Henry Lutovsky impresses; Dylan Raiola remembers first game; Ty Robinson goes viral

Micah Mazzccua didn’t play because of a “coach’s decision” Matt Rhule said, and Henry Lutovsky got his first start of the season at right guard.

Lutovsky, a rotational piece of the Huskers’ line since 2022, contributed to a solid collective performance against Northern Iowa. Nebraska rushed for 142 yards. Dylan Raiola wasn’t sacked.

The bigger challenge begins Friday, when Illinois comes to Memorial Stadium to kick off Big Ten play.

The lines NU sees over the rest of the season will be bigger and stronger than UNI, but Lutovsky held his own in his first significant amount of playing time of the season. He’ll have another chance with Mazzccua still out Friday.

“I thought he played well,” offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said. “I didn’t expect him to play bad, so I don’t want it to sound like that. He lived up to expectations. He’s a physical guy. He’s got strong hands. He’s an excellent run blocker. He got out on the screen and got a knockdown on Carter (Nelson’s) first screen. It was good to see in space, so I was very pleased with how he played.”

Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson conceded the Husker defense might have been a “little dull” during its 34-3 win over Northern Iowa without defensive end Jimari Butler, who brings “unnatural juice” to the unit.

Butler could have played against the Panthers, but NU coaches held out Butler to instead to heal from soreness. He’ll return to play against Illinois.

Mikai Gbayor will return to the starting lineup, as well, after missing the first half of the UNI game due to a targeting suspension received during the Colorado game.

“They bring a little edginess,” defensive coordinator Tony White said of Butler and Gbayor. “The things that we did not do well last week, the guys out there, running around, they know, and they want it.”

White said Illinois has “playmakers on the outside” and a quarterback in Luke Altmyer who’s “not really panicked” and is “a challenge to deal with.”

NU quarterback Dylan Raiola — son of former Husker All-American Dominic Raiola — has been to tons of home games during the long sellout streak.

As for his first one, he doesn’t remember which team Nebraska played, but he does recall a specific detail from after the game.

“Rolling around in the end zone,” Raiola said.

A recent Husker video that went viral on social media showed Robinson celebrating a blocked kick against Colorado with a chest-to-chest celebration with NU Jack linebacker coach Jack Potenza. The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder sent Potenza flying.

Robinson said he was so excited he didn’t notice what he did, but Potenza let him know with a few “choice words.”

Next time, the celebration will be a “handshake,” Robinson said.