With a 27-20 loss to UCLA in Week 10, Nebraska fell to 5-4 on the year while picking up their third straight loss. Their biggest concern in the game was freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, who left in the fourth quarter with a back injury.
Raiola attempted to return to the game after exiting but left again a few plays later for good. After the game, the young phenom played down his back pain to the media, saying it just “locked up” on him.
“Got hit in the wrong spot,” Raiola said, via Max Olson of ESPN. “I'll come in tomorrow and get checked out and probably get screened. I thought I could fight through it. I went out there and I guess it kind of locked up on me.”
From the way he spoke on the incident, Raiola does not appear likely to miss any time. He has started all nine of the Cornhuskers' games thus far.
After Raiola exited, junior Heinrich Haarberg took the field for the sixth time in 2024 and attempted a season-high seven pass attempts. Haarberg completed just two of his passes for 32 yards while also tossing an interception to end the game.
Before the injury, Raiola struggled to get going against the UCLA defense, throwing for just 177 yards, one touchdown and one interception. It was the second consecutive time he failed to top 200 passing yards and the fourth game overall.
Nebraska needs one more win for bowl game appearance
Needing just one win in their final three games to secure a bowl appearance, Nebraska has a bye in Week 11 before traveling to the West Coast. After facing USC on Nov. 16, the Cornhuskers will close out the year against Wisconsin and Iowa.
USC will also enter their Week 12 game off a bye in Week 11. The Trojans enter their bye week with a similar 4-5 record and in clear desperation mode, needing two wins in the last three weeks to even be bowl-eligible. USC's loss to Washington in Week 10 gave Lincoln Riley a losing record for the first time during his tenure in Los Angeles.
The Trojans are clearly in a worse position than Nebraska with a more difficult schedule ahead to avoid ending the year with a losing record. After facing the Cornhuskers, USC will end its year with rivalry games against UCLA and Notre Dame.
If Nebraska is able to qualify for a bowl game, it would be their first time since 2016 playing in the postseason. The team has ended their seasons with a losing record in the last seven years. They have not won a bowl game since defeating UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl.
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