LINCOLN — As it turned out, Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola never got to connect with friend and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes before, during or after the Huskers’ game in Arrowhead Stadium.
Mahomes talked to Dylan’s dad, Husker legend Dominic Raiola, for a bit on the sideline before the game kicked off, but went up to a private box — with Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce and Kelce’s fiancée, Taylor Swift.
“I ran out, it was pregame, and he kind of went up and did his thing, which is fine,” Raiola said. “I don’t know. You guys probably would have liked that.”
From his perch, Mahomes saw what 70,000 Husker fans did — Raiola taking what Cincinnati’s defense gave him. He completed 33 of 42 passes for 5.8 yards per attempt. He only threw one pass deep — a 24-yard fade ball to Nyziah Hunter.
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That’s precisely what NU offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen wanted Raiola to do — put the ball in play and keep it out of harm’s way. The approach tested Raiola’s patience a bit — most quarterbacks like airing it out a few times per game.
“It is hard, but the way Coach (Matt) Rhule runs his program is the discipline of everything you do,” Raiola said. “That carries over to the football field. So when it comes to it, I’m not trying to be selfish, we’re just trying to win the game. That’s what it was, and that’s what we did.”
Raiola, typically a tough grader, said he played “fairly well” in the win, with a “handful of plays” he’d like to have back. One of those was the failed fourth down play early in the third quarter, when Raiola tried to check to a deep throw instead of immediately tossing to one of two open targets, Emmett Johnson or Heinrich Haarberg.
Earlier in the game, though, one of his checks paid off when, in the last minute of the first half, he connected with Nyziah Hunter on a short touchdown fade ball in the corner of the end zone. Raiola said he and Hunter had “never” practiced that play in that formation, and the audio piece in his helmet was “going in and out” with scratchy information.
“There was a lot going on and I look out there and it’s 1-on-1,” Raiola said. “I’m going to trust my guy to make a play and you saw exactly that.”
Hunter was impressed by Raiola’s quick decision.
“In practice we didn’t really throw that ball,” Hunter said, “but, in the game, he was just comfortable throwing that ball, being him.”
Tight end Luke Lindenmeyer said he saw more “confidence” from Raiola, compared to the Pinstripe Bowl nine months ago, as it related to running the Husker offense. “Five or six times,” Lindenmeyer said, Raiola made checks or changed the play at the line of scrimmage.
Nebraska offers Raiola more “freedom,” coach Matt Rhule said, to run the offense as he sees fit. Most teams have their quarterbacks glance at the sidelines for audibles in the final 20 seconds of the play clock.
Raiola appreciates the autonomy.
“It’s a lot, especially early in the week when you’re trying to get a gameplan going and kind of piecing things together, but I love it,” Raiola said. “It basically gives us the best ability to make plays happen.”
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