Analyst: Dylan Raiola just needs to be steady for Nebraska football

It’s clear that Dylan Raiola wants to wake the sleeping giant that is Nebraska football. Most fans expect him to do just that. But the caveat is that he doesn’t need to be the kind of superstar some see him already being as a true freshman.

One of the things that stands out the most from last season is that the Huskers didn’t need spectacular quarterback play in order to get to a bowl game. They simply needed consistent and competent quarterback play.

Had Nebraska football gotten a quarterback who simply made one or two less errors over the course of the season, NU would have at least gone bowling. Get a quarterback who is solid, even if he’s not spectacular and it’s not hard to envision seven, eight or even nine wins.

Nebraska football doesn’t need superstar Dylan Raiola

Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald pointed the kind of play the Huskers want from their new true freshman quarterback at the bare minimum. And the verdict is that all Raiola has to be is “steady.”

“The Huskers are betting on Raiola’s natural arm talent and beyond-his-grade-level maturity — he’s seven months older than Adrian Martinez was in 2018 — to fit in nicely with an offense full of seasoned veterans. Raiola doesn’t have to be spectacular; steady is enough. NU’s defense and run game can deliver the rest if No. 15 avoids bad turnovers.”

McKewon also understands what “just steady” play from Raiola means.

“If Nebraska’s offense scored just one more touchdown per game in 2024, the team could be in play for a College Football Playoff spot. That’s a big “if,” but it’s no foolin’, either. Nine wins enters the CFP chat. Ten wins gets a lot of attention.”

Of course, when the opposing team, who happens to be 28 point underdogs to the Nebraska football team decides to pick on Raiola, one wonders just how good he’s going to show them he can be.