Arch Manning drops 1-word message agreeing with Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola's motivational post after Ohio State loss
The Nebraska Cornhuskers, led by freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, pushed the No. 4 Ohio State Buckeyes to the wire during their 21-17 loss in Week 9 of college football action.
Raiola went 21-of-32 for 152 yards resulting in an interception. But he has not registered a touchdown pass in any of Nebraska's last three games after tallying nine in his first five.
On Tuesday, Raiola, who received widespread criticism during his team's losses to the Buckeyes and the Indiana Hoosiers, posted a motivational Instagram post.
The post was captioned:
"To appreciate the SUN, you gotta know what RAIN is…" Dylan Raiola wrote.
Raiola got support in his Instagram comments from Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, who is engaged in his own battle for the QB1 spot with Quinn Ewers in Austin.
Manning commented:
"Fact."
Ahead of the Cornhuskers' Week 10 clash against UCLA, Bruins' DeShaun Foster was full of praise for Dylan Raiola, even comparing him to Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. Foster had interacted with Mahomes as the running back coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2016.
“I was with Pat Mahomes in ’16 at Texas Tech. So it’s crazy when you see him (Raiola) because yeah, he really does emulate Pat,” Foster said. “You can tell he’s getting more comfortable. He has a big arm, so he’s gonna try to make plays, but I’m excited for our DBs, and our front, and our linebackers, and everybody. He’s playing good ball.”
Dylan Raiola gets support from Matt Rhule
After his downturn in form over the past few weeks, Dylan Raiola received unconditional support from Cornhuskers coach Matt Rhule during his postgame news conference.
“There's no better teacher than experience,” Rhule said after the game against the Buckeyes. “I think he's (Raiola) getting a ton of experience. I think they threw a lot of things at him this week. Rutgers threw a lot of things at him … And I thought he adjusted it and handled it well.
"He can do it and he has the ability to scramble and look down the field but then also take advantage and run," Rhule said. "I think one of the really cool things I'm having the chance to experience with him is watching him grow each week."
Despite his current struggles, Dylan Raiola has already registered 1,744 yards on 66.1% completion, resulting in nine touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. This is already remarkable since he is a freshman quarterback starting for an FBS team.