‘Really talented guy who’s got great arm talent’: IU football will face stiff test with Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola

One of the biggest matchups this weekend when Nebraska travels to play Indiana football will be under center. The comparison? A true veteran vs a rookie. IU’s Kurtis Rourke has 39 starts under his belt while Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola is a true freshman with just six starts to his name.

But, Raiola isn’t your typical freshman. He was a five-star prospect and the No. 3 overall quarterback in the class. And, he has Nebraska playing its best football in years.

“Yeah, he’s a really talented guy who’s got great arm talent. He plays with a lot of confidence,” IU head coach Curt Cignetti said of Raiola this week. “He’s got a really nice supporting cast. They protect him well up front.”

Raiola has thrown for 1,358 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions this year. He is completing 66.9 percent of his passes.

Like Indiana, Nebraska moves the ball around offensively. 10 different Huskers have at least 100 yards receiving.

“They’ve got one receiver who’s 6’4″, 225 and can really go, deep-ball type guy, and schematically the staff does a really nice job of — they don’t put too much pressure on him,” Cignetti added. “They’re balanced. They want to run the football, good play action pass, get him out of pocket, change the launch point.”

Nebraska is averaging 28.0 points per game which is fourth-best in the Big Ten, but they aren’t anywhere near as efficient and effective as they are last in the Big Ten at 79.2 percent inside the redzone.

Indiana’s defense has been terrific in numerous areas all season long but one are it has struggled has been the redzone. Opponents are 11-of-11 inside the 20.

On Saturday, whether or not Nebraska gets inside the redzone may come down to its ability to block IU’s front seven. IU football is 10th in the nation with 19 sacks through six games and that’s been a recent issue that has held the Huskers in check over the past few weeks.

In his first three games he was averaging 223.3 yards per game with five touchdowns and one interception. He’s seeing similar numbers over the last three games as well. He’s averaging 229.3 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

But, the one major falloff has been a completion percentage from 73.8 percent to 60.7 percent. Why? Well, one reason could be the pressure he’s facing — with 11 sacks over the last three games compared to once during the first three.

“They’re a top 10 defense … A lot of great players,” Raiola said this week. “They play a lot of different schemes. They’re hard to kind of identify what they’re doing.”

Indiana will look to add to that number on Saturday.

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