Raiola’s Roughest Night Becomes a Defining Win for Nebraska

If you told any Nebraska fan getting ready to watch the Huskers take on Maryland this past Saturday that Dylan Raiola would complete a little over 66% of his passes, throw three interceptions and take a sack, you might have decided to go to a pumpkin patch with the family instead.

If you did, you would have missed one of the most gutsy wins Nebraska’s churned out in recent memory. Nebraska made the plays they needed to in the fourth quarter to earn the 34-31 win over the Terrapins, and ironically enough, the team needed Raiola most on that game-sealing drive.

However, despite the late heroics, it was by far Raiola’s ugliest game of the season, and he’d be the first to tell you that.

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3ème interception de la journée pour Raiola. pic.twitter.com/8GjquWhUtt
— The Trick Play - NCAA/CFB (@TheTrickPlayFR) October 11, 2025

“It’s unacceptable,” Raiola said when asked about his interceptions following the game. “I’ll get that fixed, but what an atmosphere. Our fans showed up. Our guys showed up when it counted, and we knew it was going to be a four-quarter fight. If we could just hang in there until the fourth, we’d find a way to win. Ya’ll saw that happen, so super proud of our guys.”

If you’re a Husker fan, the team made a statement Saturday night. They’re a lot more than just Dylan Raiola, despite the usual weekly narrative from the national media.

Maryland didn't have an answer for Emmett Johnson Saturday, as the Husker running back amassed 176 yards on the ground. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Husker running back Emmett Johnson had a monster game, running for 176 yards on 21 carries, averaging more than eight yards per carry. Through the air, Raiola did more than enough to atone for his three interceptions by still completing 22 passes on the night, with Nyziah Hunter and Dane Key accounting for nearly half of them.

Hunter had his biggest game of the year, pulling in five receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Key was right behind him with four grabs for 43 yards, including a 3-yard game-winning touchdown with just 1:08 remaining.

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said the wild finish reminded him of an NFL game when he was a young positional coach.

“I was a young assistant offensive line coach for the Giants, and I don’t know if it was four or five interceptions Eli Manning threw against Tampa Bay, and he came back and won the game like a kind of walk-off play like that,” Rhule said. “I just remember being like ‘those guys don’t get to feel sorry for themselves. They just got to keep playing.’”

While Dylan Raiola was responsible for three interceptions against Maryland, he also tossed four touchdowns, with his fourth being a game-winning TD with 1:08 remaining. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

That’s exactly what Nebraska did Saturday against Maryland. Raiola’s three interceptions happened in the span of just five drives, spanning the second quarter and the start of the third. Fortunately for NU, the two drives in which he didn’t throw interceptions ended in touchdowns.

Those turnovers led to 17 Maryland points, clearly shifting the game in favor of the Terps during the middle quarters. Understandably, the mistakes were also taking a toll on Nebraska’s signal caller.

“Dylan was banged up,” Rhule said. “He was hitting the thigh in the first half. Obviously, that one pick, you know, the kid hit him late, but he’s just the ultimate competitor. It’s why I get upset when national media (do all the) Mahomes comparisons. I’m like, this guy’s a stone-cold fighting winner, and he wants to win so badly.”

Raiola credited his mental preparation for why he was able to overcome three interceptions in Nebraska's win over Maryland. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Raiola was allowed that opportunity as Nebraska stuck around through the errors. Once the fourth quarter rolled around, Nebraska drew back within four following a Kyle Cunanan field goal. It was the drives in the third and fourth quarters where Raiola was able to keep his composure that set up the eventual game-winning drive.

Raiola said he spends plenty of time preparing for success on Saturdays, but he also prepares for the worst.

“I was calm the whole time,” Raiola said. “You know, doing mental prep and stuff when things go bad and actually believe it or not, visualize things when they go wrong. I take full accountability. That’s my fault, but Dana was just (saying) ‘go out there and have fun. This is why you’re in the position you’re in, and you’re the right one for this job. The whole defense had our back, so man, what a win.”

Raiola also provided the smart quarterback statements following the win by praising his offensive line for keeping him clean (only allowed one sack) and the defense for making the stops when they needed to.

He also had a steady hand in running back Emmett Johnson, which helped take some of the pressure off of him. Johnson’s 176 yards on the ground became Nebraska’s saving grace when the passing game kept stalling.

“That was our game plan coming into it, and understanding that and then not being selfish or letting my pride get in the way of wanting to throw the football – just what it takes to win and we have a tremendous o-line,” Raiola said. “Our running backs run extremely hard, and you know when we could throw the ball, we threw the ball.”

Nebraska wide receiver Nyziah Hunter was one of many players to step up amidst adversity to carry Nebraska to a 34-31 win over Maryland. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

As for Johnson, he was more than happy to step up for the team amidst the turnovers.

“We have Dylan’s back through whatever,” Johnson said. “We’re going to have his back because he has our back. That just shows, man, Dylan – he’s a warrior. He likes to battle. He’s a gamer, and we needed him down the stretch to win that game. He made the winning play for us.

The statement Nebraska made with their win over Maryland is that Raiola is a star on the team, but he’s not the only one to keep an eye on. Even when he’s off, the Huskers can find a way to win. It became what Rhule affectionately has called a culture win.

A one-score win has been hard to come by for the fellas in Lincoln in recent years, so even on his biggest off day of 2025, Raiola and the Huskers have the team back at 5-1, matching their start from 2024.

Nebraska receiver Dane Key celebrates with teammates after catching the game-winning touchdown against Maryland. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

“Just shaking off the three picks to lead that drive at the end there,” offensive lineman Henry Lutovsky said of Raiola’s resolve. “You know, the ability to really just play the next play. It’s something we talked about a lot going into this game – talked about a lot all week. I think he really showed that.”

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