Football is no child’s play. Even at the collegiate level, this is very much a grown-man sport. These are athletic specimens seeking to inflict pain on one another. Each down is a tryst with fate. Injuries are, begrudgingly, an inevitable byproduct. One to your quarterback, no less, can alter the trajectory of your season. Heck, it can alter the trajectory of your entire program. Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola has flirted with them at different junctures in his freshman year. One former alum has discerned the reason why.

Dylan Raiola is the archetype modern quarterback. He’s good in the pocket but mobile enough to maneuver outside it, too. As with so many of his peers, as well as doppelganger Patrick Mahomes, this mobility is a weapon. Those who can mould this weapon into potent runs downfield, dual-threats, are yearned for. Using your legs to rush to a timely first down is such an advantage. Raiola has this in his arsenal, too. However, he’s putting his body in harm’s way more than Matt Rhule and the Huskers’ faithful would like. You see, Dylan Raiola doesn’t have his quarterback slide figured out just yet. 

The advent and inclusion of the quarterback slide into this physical sport has caused plenty of discourse. It’s like that unspoken stipulation in the rules that no one really likes but understands is necessitated. The thing with this phenomenon is that while the opposition is barred from making contact with you, it also leaves you most vulnerable. Hence, sliding at the wrong time or in the wrong way is even more dangerous than taking contact head-on. According to ex-Husker Adam Carriker, Dylan Raiola is doing both. He echoed this sentiment, as well as offered advice on whom to learn the art from.

“Teams are just going to play man to man and say, ‘We’re going to lock down your receivers…feel free to take off’ Several teams did that, and then [Raiola] started to take off.” acknowledged Carriker on his 93.7 The Ticket radio show. He proceeded to preach that “You’ve got to be willing, when appropriate, to fight for that extra yard..learning when to fight for it, when to be smart with your body and then when it is time to lower the shoulder.” Adam Carriker believes Raiola’s slide against Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl, which led to a scuffle, was “ill-timed” too. That wasn’t the first time this issue became conspicuous.

Raiola had to exit a game earlier in the season with a back injury after a mishap while sliding. This happened against UCLA in early November. These ghosts need to be reigned in before they hamper his career with recurring injuries.

He also referenced how, back in their NFL days, teammate Robert Griffin III had similar problems. Although he’s one of the best rushing quarterbacks of all time, Carriker said RG3 had trouble timing and executing his slide. He allegedly even took lessons on the same from a baseball coach, given it’s a prevalent skill in that vertical. Dylan Raiola probably doesn’t need to go to that extent. Just some fine-tuning would suffice. As such, he was suggested to watch film on how one NFL stud goes about it.

Dylan Raiola told to learn from watching a multiple-time NFL MVP

If RG3 is the prototype, then Lamar Jackson is, in many ways, the final product. Lamar has thwarted a lot of prejudice on his way to the pedestal he’s on today. He’s so good at using his legs that the naysayers said he should become a running back instead. Alas, Lamar has complimented his rushing prowess with an improved passing game. As a result, he’s the biggest threat in the league at leaving the pocket and foraying for a first down.

“Watch Lamar Jackson specifically,” said Adam Carriker. He did, however, mention rookie Jayden Daniels as another player in the same boat as Dylan Raiola, pertaining to the very particular skill of sliding. “Jayden Daniels is a little bit more, I guess, willing to take on contact. Or a young guy not smart enough to learn how to avoid it is another way to look at it!” he remarked.

With a long off-season beckoning, Raiola will have plenty of time to develop a better QB slide. His OC Dana Holgorsen has already hinted at wanting to work on his physical and tangible attributes. Locking down a proper slide will unlock a lot of options on offense, as it will subconsciously make Raiola more prone to leg a first down. Since injury will be less of a concern. This one very unassuming skill can unlock a new dimension to his game and, by extension, the Huskers.