The former five-star prospect is Nebraska's biggest recruit in recent memory, and fans are now eager to see the quarterback put on a red and cream uniform on Saturday afternoon.
Everyone knows the Reds will be at full throttle when Dylan Raiola lines up behind center against UTEP. After all, coach Matt Rhule chose Raiola to lead the offense over last year's starter Heinrich Harburg and fellow freshman Daniel Kaelin.
Now that Raiola is the big man on campus, the program is finally garnering national attention again, with games being nationally broadcast on FOX. Fans will be excited to see Raiola pick up where he left off in the Red and White game. It's no surprise that he has great arm talent. Coach Matt Rhule has provided him with plenty of weapons to throw the ball to, and many expect him to thrive in Marcus Satterfield's offense.
Most importantly, Raiola is competitive and has been around football his whole life, it's in his DNA: His father, Dominic, was an All-American center for the Huskers, a Rimington Award winner and an NFL starter for more than a decade.
But being the face of a program comes with great responsibility, and Raiola is only a true freshman. Lue has confidence in the gunslinger, who is in his second year at Nebraska. Huskers fans are hoping Raiola lives up to expectations. Adrian Martinez has been a huge disappointment under coach Scott Frost, but what Nebraska needs most is a follow-up to that disappointing movie.
The Miners are a good matchup for Raiola to debut considering they're under first-year coach Scotty Walden, not to mention UTEP only returns starters for a defense that finished 125th in the FBS in run defense. Raiola could easily throw for 300-plus yards against the Miners, but he won't play in the second half if the Huskers play to their potential.
Saturday's matchup will help Raiola break some freshman jitters and work better with his teammates. The offensive line will also need to perform well. A great quarterback makes those around him better. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the offense grows off of Raiola's energy.
The young quarterback has a tough road ahead and needs to develop quickly. As it stands, the Huskers have five games left against the three top-ranked teams, which is why it's important for Raiola to get some experience early. Hahlberg also needs to be ready to go when called upon. Rhule has designed a special package for him because of his dangerous mobility.
Either way, Raiola has Huskers fans excited, and there's no reason he can't be successful this fall. Everyone is rooting for him to lead Nebraska to the promised land, so pulling the Huskers out of a lengthy bowl drought would be a huge boost to his accomplishments.
But it all starts with Game 1, and Saturday is something Big Red Nation can't wait to see.
