Nebraska Football's Dylan Raiola Has Shown Maturity Amidst Growing Pains

Nebraska football's true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola showed he can handle adversity, but more is coming against Rutgers and Greg Schiano's defense.

Sep 28, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) hands off the ball against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The last time that Husker fans got to watch their true freshman quarterback play at home, he was being sacked three times in four plays to lose a game in overtime.

Dylan Raiola faced real adversity for the first time in his college career in that loss to Illinois. He handled himself well throughout the game and did not look like a freshman other than a couple of fumbles, which the Huskers were able to recover. However, once the game went to overtime, his inexperience showed.

The Huskers had one of the most disastrous offensive overtime possessions you will ever see. Granted, Raiola being sacked three times in four plays was not entirely his fault. The offensive line failed to pick up any of the pressure that was being sent his way. However, a more experienced quarterback likely would've identified some of those blitzes and audibled into a more ideal protection package.

Those mistakes led to the Huskers’ first loss of the season. For a while, it seemed like the end of that game was bleeding over into the next. The offense scoring zero points in the first half against Purdue was a bad sign. Although botching three field goals has nothing to do with Raiola, he still could not get them into the end zone.

But in the second half against the Boilermakers, Railoa showed maturity and poise. He led his team on three consecutive touchdown drives to put the game completely out of reach. After halftime, he broke his team out of the offensive funk that they were in and showed enough command over the offense to rally his teammates.

A lot has happened since Husker fans were last able to watch their team play at home and saw their freshman quarterback running for his life. But Raiola has given plenty of reasons for fans to continue to be optimistic about the future of the program while he is under center. 

More adversity is likely coming this week against Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are a defensive minded team who will be looking to take advantage of the fact that their opponent’s quarterback has only started five games in his career. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is impressed with Raiola so far, which also means he has been preparing for what he can do. Do not be surprised if Schiano sends pressure like Illinois did.

“The command that he has of their offense is, good for any level, but for a freshman is unheard of,” Schiano said. “He is a very gifted athlete you know, he’s big, he’s mobile. He can throw on the move, he can throw from the pocket. There’s not much this guy can’t do, but that’s why he was such a highly recruited quarterback, right? He’s got all the tools.”

That sounds like a coach who has a lot of respect for his opponent, and Schiano's defenses have plenty of experience with causing problems for talented quarterbacks. Do not be surprised if more adversity comes Raiola’s way on Saturday. But the young quarterback has shown he is capable of handling it.

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