It isn’t Patrick Mahomes, it’s the freshman who has been nailing it for the Huskers. Dylan Raiola has been an anomaly this year. Against the Buffs is where we saw this dude spread his wings and fly. Against AP top 25 opponents, this dude has managed to rack up a completion rate of 68%. How many other freshman QBs have managed to get that done? Standing on 1300+ yards and 9 touchdowns, Dylan Raiola is changing the scene for Huskers football, but it hasn’t been easy and someone from Fox Sports agrees.

Fox insider Brady Quinn talks about the weight of expectations on Raiola’s shoulder. “Special talent. I started as a freshman, so I think people underestimate how difficult that is. He (Dylan) came in early, which helps. The defense was getting better….. the run game was coming along but there wasn’t anything in the passing game. Now that they have Dylan there, you see what he is capable of,” Quinn pointed out. Before Matt Rhule brought in Raiola, the Huskers were not in a good spot. This one decision from Rhule’s end managed to change the entire outlook of the team.

The Huskers have always had a strong footing when it came down to their defensive line. They have been marked as one of the strongest defensive lines this season and have captured the No.6th top-ranked spot in the nation. Last year the Huskers’ offensive line ranked 123rd in the entire nation.

They barely managed to average around 18 points in every showdown. Take that and compare it with their 2024 counterpart, and you won’t even be able to recognize the team anymore. In his breakout play, Raiola managed to bring in 2 touchdowns and completed 19-27 passes. While all of this has been great, you still gotta understand that Rhule and Co. are now heading into a quite tougher remaining schedule.

The biggest challenge for Rhule during the Hoosiers showdown will be the rejuvenated offensive line that HC Curt Cignetti has managed to create over there at Indiana. With 6 back-to-back wins, the Hoosiers are on a wild run but this will mark the first time Curt and Co. will face a proper challenge and they won’t hand it over to Rhule easily.

Curt Cignetti’s ain’t letting this go easy

3 key players on the Hoosier offensive line have managed to help the ship sail smoothly through harsh waters; Kaelon Black, Ty Son Lawton, and Justice Ellison. Indiana is standing on the No.32 spot in the nation when it comes down to rushing offense.

The running backs on the team have managed to average more than 200 yards in each of the 6 games. Rhule’s defensive line has to work towards curbing this run game, or else Indiana is gonna wreak havoc on the turf. And something tells us that they could stop Indiana’s reign.

Take the Rutgers game as an example. Rhule’s D-line went up against the 2nd leading rusher in the entire Big 10. What was the outcome? Well, Scarlet Knights RB Kyle Monangai brought in only 72 yards that game. This was his season’s lowest. However, at the end of the day, this is college football folks. We have seen teams like Bama struggle against unranked opponents. Let’s see how the tables turn on Saturday.