Nebraska just suffered a season-altering blow.
The Cornhuskers got a second dose of bad news on Sunday, hours after losing at home to USC 21-17. Quarterback Dylan Raiola was knocked out of the game in the third quarter after having his leg rolled up while being sacked. He did not return. Now we know the severity of the injury.
Raiola will reportedly miss the rest of the season after suffering a broken fibula. That’s an enormous hit to the gut for Matt Rhule’s offense.
USC’s defense had forced Raiola into some struggles on Saturday night. At the time of the injury he was 10-for-15 for 91 yards, though he did have a touchdown with no interceptions.
On the play in question, Nebraska had first-and-10 at USC’s 23-yard line. Raiola dropped back and faced pressure from a host of Trojans. Linebacker Eric Gentry got a hand on the quarterback, while Anthony Lucas hit Raiola and knocked the ball out of his hand. The force from Lucas’s hit pushed Raiola into defensive tackle Devan Thompkins and bent him backwards, while USC’s Kameron Crawford fell on the loose ball.
Here's another look at the play where Dylan Raiola got injured:
— Matt Sottile (@MSottileTV) November 2, 2025
Raiola did not return to the game and his status is unclear.
🔊: Huskers Radio Network@KETV | #Huskers pic.twitter.com/DzrOSPpuAw
That was a momentum-changing play.
Raiola immediately went into the medical tent and attempted to continue playing, but never returned to the game. Freshman TJ Lateef replaced him but couldn’t get Nebraska’s offense going.
On the season, Raiola showed major improvement from his freshman campaign. In 2025, he completed 72.4% of his passes for 2,000 yards, with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. He averaged a robust 8.0 yards per attempt. The downside is, he was sacked 27 times this year. Nebraska will need to protect him better next season.
Dylan Raiola injury impact
Lateef will almost certainly take over for Raiola moving forward. The 6-3 Cornhuskers still have a lot to play for. Lateef was a three-star prospect out of Orange Lutheran in Orange, California, and is much more mobile than Raiola. It’s likely Nebraska will lean heavily on star running back Emmett Johnson and try to incorporate some of Lateef’s running ability into the offense moving forward.
Raiola was a consensus five-star prospect coming out of Buford High School in Georgia. He picked Nebraska, flipping his commitment from Georgia. Raiola’s father, Dominic, was an All-American center for Nebraska, and his uncle, Donovan, is the team’s offensive line coach.
Rated as the No. 7 player and No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 high school class, it was no surprise Raiola started as a freshman. He undoubtedly has the highest-ceiling of anyone on Nebraska’s roster, so he will be extremely difficult to replace.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola Out for Season After Suffering Broken Leg vs. USC.
