Desmond Howard reveals what he expects from Shedeur Sanders, Dylan Railoa in Colorado-Nebraska game
One of the most exciting games of college football season’s Week 2 is a rematch from last year, as Colorado visits Nebraska for an epic matchup that features plenty of talent at the quarterback position. That includes Shedeur Sanders and true freshman Dylan Railoa squaring off with hopes of securing a signature win for their respective teams.
There’s no shortage of intrigue between both quarterbacks in this game as the former five-star prospect makes his second career start on a massive college football stage and Sanders looks to increase his NFL Draft stock. It’s that dynamic that led college football analyst Desmond Howard being asked which signal caller he expects more from on Saturday.
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“I mean that’s a tough question when you say more,” Howard said on Friday during ESPN’s First Take. “I just think Shedeur needs to be Shedeur. He’s one of the top quarterbacks in football, he’s proven that year in and year out. We look at Raiola, he’s a young guy, he’s a newbie.”
Railoa may be a freshman, but he shined in his college debut last week versus UTEP, putting together a dazzling and efficient performance throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns in two and half quarters of action. It was an effort that surely made his father and Nebraska alumni Dominic Raiola proud and giving Cornhuskers’ fans hopes in the future.
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“And the crazy thing is I actually played with his dad Dominic with the Detroit Lions,” Howard added. “His dad was the nicest, coolest guy, fantastic teammate. But when he got on that gridiron, he was a dog. So I know his son has some of that in him too.”
Whether it’s his physical appearance and or his play style, Raiola has already drawn comparisons to Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes. Who he may have to play like on Saturday to outscore Sanders, who threw for 3,230 yards and 27 touchdowns last season in his first year with the Buffaloes. Including 393 passing yards and three total touchdowns against Nebraska last year in a 31-14 win.
“I think that when you look at a freshman quarterback, you want to see if you can confuse him defensively. Show him some looks he’s never seen and see how he handles pressure. So I think that’s gonna be the game plan for Colorado’s defense, is to show this young quarterback some looks that he hasn’t seen before,” Howard explained. “See how he responds to pressure and go from there.”
The stage is set for Saturday’s epic high-stakes quarterback battle in Lincoln, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on NBC.