Hampton (62-0) and UConn (38-14), but things took a turn for the worst after non-competitive losses to Virginia Tech (35-26) and UCLA (54-3).

The glaring weakness is the running game where the Terrapins are unable to run the ball and can't defend. VT and UCLA combined for 397 rushing yards in their victories compared to Maryland's 103. The returning duo of DeJaun Williams and Iverson Howard will see most of the carries on Saturday. Despite its three starters all being transfers, the passing game looks stable with Washington behind the wheel. Wyoming transfer Chris Durr Jr. leads the trio with a Big Ten-leading 35 receptions for 312 yards and three touchdowns. The offensive line has been okay in protection with five sacks allowed in four games, but their lack of production in the running game points to a problem up front in that area.

Maryland linebacker Carlton Smith leads the Terrapins with 26 tackles as a sophomore. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The defense brought back most of its playmakers, but the loss of Mathis was huge for this unit. The Terrapins get contributions from everywhere with six different players recording at least one sack, including a team-high 2.5 from DD Holmes. 337-pound Eyan Thomas leads up front with a pair of sacks and tackles for loss while returning linebackers Carlton Smith (26) and Daniel Wingate (25) rank first and second on the team for tackles.

Maryland appears to be underperforming relative to their talent level, and that typically points to coaching. Despite replacing its top secondary players, the Terrapins should be terrorizing teams up front, but they've failed to make an impact after allowing 445 and 475 yards in the last two weeks. That bodes well for Nebraska, who can key in on Washington and the Terrapin receivers to make their offense one dimensional.

I'm not sure this game hits the over, but put me down for Nebraska to take care of business once again and head into next week against Indiana sitting at 5-0.

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