Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has never hidden his admiration for Patrick Mahomes from the moment his college football career began. With the Cornhuskers kicking off the 2025 season at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs, nobody was more excited than Raiola, particularly with his idol in the stands.
However, that did not stop fans from making endless jokes at the two quarterbacks' expense. Raiola has been the butt of several jokes due to his nonstop impressions of Mahomes, from copying the Chiefs quarterback's look to adopting his pre-game rituals.
With the two in the same stadium on Thursday night, fans had all the ammunition they needed to go crazy on social media.
“He's explaining to his wife how far the restraining order says Dylan Raiola has to stay away from him,” one fan tweeted with a video of Mahomes talking to his wife, Brittany.
“Raiola has got the Mahomes cosplay down to an absolute science,” another fan posted in response to a video of the Nebraska quarterback entering Arrowhead Stadium.
“This kid is a wanna be,” another fan reacted. “Do something original.”
Dylan Raiola: "I can't help that I get compared to Patrick Mahomes"
Also Dylan Raiola: pic.twitter.com/IHENPMKejG
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) August 25, 2025
Fans noticed Mahomes leaving early in the fourth quarter, adding more fuel to the fire. Barstool Sports' ‘Pardon My Take' account tweeted a meme comparing Raiola to the character Buddy from ‘The Incredibles,' a post that many had a field day with.
Dylan Raiola finding out Mahomes left early pic.twitter.com/MvF0OFXQKQ
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) August 29, 2025
Raiola would not have seen the criticism until after the game, but could only have been expecting it. He let his play speak for itself as he led Nebraska to a 20-17 win over Cincinnati.
Dylan Raiola, Nebraska begin 2025 college football season at 1-0
The game was technically at a neutral site, but Nebraska's fans dominated the stands. With Arrowhead Stadium roughly a three-hour drive away from Lincoln, the Cornhusker faithful showed out for their team.
After an up-and-down freshman season, Raiola's sophomore campaign could not have gotten off to a better start. The Hawaiian threw for 243 passing yards, two touchdowns and had zero turnovers in the win.
Raiola demonstrated great chemistry with some of his new weapons, including Kentucky transfer Dane Key and true freshman Cortez Mills. Key caught one of Raiola's two touchdowns on a 4th-down RPO play call early in the fourth quarter.
Nebraska will return to Lincoln in Week 2, where it takes on Akron in its home opener. They are already trending toward being sizable favorites to begin 2-0.
