Dylan Raiola’s special career debut at Nebraska is one his family won’t forget

It didn’t matter that “Turn Yo Clic Up” by Quavo and Future blared over the stadium’s loudspeakers. It didn’t matter that hundreds of people right next to them on the sidelines were having their own conversations. It didn’t matter that many of the 86,072 fans in the building had their eyes and binoculars fixed on the Raiola family’s intimate pregame tradition.

For 15 seconds, they were together. For 15 seconds, nothing else and no one else mattered. For 15 seconds, the family of five huddled up — hands on one another’s backs — and prayed before Dylan Raiola’s first-ever collegiate start on the field where his father left his legacy.

“You just reflect on all the people that have poured into our son, all of our kids,” Yvonne told the Journal Star. “We didn’t get here by ourselves. It was the help and sacrifices of grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins, so I just think about our family.

“It’s something that our whole extended family, that we get to celebrate together. Not everybody can obviously be here, but we’re united in heart and spirit that this is something we can all share together as a family.”

Yvonne didn’t know if it would happen. It’s her eldest son’s first collegiate game. Gathering the family together for their pregame ritual, even for 15 seconds, was a simple task when he played in middle and high school. But now? Sideline security’s much tighter, considering not just anyone gets sideline passes at Memorial Stadium.

But with Dayton being a recruit and Taylor on Nebraska’s staff, their magical moment was allowed to unfold — for the first time with all five of them present, since Taylor had been away at TCU for the previous four years.

“It’s always a ritual of ours to have a pregame prayer on the field, but to have it on the first college game, all my family there, it meant a little more,” Dylan said. “… It was a great, special moment for our family. One we won’t forget.”

The entirety of Saturday felt like an unforgettable, special moment for the Raiola family — one that began with Dominic being awestricken by all the Raiola jerseys around town ahead of his son’s debut as he went to pick up breakfast bagels and ended with celebratory family hugs near midfield after Nebraska beat UTEP, 40-7.

There’s no hiding how much Saturday meant — even hours before Dylan’s first snap.

At the Legacy Walk, the Raiola family clung to the shade at the Tom Osborne Legacy Complex near the players’ entrance door. As Dylan strode by, with sweat on his face, he hugged every family member present.

His dad. His brother. His mom. His grandfather. His grandmother. His aunt. His little cousin. His mom again — where she shared one more message about how much she loved him and how proud she was of him.

“It’s a big deal for everybody,” Dominic told the Journal Star, his voice cracking. “Our freakin’ name’s in the stadium. That’s special. It’s not just my name. It’s our name. So, it is emotional. It is awesome. It’s awesome to see Nebraska continue to show up, but it’s also awesome to see Dylan carry the torch and take it to where he’s taking it.”

Dylan’s first game? For the second true freshman in program history to start a season opener, his debut went off without a hitch.

Dylan completed 70% of his passes — 19 of 27 — for 238 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions before he checked out early in the third quarter.

For him, this had been a long time coming.

“I’ve been waiting since I could think about playing football,” Dylan said. “Probably 8 years old. I just tried to take it all in, and not be a tough guy football player. You’ve got to be a human and enjoy the scene. It was a lot of fun.”

He did enjoy the scene. He felt the emotional weight of the moment.

But when the time came for football, he buckled in.

From the jump, running back Rahmir Johnson said Dylan had a “calm” and “zen” presence in the pocket — like he’d been here before, despite not having been here before.

“He plays like a pro. Flawless,” Johnson said. “… No surprise at all.”

A similar sentiment was shared by receiver Jahmal Banks, who finished with four receptions and 61 yards receiving. Banks said Dylan has “a killer mentality. He’s been having that in his eyes since he got on campus. Like ‘I’m humble, but I’m him.”

Dylan also had a favorable review of his outing, saying that he felt he “did pretty good,” despite having “a lot of things we want to fix and clean up.”

“It’s hard to get wins in college football,” Dylan said. “For our team to get the first one this season, it’s exciting.”

Take your pick of the exciting moments Dylan had a hand in.

There’s the back-shoulder, high-point touchdown to Banks that came two seconds before halftime. There’s the 59-yard pass to Isaiah Neyor, who nearly stumbled down the sideline before regaining his footing to dart into the endzone. 

Or just the fact that he helped orchestrate an offense that had 507 yards of total offense? That’s exciting, too.

While Dylan may have been calm, cool and collected, his parents felt all there is to feel when watching their son. Nerves. Pride. Excitement. Love.

Before kickoff, Dominic said the gravity of his son playing in a game for his alma mater hadn’t quite hit him yet, but he expected it to after Dylan made his first pass. (That first pass? A 2-yard short pass to the right to tight end Thomas Fidone.)

“When we watch the game — especially when you have quarterbacks — we’re on the edge of our seats, right?” Dominic said. “But at the same time, you want to appreciate this moment, so at some point, football has to happen, right? And so we understand that. Let’s take it all in. Let him process how he processes. Let’s process together. But, shoot, when the first snap comes, football’s happening and it’s happening fast.”

This, for Dylan Raiola, is just the beginning.

One game down. Dozens more to go.

Hopefully, dozens more back-shoulder passes to Banks and Isaiah Neyor.

Hopefully, dozens more mind-blowing plays that Nebraska hasn’t shown yet.

But through it all, whatever comes next, his parents hope that Nebraska fans can see just how much fun their son is having while he represents Nebraska.

“I would hope people can see how much fun he was out there playing,” Dominic said. “He’s not carrying the burden of trying to change this place, because he doesn’t have to do it by himself. He’s got coach Rhule and a heck of a staff and a heck of a team and a heck of a family support system.

“It is bigger than just one guy and the dude has so much fun playing, and that’s what it’s all about. Like, yeah, he’s talented and he’s prepared, but he has so much fun playing. I hope people can see that. Like Coach Satt said, like a guy playing on the playground at recess, that’s who he is.”

With one game in the books, we’ve only seen a taste of what Dylan Raiola can do on the field.

But we’ve also only seen a small sample of who Dylan Raiola is as a person, too.

“He embodies who Nebraska is, right?” Dominic said. “It’s kindness. It’s competitiveness. It’s the fighting spirit. It’s the blue-collar nature of Nebraska. That’s what he is and that’s what makes us so proud, that he can embody all those things.”