Setting expectations for Dylan Raiola vs. Colorado
Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola was one of the most prized recruits ever to sign with the school. And he didn’t disappoint in his debut last weekend, completing 70.4% of his passes for 238 yards, while tossing in two touchdowns with no interceptions. The buzz had been steadily growing around Raiola in the spring and fall camp. And he looked like the man Nebraska hoped he would be when they lured him to Lincoln as one of the most coveted signal-callers in the country.
On Friday, HuskerOnline’s Sean Callahan joined the On3 Roundtable with Kaiden Smith and discussed how impressed he was with Raiola in his first game. He said there’s plenty more to the uber-talented freshman’s game than just his ultra-accurate arm. “Just his management. He checked into a run call on his own. The helmet communication was turned off. And the check call turned into a 42-yard run, the longest run of the game. So, it’s not just the arm, he’s got a really, really good feel for the game of football.”
A former five-star prospect in the 2024 cycle, Raiola was ranked as the No. 3 quarterback in America according to the On3 Industry Rankings. For the second game of his college football career, Raiola and the Cornhuskers’ offensive attack will get the Colorado defense, one of the more generous units in America. According to CFB Film Room, the Buffaloes only generated a 10.0% pressure rate against North Dakota State in Week 1. Only three defenses in the nation had a worse number than that in the first week of play.
In their first matchup this season against NDSU, the Colorado secondary surrendered 292 passing yards, which currently ranks them 117th out of 133 qualifying teams. That’s got to have a player like Raiola licking his chops.
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And Huskers’ wideout Isaiah Neyor, who officially announced his return to the college football world with a Week 1 stat line of six catches for 121 receiving yards and a touchdown. In 2021 with the Wyoming Cowboys, Neyor showcased his speed as a vertical threat, hauling in 44 catches for 878 yards and 12 touchdowns. Neyor turned heads all of fall camp in Lincoln and his connection with Raiola should be fun to watch all season long.
The matchup between Nebraska and Colorado is set for Saturday, September 7th. The game will be nationally televised on NBC and Peacock and is slated to begin at 7:30 PM EST.