Husker notes: Wideouts at season midpoint, 鈥榮neaky鈥 IU run game, and the 鈥榰nderdog鈥 question
Dylan Raiola knows where his receivers will be, and they know where he鈥檚 going to throw it.
The chemistry between NU鈥檚 freshman quarterback and veteran pass-catchers has grown, Raiola said, over the first half of this season. After a win at Purdue three weeks ago, the skill guys even got together at Raiola鈥檚 house to watch the Alabama/Georgia thriller.
鈥淵ou watch football and you watch guys make plays,鈥 Raiola said Tuesday. 鈥淚t kind of nudges at you, like, 鈥榃ell, they make plays. I can make plays too.鈥 It's just a constant urge to get better.鈥
Through six games, the Huskers have no major injuries among their wideouts 鈥 a big shift from 2023, when the corps had little depth.
Last season, Alex Bullock 鈥 the team鈥檚 No. 6 receiver this season, in terms of snaps 鈥 played 79.5% of the Huskers' snaps. In 2024, Wake Forest and Texas transfers Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor have played 72.6% and 68.1% of NU鈥檚 snaps, respectively. Janiran Bonner and Jacory Barney have played around 31% of the team鈥檚 snaps. Bullock, now mostly a blocker, has played 20.1% of the snaps.
NU offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, who also coaches the tight ends, said he鈥檚 鈥済lobally鈥 pleased with the receivers鈥 work in 2024 while 鈥渃onstantly鈥 getting on them about details.
鈥淩un angry, get open angry, play angry,鈥 Satterfield said. 鈥淐arry the football angry, go up and get it. (I鈥檓) very pleased with the playmaking ability, ability to run by people, ability to catch 50/50 balls. Every day that we come to work, we're going to try to improve and think we can always do better second-level releases and route running.鈥
鈥楽neaky鈥 Indiana offense
The Hoosiers lead the Big Ten in passing yards per game, but their rush attack, which averages around 200 yards per game, is also challenging. Defensive coordinator Tony White compared IU鈥檚 top two backs, 5-9, 210-pound Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton (5-9, 208) to Rutgers back Kyle Monangai.
Nebraska linebacker Javin Wright praised IU鈥檚 rush attack as 鈥渟neaky鈥 good.
鈥淚 give them mad respect, because, I mean, there's nothing they really can't do,鈥 Wright said.
Another Husker 鈥榖acker, John Bullock, agreed.
鈥淭hey're so versatile throwing the ball 鈥 and they can throw the ball very well 鈥 that it just opens up the run game a lot more,鈥 Bullock said.
Underdog or not?
Husker coach Matt Rhule and several Husker players 鈥 including Raiola 鈥 seemed to embrace the underdog role fit for Nebraska in this game. No. 15 Indiana is nearly a touchdown favorite, will have a sold-out crowd and Fox鈥檚 Big Noon crew on hand.
鈥淲e love being an underdog,鈥 Raiola said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 how a lot of people (perceive) Nebraska, is as the underdog. And that鈥檚 fine. We like it that way.鈥
NU running back Emmett Johnson had a different perspective.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 really say it鈥檚 an underdog mentality,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 would just say it鈥檚 just playing Nebraska football. It's nothing different than what we do on, you know, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Just going out there and playing Nebraska football, and we鈥檒l be just fine.鈥
Dylan鈥檚 dry lips and favorite college QBs
Raiola鈥檚 first playing experience with a strong Nebraska wind came in the Huskers鈥 14-7 win over Rutgers. Raiola struggled throwing the ball 鈥 completing 13 of 27 passes for 134 yards 鈥 and also learned something about operating in those hot, breezy conditions.
鈥淚t makes your lips dry, I know that,鈥 Raiola said. 鈥溾 It was interesting how (the wind) spiraled and switched throughout the game, but I guess that鈥檚 normal for here.鈥
Raiola was also asked Tuesday about which college quarterbacks he prefers to watch. He noted three 鈥 Alabama鈥檚 Jalen Milroe, Miami (Fla.) star Cam Ward and Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who like Raiola is from the Polynesian community.
鈥淒illon Gabriel is impressive, just what he does with the ball,鈥 Raiola said of Gabriel, who led the Ducks to a 32-31 win over Ohio State. 鈥淚 was pulling for him.鈥
Check out the photos from the Huskers' game against the Scarlet Knights on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.