Michigan State facing another explosive offense in Dylan Raiola-led Nebraska

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State is preparing for another challenging road game at Nebraska coming off the bye week in its first game since a difficult road loss at Southern Cal.

“Big opportunity back into this league and conference play in a tough environment,” Spartan football coach Jonathan Smith said during his weekly press conference on Monday. “(We) are going back on the road. Coach (Matt) Rhule has done a nice job there. These guys (have) a good football team.”

Saturday’s game kicks off a grueling October schedule for Michigan State which plays a second road game at Indiana and home games against UCLA and the rival Wolverines.

“You’ve got to bring your A game because it’s tough to win games,” Smith said.  “It’s something I observed being able to sit there and watch some of these games on Saturday. How competitive it is. It is hard to win. Easy to lose.”

Like the Spartans, Nebraska comes into this game after a bye week of its own, having lost to Michigan at home two weekends ago. And much like the Spartans in their loss at USC prior to the bye week, The Huskers fell to the Wolverines largely because of their inability to stop the run.

“Each week has a life of its own,” Smith said. “We talked about that too as a team yesterday. You’re going to play a game, you’re going to learn from it, but the previous game does not define what the next game’s going to be about when we’re going to get into this gauntlet.”

Nebraska has one of the top offenses in college football. The Huskers rank No. 12 in the FBS in scoring (42.5) and No. 13 in total offense (496.5), which is not surprising for a Dana Holgorsen-coached offense. Throughout his lengthy career, Holgorsen offenses have been among the highest scoring in college football. Those same offenses have also routinely ranked in the Top 5 in passing yards and total yards.    

“The passing game, they’re just so effective with it,” Smith said. “It’s blended with some run pass options. The quarterback can change his arm angle.”

Among Big Ten teams, Oregon and Southern Cal are averaging more yards per game on offense than Nebraska has to this point in the season. The Spartan defense has been challenged by some of the top offensive minds in college football with Lincoln Riley at USC, Bill O’Brien at Boston College, and now Holgorsen at Nebraska. Like Riley and O’Brien, Holgorsen is fortunate to have a gifted quarterback running his offense.

Nebraska sophomore Dylan Raiola ranks No. 15 nationally in passing yards per game (284.5), making him the third quarterback ranked in the Top 15 in passing yards that the Spartans will have faced to this point in the season along with Dylan Lonergan (Boston College) and Jayden Maiava (Southern Cal). Raiola has completed 102-for-135 (75.5 percent) for 1,137 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception.

The combination of Holgorsen’s scheme and Raiola’s talent make the Nebraska offense as difficult a challenge as any the Spartan defense has faced this season.

“He’s a gifted player,” Smith said of Raiola. “Extends play. Changes arm angle, their efficiency, their ability to stay out of third and long because of the passing. They’ve got some weapons they’re throwing at.  And they’ve got some good coaches over there. Coach Holgerson, they know what they’re doing offensively, and it shows up on tape.”

In Holgerson’s offense, the ball gets spread around. The Huskers have sure-handed pass-catchers at wide receiver, tight end, and out of the backfield. Wide receivers Jacory Barney and Dane Key have 527 receiving yards and six touchdown catches between them. Five different Nebraska players have double digit receptions through four game games. That group includes Barney, Key, wide receiver Nyziah Hunter, running back Emmett Johnson, and tight end Luke Lindenmeyer, who has three times as many receptions through four games than he did all of last season.

On the ground, Nebraska should present less of a challenge to the Michigan State run defense than the Spartans faced at Southern Cal. The Huskers do have a respectable per-game rushing average (174.5) , but most of that production has come in a pair of blowout wins over Akron and Houston Christian. In games against Power 4 conference opponents, The Huskers have yet to score a rushing touchdown. In that two game sample, Nebraska has averaged 2.2 yards per carry.

Be that as it may, Nebraska doesn’t need an effective run game to keep defenses on their heels. The Huskers are perfectly happy to use a short passing game as a substitute for a conventional run game.

Led by Johnson’s 16 catches out of the backfield, five different Nebraska running backs have two or more catches to this point in the season.

Defensively, Nebraska ranks No. 16 in the FBS in scoring defense (13.6). The Huskers have, however, struggled to stop the run. Nebraska ranks No. 110 among FBS opponents against the run. Akron is the only opponent that has not scored a rushing touchdown against the Huskers.

Michigan State needs to run the football more effectively against Nebraska than it did against Southern Cal prior to the bye. A healthy per-carry average on the ground and a strong performance by Aidan Chiles at quarterback is the best way to keep the Spartan defense fresh and the potent Nebraska offense on the sideline.

The strength of the Nebraska defense is in the defensive backfield according to Smith.

“I think defensively they hold their own, doing some really good things, especially on the back end,” Smith said.