Matt Rhule: Dylan Raiola was 'excellent' in Nebraska season opener

Nebraska improved to 1-0 following a 20-17 victory over Cincinnati in Kansas City last week. The Huskers were led to victory by standout sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola.

There has been a ton of hype surrounding Raiola coming into the season, and head coach Matt Rhule appears pleased with Raiola’s play during the season-opening win. Rhule used the word “excellent” to describe Raiola’s play against the Bearcats.

“I think anytime you throw the ball 42 times and we don’t have a turnover, I’m going to say the quarterback played well,” Rhule told media on Monday. “… I think there’s maybe three plays he’d like back. The 4th & 2 that we didn’t get. He made an aggressive check, which is part of the game. I think if he would have just stay with the play, he’d be the first to tell you that. He said that. But I love that. I love the fact that he was aggressive. We want to play that way.”

Raiola finished the game having completed 33 of his 42 passing attempts for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Rhule has made it a point of emphasis over the past two seasons to take care of the football, and despite his inflated workload, Raiola kept the ball away from Cincinnati.

In total, Nebraska finished the game with 353 total yards of offense. Rhule praised Raiola for his maturity after just one year of college football under his belt.

“He’s got Patrick Mahomes there, who he obviously respects and is friends with. He wasn’t out there trying to make cowboy plays,” Rhule continued. “He was playing quarterback, and that’s what I want.

“He’ll get better and better and better. … I think you know he’d tell you there’s maybe one, maybe two plays he wishes he made a different check. But guys, we give him a ton of freedom. He has more freedom than most quarterbacks in the country probably have. And he’s right most of the time. He’s right more than I would be so I’ll take. I thought he played excellent.”

Nebraska will move forward in Week 2 with its home opener against Akron before playing Houston Christian the following week. This gives the Huskers an opportunity for a fast start to the season and an undefeated finish to non-conference play. Nebraska will kick off Big Ten Conference action against No. 15 Michigan in Lincoln during Week 4 on Sept. 20.