Dylan Raiola. Nebraska football defeat UTEP in opener

A sunny August afternoon in Lincoln went Nebraska’s way in every facet of the game as the Huskers comfortably took care of an overmatched opponent. And for the first time in five years, Nebraska will begin the season with a 1-0 record.

Raiola led the way, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns as Nebraska rolled to a 40-7 win over UTEP on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

There was no time to wait for Raiola, who led the Nebraska (1-0) offense on a touchdown drive in his first attempt. The freshman completed five of seven passes, setting up sophomore running back Dante Dowdell’s five-yard scamper into the end zone.

The Huskers moved the ball efficiently on the ground behind Dowdell and senior Rahmir Johnson throughout the first half, with a turnover on downs being the first of two early self-inflicted Husker errors.

After taking over at its 37-yard line, it took UTEP (0-1) under a minute to go 63 yards in three plays and silence the Memorial Stadium crowd with a game-tying score. Rushing to the line of scrimmage to snap the ball before the Nebraska defense got set, UTEP created a one-on-one opportunity where quarterback Skyler Locklear connected with Kam Thomas for a 38-yard passing score.

Outside of that play, the longest gain Nebraska allowed all day was a 13-yard pass.

Nebraska’s response was nearly as swift with the Huskers pushing the ball into the red zone behind several powerful carries from Dowdell. As he tried to gain extra yards and dive forward, though, Dowdell coughed up a fumble which represented Nebraska’s first turnover of the season.

With a loud home crowd bearing down on it, UTEP’s first attempt to escape the shadow of its goal line fell incomplete. Its second never left the end zone. The Nebraska defensive line, led by senior Ty Robinson, came crashing down for a run stop which resulted in a safety and 9-7 Nebraska lead.

Two plays later and Nebraska had scored nine points in less than a minute of in-game action.

Senior wide receiver Isaiah Neyor, one of Nebraska’s top big-play threats at wide receiver, beat his coverage off the line of scrimmage and Raiola did the rest. Neyor hauled in a deep shot down the sideline, shook off a tackle and rumbled into the end zone for a 59-yard score which marked the first touchdown pass of Raiola’s Nebraska career.

Raiola didn’t have to wait long for the second. Third-down pressure in the face of UTEP quarterback Cade McConnell forced an errant throw which junior defensive back Malcolm Hartzog turned into an interception.

Nebraska appeared content to settle for a field goal attempt with under 10 seconds left in the half, but still had enough time for one shot into the end zone. Raiola zeroed in on senior wide receiver Jahmal Banks, tossing a well-placed 21-yard dart which Banks hauled in between two UTEP defenders.

Nebraska’s 30-7 halftime lead didn’t last long — because the Huskers soon added to it. Raiola manufactured another touchdown drive, a long 11-play, 73-yard march down the field which helped put the game out of reach for good.

As promised by head coach Matt Rhule, the Nebraska offense used several different running backs at times during the contest.

Dowdell, who featured heavily early in the contest but took a backseat role after his fumble, finished with 55 yards rushing. Sophomore Emmett Johnson led the team with 71 yards on the ground as Nebraska averaged 4.7 yards per carry overall.

Junior Gabe Ervin Jr. had to wait his turn but ultimately found the end zone twice, first on a 3-yard run in the second quarter before his 1-yard score put the Huskers ahead by a 30-point margin during the third quarter.

After leading the Nebraska offense on four consecutive touchdown drives, Raiola’s day ended late in the third quarter. Junior Heinrich Haarberg, an eight-game starter in 2023, quarterbacked Nebraska for the remainder of the game.

Sophomore kicker Tristan Alvano pushed across the final points of the game, a 20-yard field goal, during the fourth quarter.

The win marks the first time since 2019 that Nebraska has begun the season with a 1-0 record, a mark that the Huskers will take into next Saturday’s matchup with Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.