Dylan Raiola faced a tough lesson on Friday night.
As the highest-rated recruit in Nebraska’s history, he had received a lot of praise for his performances in his first three college games. However, the Cornhuskers’ 31-24 overtime loss to No. 24 Illinois made Raiola realize that the game isn’t always easy, even for top prospects.
“Let this one hurt for a day or two and move on from it,” Raiola said. “It’s the same preparation every week — win, lose, or draw. When you come up short, you find out what your team is about. We’ll come watch the tape and get ready to go next week.”
Raiola completed 24 of 35 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had an unfortunate interception for the second week in a row.
“I thought Dylan was superb in many, many ways,” said coach Matt Rhule.
However, one moment that will stick with both Raiola and Rhule occurred late in regulation when the game was tied. Luke Lindenmeyer got free behind the defense on a third-and-3 from the Illinois 21.
Raiola threw a pass that went well beyond Lindenmeyer in the end zone. This led to backup kicker John Hohl attempting a 39-yard field goal, which he missed.
“I saw Luke run wide open and I missed a throw to win the game,” Raiola said. “That was our chance to go win the game. I’ll take this game on my back. I’ve got to get better and be better for our team and put us in position to win.”
In the first half, Raiola was as sharp as he had been in previous games, making good decisions and even dumping the ball off to a running back as his fourth option.
He completed 10 of his first 12 passes and connected with Isaiah Neyor for two touchdowns, giving the Huskers a 17-10 lead at halftime. But the fourth quarter and overtime were challenging.
At one point, he lost 9 yards and recovered his own fumble, then was sacked and fumbled again, though Nebraska offensive lineman Gunnar Gottula recovered that one.
He also overthrew Lindenmeyer on the next series and was sacked on three of Nebraska’s four plays in overtime, with the last sack ending the game.
