The Nebraska football season has officially reached its lowest point with the loss of quarterback Dylan Raiola. The star QB went down against No. 23 USC on Saturday in the third quarter and never returned to the game, and other than the small update that head coach Matt Rhule gave after the game, fans had no clue how long the injury would keep him out.
The news broke on Sunday that Raiola is out for the remainder of the season with a broken fibula, effectively breaking the hearts of Cornhusker fans everywhere. Raiola has been the one bright spot of a season that has now gone the complete opposite of what fans hoped it would.
After the news of Raiola broke, the quarterback took to social media to share some words of thanks and love to the Nebraska fanbase, further proving how amazing a player adn person he is.
"Thank y’all for your thoughts and prayers! God’s vision and plan is so much greater than I can imagine!!," Raiola said in a post. "Just a small bump in the road to a beautiful journey back to playing the game I love!!"
Every Cornhuskers fan is sending love and prayers to Raiola for his quick recovery to be back and even better next season.
Who is the backup quarterback at Nebraska?
With Raiola now out for the season, the Cornhuskers will have to turn to backup quarterback TJ Lateef, who came in as relief after Raiola went down against No. 23 USC. Lateef finished the game going 5-for-7 with only seven passing yards, but he had six rushes for 18 yards.
Lateef has seen limited action this season so far, going 16-for-19 with 261 passing yards and only one passing touchdown. Those stats don't look bad, but they were at the end of the game, where the win was already well in hand.
The good news is that Lateef will bring a bit of a different play style to the Nebraska offense, being a dual-threat quarterback.