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Part of the reason for that limited total was the fact that 10 of Raiola’s 21 completions came behind the line of scrimmage as Nebraska repeatedly attempted screen passes against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Nebraska’s struggles in those areas led to head coach Matt Rhule saying the execution on those plays “wasn’t good enough.” But while the play calls themselves may be questioned by Nebraska fans, there’s one person who isn’t questioning the decisions of offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield — his starting quarterback.

“I think it’s just a matter of execution now,” Raiola said. “Coach (Satterfield) gives us the plays to go do it, and as players, we have to go out there and execute. I know Coach (Satterfield) is getting a lot of heat right now (about) the plays he’s calling, and I think that’s unfair to him.

“He can’t go out there and make plays and do everything that he’s coaching us to do, so as players and as the quarterback of this offense, I take the responsibility for that. For us to go out there and execute, that’s not his fault.”

Really has been a while, huh?

Raiola knew it had been a while.

But when a teammate laid out the exact number prior to Tuesday’s practice, it struck the freshman quarterback. Eight years without a bowl game have passed within the Nebraska football program dating back to the 2016 season.

“I actually heard someone say there hadn’t been a bowl game in eight years or something like that, so giving the fans a guaranteed (extra) game and possibly more being in the playoffs would mean a lot to this fanbase; they’ve been through a lot and they’ve been really loyal to everybody,” Raiola said. “It’d mean a lot to everybody to get to a bowl game.”

Nebraska will have that opportunity this Saturday when it faces UCLA — a win would secure the elusive sixth win. However, Raiola said he and the rest of the team don’t want to “do the minimum” and just get to six wins. They want to win out.

'Underdog hero'

Saturday was a day to remember for Nebraska linebacker MJ Sherman.

Nebraska’s starter at “Jack” linebacker, Sherman played one of his best games as a Husker against Ohio State, recording two tackles for a loss and one sack while generating a major pass-rushing impact.

One play of Sherman’s in particular, which stood out to defensive coordinator Tony White, was a fourth-down stop in which Sherman was double-teamed by a pair of Ohio State players but fought through the block to take down the opposing ball carrier.

“He sets a great example being an older guy, (and) that’s the kinda guy you want leading that position group,” White said of Sherman. “He’s making a ton of plays, but it’s the plays that he doesn’t make where he’s really impacting the game; he’s kinda like the undercover hero. He’s taking on blocks, he’s so physical.”

While Nebraska tends to rotate heavily on defense, its contest against Ohio State was unique in that regard. Sherman played 32 snaps, ceding just eight snaps to Willis McGahee IV and four snaps to Princewill Umanmielen, the two players who have backed him up at the Jack linebacker spot.