5 things we learned from Nebraska’s win over UTEP

Nebraska football fans have been waiting for months to see Dylan Raiola play quarterback for the Huskers. In truth, the fans have been waiting for years, even decades for a quarterback like this.

It’s hard not to overreact or get sucked into the hype. Raiola made throws I’ve never seen a Nebraska quarterback make on Saturday. At least not with consistency.

Not only does Raiola have incredible arm talent, but he’s cerebral. He completed 19-of-27 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t even come close to an interception and was sacked once.

That wasn’t the only reason Nebraska dominated though. The running game was productive to the tune of 223 yards, 4.7 yards per attempt, and three rushing touchdowns.

Nebraska allowed one long touchdown on defense but held UTEP to just over 200 yards. The Miners did a good job of getting the ball out quickly, but the Blackshirts lived in the backfield with nine tackles for loss. Nebraska also intercepted the ball twice and registered a safety.

Even the special teams were solid, in every phase. It was a solid day’s work for Nebraska football and here are five things we learned from the 40-7 win over UTEP.

Dylan Raiola is the real deal

It might be overkill, but this was the biggest lesson learned on Saturday. We have heard about Raiola’s talents. Nebraska fans saw it in the spring game, however, it was different seeing him doing it in a game.

Raiola showed impressive poise. All of the pressure of being the Nebraska football quarterback doesn’t seem to phase him. Neither does 2nd-and-30, which he faced on his first drive.

Raiola completed a 19-yard pass, then completed another pass for a first down. A few plays later, Nebraska football was in the end zone.

Another great example of his poise came on a third-and-five. Matt Rhule said Raiola, a true freshman, checked out of a pass into a run, which resulted in 42 yards from Emmett Johnson, setting up another touchdown.

There were plenty of moments like that, plus the two elite throws before the end of the first half. Nebraska fans couldn’t have asked for more on Saturday and the best part is, the Raiola era is just beginning.

The D-line is as good as advertised

Coming into the season, outside of Raiola, the first thing people talked about what the Nebraska football defense and in particular, the defensive line — for good reason.

Ty Robinson and Nash Hutmacher should each be playing in the NFL right now. They will be next season and they were like a brick wall on Saturday. Jimari Butler too.

After Nebraska fumbled near the goal line, those three drove their defenders into the backfield and stoned UTEP for a safety to give the Huskers the lead and some momentum.

Nebraska’s front held UTEP to 2.3 yards per rushing attempt. They totaled nine tackles for loss and one sack.

Secondary passed the test

I won’t lie, I was worried about the Nebraska football secondary against UTEP. Scotty Walden’s team likes to go tempo and they hurt the Huskers with it on their scoring drive.

But after that, Nebraska settled in. They did a great job of handling the movement, the tempo, and the different formations. I also thought the secondary did a helluva job.

Sure, Malcolm Hartzog would like the 38-yard touchdown he surrendered back, but it was one play and later in the game, Hartzog made amends with one of two Huskers’ interceptions. Rahmir Stewart got the other.

Marques Buford was solid and had a pass breakup. The real test comes against Colorado, but Saturday was a good first step.

The Nebraska football O-line is solid

I felt confident in the offensive line but I wanted to see how Turner Corcoran would hold up. UTEP isn’t as stout up front as Big Ten teams, but Maurice Westmoreland is going to be an NFL draft pick. He had 7.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss last season.

Yet, he was invisible on Saturday. Westmoreland had two tackles (one solo) and didn’t register a tackle for loss or a sack. Nebraska football also averaged 4.7 yards per rushing attempt and Raiola was only sacked once.

Matt Rhule even said he’d like Raiola to get rid of it quicker on that sack, so that’s probably not even on the offensive line. There was only one explosive run, however, the execution in short yardage was impressive.

It’s amazing how far this group has come in two years under Rhule and Donovan Raiola.

The WR room has been upgraded

The addition of Raiola made a noticeable difference for Nebraska football on Saturday. Yet, the impact of wide receivers Isaiah Neyor and Jahmal Banks was noticeable too.

They are bigger wideouts and when you have a quarterback like Raiola, that can be extremely valuable. Neyor caught six passes for 121 yards including a 59-yard touchdown.

Banks was stellar too, catching four passes for 61 yards. He added a 21-yard touchdown reception before the end of the first half. Some others had good moments too, but this pass attack will be centered around Banks, Neyor, and Thomas Fidone.

Jaylen Lloyd, Malachi Coleman, Janiran Bonner, Carter Nelson, and Jacory Barney will also play big roles, but man, those two big wideouts look like huge pieces for this Nebraska offense.

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