It was only one start, right?
Yet Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has ignited the Huskers' fan-base after an impressive Week 1 debut against UTEP. The five-star quarterback will get his first national close-up on Saturday night against Colorado in a throw-back rivalry game.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and the quarterback matchup is the headline.
That's because Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is on the other sideline. Sanders, a projected first-round pick had 445 yards and four TDs in the Buffaloes' 31-26 victory against North Dakota State in Week 1.
This has the look of the best college football quarterback matchup of September, one that could get the referenced for years when these two quarterbacks reach the NFL in the future. Remember that time Raiola and Sanders had a shootout in Lincoln? Here's what to look for in what should be a thrilling quarterback matchup Saturday night.
Shedeur Sanders recruiting path to Colorado
According to 247's rankings, Sanders was a three-star recruit in the class of 2021 at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas. He had 8,796 passing yards, 123 TDs and 19 interceptions in three seasons as starting QB. He joined his father Deion Sanders at Jackson State in 2021, throwing for 3,231 yards, 30 TDs and eight interceptions as a freshman and 3,732 yards, 40 TDs and six interceptions as a sophomore.
He transferred to Colorado in 2023 after Coach Prime moved to Boulder and he racked up 3,230 yards, 27 TDs and three interceptions. Entering this season, Sanders has 97 TD passes and 14 interceptions between Jackson State and Colorado.
MORE: Colorado vs Nebraska odds and predictions
Dylan Raiola recruiting path to Nebraska
247 ranked Raiola as the No. 2 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class.
He finished his sterling high school career in 2023 at Buford (Ga.), where he had 2,819 passing yards, 2,819 yards and one interception. Raiola also played one year at Burleson (Texas) High School in 2021 and attended Chandler (Ariz.) High School in 2022. He totaled 54 TDs and 10 interceptions at those two schools.
Raiola is a legacy recruit at Nebraska, which is a huge part of why he ended up in Lincoln. He is the son of former Lions center Dominic Raiola. Dylan's uncle Donovan is currently the offensive line coach for the Huskers.
Raiola initially committed to Ohio State on May 9, 2022, before flipping and landing with Georgia on May 15, 2023, and then finally flipped from Georgia to Nebraska on Dec. 19.
MORE: Meet Dylan Raiola, the QB who will make Nebraska relevant again
Shedeur Sanders 2024 statistics
Sanders finished 26 of 34 for 445 yards, 4 TDs and an interception in Week 1 against North Dakota State. He averaged 13.1 yards per completion. According to Pro Football Focus, Sanders was 5 of 8 (62.5%) for 194 yards and two TDs in the opener. Of quarterbacks who made at least eight deep passing attempts, Sanders had the most yardage.
Sanders also thrived against the blitz – where he was 6 of 8 for 143 yards and three TDs. he took just one sack in the opener – which was amazing considering he took 49 sacks last season. The ability to extend plays and distribute to future NFL receivers in Travis Hunter and Jimmy Horn Jr. is only going to increase Sanders' profile through the 2024 season.
Shedeur Sanders magic 🪄
— PFF (@PFF) August 30, 2024
pic.twitter.com/d9pGuVhODM
Dylan Raiola 2024 statistics
Again, it's one game, but Raiola was impressive in his debut as Nebraska's starter. He hit 19 of 27 (70.4%) of his passes for 238 yards, two TDs and no picks. Raiola has attracted attention for his looks – which are strikingly similar to Chiefs three-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes – but Raiola's game will be getting more hype in the near future.
On passes of 20 yards or more, he was 2 of 5 for 80 yards and two TDs.
Dylan Raiola with AN ABSOLUTE DIME for the TD 🔥🎯
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 31, 2024
(via @CFBONFOX)
pic.twitter.com/n1g8yE0O7d
He nearly had a third on this throw:
For all of Dylan Raiola's Week 1 highlights, his best throw of the day didn't even show up in the box score pic.twitter.com/w4tm8ip1WM
— Cody Main (@cmain7) September 3, 2024
Raiola was 5 of 7 for 31 yards against the blitz, and he took one sack when he held the ball a little too long against coverage. Raiola has play-making skills and the ability to extend plays, but that will be tested at a higher speed against Colorado's pass rush.
Could Dylan Raiola, Shedeur Sanders both be No. 1 picks?
Sanders will be considered among the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. In Sporting News' latest mock draft, Sanders is the No. 5 overall pick to the Las Vegas Raiders. Vinnie Iyer writes: "The Raiders are bridging with Gardner Minshew vs. taking another long look at Aidan O'Connell, which screams that they are waiting for their franchise QB early in 2025. Deion's son would be an appropriately Prime pick for Vegas with his dynamic passing skills.”
Sanders is the second quarterback taken in the mock draft behind Georgia's Carson Beck. Texas' Quinn Ewers is not far behind at the No. 10 pick, and most of the pre-draft conversation will be around those quarterbacks heading into 2025. Eight of the last No. 1 picks have been quarterbacks in the NFL Draft. Sanders does have a chance to go No. 1.
Draft Countdown has a way-too-early 2027 NFL Mock Draft with Raiola as the No. 5 pick. He is the second quarterback in that draft behind Ohio State freshman Julian Sayin, who hasn't taken a snap in college but is the No. 1 pick in that way-too-early mock. Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, who caught a pair of TDs in his college debut Saturday, is projected as the No. 2 pick. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway and Florida State quarterback Luke Kromenhoek also are first-round picks in that mock draft.
Raiola has a lot to prove, but it is telling that he is already in those early draft conversations.
Have two No. 1 picks ever played against each other in college?
We had the same potential with Sanders and Caleb Williams when they met on Sept. 30, 2023. They put on a show. USC won 48-41, and Williams was 30 of 40 for 403 yards, six TDs and an interception. Sanders was 30 of 45 for 371 yards, 371 yards, four TDs and one interception. The Chicago Bears selected Wiliams with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Sanders has the potential to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
We have seen two head-to-head matchups between No. 1 picks in the past.
Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and LSU's Joe Burrow met in the College Football Playoff championship on Jan. 13, 2020. Burrow led LSU to a 42-25 victory before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Lawrence was the No. 1 pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2021 NFL Draft.
As far as a regular-season game, the last time was when Tennessee's Peyton Manning and Kentucky's Tim Couch, who played each other in 1996-97. Manning led the Volunteers to a 56-10 victory on Nov. 23, 1996 and a 59-31 victory on Nov. 22, 1997.
Manning (523 yards, 5 TDs) and Couch (476 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs) combined for 999 passing yards in that game. Manning was the No. 1 pick by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998. Tim Couch was the No. 1 pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2000.
