Sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola is coming into Saturday’s game off of an impressive final drive against Northwestern, with No. 23 USC up next for Nebraska football.
Raiola led the Huskers to a game-winning drive, scoring the go-ahead touchdown with 2:44 on the clock. Junior running back Emmett Johnson punched it in from 4 yards out, giving Nebraska a 28-21 win over the Wildcats.
“When Javin (Wright) got the ball back, got that pick, Dylan put his helmet on and just sprinted out there,” offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen said. “He was so excited that the defense got him the ball back, and he had the confidence and the poise to put together probably his best drive that I’ve seen from him. We converted on four third downs and he made some great plays.”
Raiola went 5-for-7 for 46 yards with completions to Nebraska’s top three wideouts in Nyzaiah Hunter (gains of 1 and 19), Dane Key (13) and Jacory Barney Jr. (7) plus Johnson (7) on the 13-play, 64-yard drive that chewed up 6:27.
The quarterback went 16-of-22 for 141 yards, one touchdown and one interception overall, leading the Huskers to victory and snapping the Wildcats’ four-game win streak.
“Yes, because we scored, and we won the game,” Raiola said in response to Holgorsen’s comments about his game-winning drive. “Other than that, I think it was just doing my job and converting third downs when we needed to. Guys made plays when it happened. So, it was good we won.”
Now, Nebraska has turned its attention to USC. The Trojans’ defense is coming into this year’s game with a lot of new faces and a lot more size.
“Their personnel is really good,” Raiola said. “I think they’re elite. Elite up front, elite in the secondary; their whole defense is elite, so we’ll have our hands full. It will be a great test for us, and we’ll be ready to answer that bell when it’s time to go.”
The Huskers have a huge opportunity on Saturday when they face USC. They haven’t beaten a ranked opponent in 28 match ups, with the last coming in 2014.
“I’m a very religious person, and for do-overs like this to happen, Minnesota, we got a do-over last week of the same situation, and in some ways, we have a similar situation coming into this week with a ranked opponent on national TV like we did in week four,” Raiola said. “Those don’t happen often, especially in this game of football. So, I believe God’s saying, ‘Here’s another opportunity to see what you go do with it.’ So we’re grateful for this opportunity we have.”
With bowl eligibility already secured for the second straight season, Nebraska is looking to take that next step as a program.
“This is what you train for, this is what Coach (Matt) Rhule and his staff have prepared us for, is winning in November, December, and January,” Raiola said. “It’s the whole reason why most of us came here, is for games like this.”
Nebraska welcomes USC into Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT.
