<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4C0Btq_0w1FZfXm00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4C0Btq_0w1FZfXm00" width="1763" height="1175" ><figcaption>Dylan Raiola (15) prepares to throw the ball during the game against Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo by Kaidence Donahue</figcaption></figure>With Nebraska’s win over Rutgers, the Huskers have won as many games as they did in the 2023 season. And it’s only been six weeks. With freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola at the helm, the offense is significantly upgraded and looks quite different from years past. Through the first six games, Raiola has had four 200-plus yard passing games and a 9-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The last time the Huskers had a 200-plus passing yard game was with Casey Thompson under center. He passed for 278 yards through the air against Iowa on Nov. 25, 2022.“I think Dylan’s the guy that the guys on offense look to,” Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said during his bye week press availability. “We can continue to help him with improved run game, guys getting open and I think he’ll get better and better every week.Turnover margins have been a huge issue in the past. However, the Huskers have turned that around with a forcing of 10 and only losing four turnovers for a margin of +6. “It’s a good example of putting your mind to something and getting it done. It’s been months and months of work,” Rhule said of the turnover improvements. “We were working on it last year, and while it wasn’t coming to fruition, I think the work we did last year, the work we did this offseason and work we did in training camp has helped.”Penalties have been the bane of Nebraska’s existence for the last few years and they continue to be prevalent. The Huskers have been penalized 47 times through six games. On average, Nebraska has just under eight penalties a game with an average of 67 penalized yards. This ranks the Huskers 102nd best in the country. Fortunately, penalties haven’t just been affecting Nebraska. The Huskers’ opponents have been penalized 47 times, with an average of 81 penalty yards per game.“We’ve been a very physical team. We have a long way to go to be the team that we want to be, and then culture of execution, you know, the penalties I think going into the last game we were 124 out of 134 in terms of most penalized teams,” Rhule said. “If you look at our games, that 47 penalties thrown against us, we've had 47 penalties thrown against our opponents. They’ve been highly penalty-filled games.”The offense struggled against Rutgers for Nebraska’s homecoming game and they couldn’t find any production in the second half. The Scarlet Knights held Raiola to 134 passing yards, his lowest this season.“Hats off to their defense, they played a heck of a game and had a great plan against us. Those games happen, hate to say it, but I mean we just got to go back and I thought it was a really good defense coming to this game,” Raiola said after the game. “Our defense stepped up big time when we needed them and (I) couldn’t be more grateful for them.”Wind and heat were huge factors that made the Huskers change their strategies. However, Raiola didn’t think the wind was an issue and took responsibility for the low production on offense.“It wasn’t really a factor from a game plan standpoint. It was more just kind of figuring out where it was. That’s part of football, you’ve got to play in different conditions,” Raiola said. “I was missing throws that could have kept us on the field. It’s all part of learning. If we didn't have that defense, we might be in a different point of view right now. We’ll get it cleaned up and we’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”While Raiola was sacked four times, he is still very proud of his offensive line and gave them praise.“Our o-line is physical and they pride themselves on it, and they work on it every day, so I couldn’t be more proud of those guys up front,” Raiola said. “Moved the line of scrimmage and I think we were the more physical team in the trenches. Hats off to them.Rhule knew that Rutgers was going to be a tough opponent but the offense did just enough. Once Nebraska pulled away with an early lead, it was what Rhule wanted when playing against the Scarlet Knights.The Huskers are looking at the bye week as a time to regroup and fix any mistakes from the first half of the season. Raiola wants the team to continue to improve and hopes to use the bye week as a reason to work harder.“It’s huge to have this bye week and kind of reflect on all our games we’ve played so far, understand what teams are trying to do and get after us,” Raiola said. “Naturally, we want to settle and kind of just coast right now, but you know, we really gotta step on it and keep going. I think I know our team will respond and use the bye week to our advantage.”</div></body>

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Nebraska’s offense enters bye week with confidence, passing attack improved

With Nebraska’s win over Rutgers, the Huskers have won as many games as they did in the 2023 season. And it’s only been six weeks. With freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola at the helm, the offense is significantly upgraded and looks quite different from years past. Through the first...

Nebraska’s offense enters bye week with confidence, passing attack improved

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