Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule gushed over his starting quarterback, Dylan Raiola, following their lopsided win. After Nebraska football's 68-point shutout win against Akron to improve to 2-0, Rhule says Raiola has taken his game to new heights.
Rhule says Raiola is focused on making the right plays while evolving as a player as opposed to making the flashy plays to make highlight reels, which is a sign of the quarterback's maturity, he said, per the Patt McAfee Show.
“I loved it. The big thing I said to our media and nationally, it's just so easy to be like the Mahomes thing. I want him to come out with amazing numbers and not a lot of highlight plays,” Rhule said. “I don't want to just see him running around and throwing the ball behind his back. He can do all that stuff. I want him just to play quarterback. And I think he's so underappreciated nationally. But we'll have to do it in the Big 10.
“As time goes on, he's throwing the ball from under center. He's throwing the ball from the gun. [Dylan Raiola] is doing everything you're going to do on Sundays. I think he's one of the best players in the country.”
“This will Game 16. He's so young. He's going to be a great player.”
"He's so underappreciated nationally. … [Dylan Raiola] is doing everything you're going to do on Sundays. I think he's one of the best players in the country."
—Nebraska HC Matt Rhule on QB Dylan Raiola 👀 pic.twitter.com/hOid9qpUeY
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 11, 2025
Matt Rhule's strong endorsement for Nebraska's Dylan Raiola
Ahead of Nebraska football's matchup against Houston Christian on Saturday, head coach Matt Rhule called quarterback Dylan Raiola one of the best players in the country.
For Rhule, Raiola's growth between last year and this season are signs of an elite QB.
“Last year, early on, he had some plays he ran around. He made some crazy throws. Some throws that you're like no, no, no, oh, yes, alright, cool. That was kind of the storyline, like, hey, look at these exotic plays,” Rhule said. “But, now, it's like he's playing quarterback the way you need to play it. He's getting the ball to the right guys. We completed ball to 14 different people this game. So, it's not like, hey, we're just throwing it to one guy.
“He's doing quarterback play at the highest level through two games, and now, we'll have a chance on Saturday to try to do some things maybe we haven't done as well. Push the ball down the field, maybe. Some no huddle. We'll see how the game plays out,” Rhule concluded.
Nebraska will face HCU on Saturday.
