Nebraska emphasizing fighting for ball after close-call interceptions

Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola has thrown two interceptions this season. They’ve both been 50/50 balls ripped out of the receiver’s hands.

One had little impact in the second half of a Week 2 blowout of Northern Iowa. Coach Matt Rhule said that night that it was “the right throw.”

But the Huskers have emphasized catching the ball — and finishing the catch — after another interception wiped away a touchdown in their overtime loss to Illinois.

“We have to fight for the ball. There’s no other option. If the ball hits you in the hands, you have to come down with the ball,” offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield after Tuesday’s practice. “That’s not being treated lightly. Go get the ball.”

Senior wideout Jahmal Banks said it’s about attacking the ball when it’s in the air; the Huskers have to become the aggressors.

Banks, who transferred in from Wake Forest this offseason, wasn’t the target on either of Raiola’s interceptions — and he doesn’t want to be responsible for a third. None of the receivers do.

“It’s either ours or nobody’s,” Banks said. “It’s as simple as that.”