LINCOLN, Neb. — With 72 seconds left in the first half on Saturday, Nebraska faced a third-and-12 at its 39-yard line. It led UTEP by 16 points, and freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola had just returned to the field after he was required to sit for one play when his helmet was knocked to the turf as he took the first sack of his collegiate career.
Good time for a conservative run play and a punt before taking a comfortable lead to the locker room?
Not on Saturday.
Raiola, out of the shotgun, found a gap in the Miners’ zone coverage to hit Isaiah Neyor over the middle for a gain of 15 yards. Without using a timeout, Raiola found Jahmal Banks for a gain of 8, Janiran Bonner for 14 and finally Banks on a pretty, lofted throw to the corner of the south end zone from 21 yards out with 2 seconds to play in the half.
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This is what the Raiola-led Nebraska offense can do in 2024. It’s what the Huskers in 2023, without a five-star talent at quarterback and the likes of Neyor and Banks — senior pass catches who transferred to Nebraska from Texas and Wake Forest, respectively — could not do.
Nebraska beat UTEP 40-7 before the 397th consecutive sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium.
Dylan Raiola (15) threw for 238 yards two touchdowns on Saturday. (Dylan Widger / USA Today)
The Huskers’ first victory in a season opener since 2019 confirmed that this Raiola kid was worth the wait.
He can play. But Raiola has weapons around him that compare favorably to any group of players to suit up in Lincoln over the past seven seasons.
Here’s what we took away from Saturday:
1. Raiola has the it factor. No surprise here, but he had to actually do it in a game to answer questions about his readiness. He finished 19-of-27 passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns. Nebraska, as expected, didn’t put too much on his shoulders. It ran the ball 47 times for 223 yards, leaning on a four-headed stable of backs.
But when Raiola had to step up in his much-anticipated debut, he did.
The Huskers took the opening kickoff and matched 72 yards in 12 plays. Raiola threw deep once, and the ball floated through the reach of a diving Neyor in the end zone from 40 yards out. Raiola otherwise connected beautifully with five receivers on his first possession and dug the Huskers out of a second-and-30 hole with completions to Banks and Neyor.
2. Banks and Neyor offer Raiola a safety blanket. Both seniors are big bodied, listed at 6 feet, 4 and 220 pounds. And both showed excellent athleticism in their Nebraska debuts. Neyor’s touchdown went for 59 yards on a ball that Raiola, under pressure, heaved 45 yards in the air. Neyor caught it near the west sideline in traffic and kept his balance, stumbling for a few yards before trotting into the end zone.
His 121-yard day on six catches marked the first triple-digit Nebraska receiving performance since Trey Palmer went for 165 against Iowa in 2022.
Banks caught four balls for 61 yards.
Raiola targeted his top duo 12 times. Solid efficiency.
3. Despite the lopsided final score, Memorial Stadium turned tense for a while in the first half. The Nebraska defense forced a three-and-out on UTEP’s first possession. The Huskers, behind running back Dante Dowdell, then drove to the Miners’ 40, but Raiola’s connection on fourth down-and-5 with Neyor gained just 2 yards.
UTEP took possession and covered 62 yards in three plays. Receiver Kam Thomas, listed at 5-7, beat safety Malcolm Hartzog for the 38-yard touchdown pass from Skyler Locklear. It evened the score at 7-7. The Huskers sputtered on their next drive. And when the ground game got going in the second quarter, Dowdell lost a fumble at the Miners’ 3.
A collective groan emitted from the stadium. Not again. Nebraska lost 15 fumbles last season, the highest mark in the FBS, among its 31 turnovers.
4. Ty Robinson took matters into his own hands when doubts crept in. The senior defensive lineman buried running back Jevon Johnson in the end zone for a 3-yard loss and a safety, Nebraska’s first defensive safety since 2009 against Arizona in the Holiday Bowl.
The safety returned momentum to Nebraska and led directly to Raiola’s long TD throw to Neyor.
The problem is, that doubt existed at any moment against UTEP. Future opponents won’t treat the Huskers as kindly if they give away scoring opportunities. Nebraska as a program isn’t to the place yet where it appears ready to entirely shake off a negative turn of events.
It can thank Robinson for turning the tide on Saturday.
5. Coach Matt Rhule and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield vowed in the preseason that those who turn the ball over would not play. Dowdell, en route to 55 yards on eight carries, looked the best among the backs early. But his fumble earned him a spot on the bench until after halftime.
In his place, Emmett Johnson (71 yards on eight carries), Rahmir Johnson (50 yards on 11 carries) and Gabe Ervin (24 yards on six carries) received opportunities. All four of the backs were in line to receive playing time in the first half on Saturday after practices in August could not determine a top back.
Dowdell appeared to earn an edge Saturday. Until he fumbled. That’s how it’s going to go for the Huskers in 2024. As long as they have options, they won’t tolerate turnovers.
The fumble by Dowdell was Nebraska’s lone turnover. It got two takeaways back in the second half on interceptions by Hartzog and Rahmir Stewart. That’s a step in the right direction after the Huskers finished minus-17 in turnover margin a year ago.
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6. And now, Colorado. The Buffaloes are coming. CU beat North Dakota State 31-26 on Thursday, so these former Big 12 rivals will square off in prime time next Saturday on NBC with matching 1-0 records.
Nebraska last beat Colorado in 2010. The Buffs won in Lincoln in 2018 and in Boulder in 2019. They ran past the Huskers 36-14 last year in Deion Sanders’ home coaching debut as Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter had their way with the Blackshirts.
The importance of next week for Nebraska and its hungry legion of fans cannot be overstated. The Huskers last started 2-0 with at least one win against a power-conference opponent in 2007.
(Top photo: Steven Branscombe / Getty Images)
