Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola’s first start draws praise

As he leaned in for the pregame prayer he always conducts with his closest family, Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola couldn’t tell if his dad, Dominic, was crying behind his sunglasses.

“That was a special moment,” Dylan said Saturday after NU’s 40-7 win over UTEP.

The younger Raiola — whose dad was an All-American center at Nebraska — had an impressive first start for the Huskers, completing 19 of 27 passes for 238 yards and two scores.

“I think I did pretty good,” Raiola said. “A lot of things we want to fix and clean up, but it’s hard to get wins in college football. For our team to get the first one this season, it’s exciting. Just look forward to getting better.”

Raiola’s teammates were effusive in their praise.

“Dylan’s a very talented player, and the biggest thing I noticed about him was his poise,” said receiver Isaiah Neyor, who had six catches for 121 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s humble, but he is him,’” receiver Jahmal Banks said.

“Like a pro,” running back Rahmir Johnson said. “Flawless.”

Perhaps not quite that, coach Matt Rhule said. Raiola had a few communication mishaps with teammates, Rhule said. But Rhule also was impressed by a “three-way check” before the snap that helped get Emmett Johnson a 42-yard run and the way Raiola calmly managed a two-minute drill before halftime for a touchdown.

“With eight seconds left and a timeout, to take a shot into the end zone, that’s saying ‘we’re going to play the way we want to play someday,’” Rhule said of Raiola’s 21-yard touchdown to Jahmal Banks. “I didn’t call a timeout and say ‘hey, you gotta remember!’ He took a shot and ‘boom.’”