Nebraska Cornhuskers starting QB for Week 5: Who is Matt Rhule's QB1 for game against Purdue Boilermakers?

The Nebraska Cornhuskers started the season with three straight wins before taking a loss last week against Illinois Fighting Illini. They next face Big Ten rivals, the Purdue Boilermakers, who are 1-2. The matchup takes place on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled at noon ET in Ross-Ade Stadium.

Freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola started all four games at center for the Huskers.

Will Dylan Raiola continue to start for Indiana in Week 5?

Yes, with no injuries to report, Dylan Raiola will be the starting quarterback for the Huskers. The quarterback has lived up to the expectations and should lead the Cornhuskers to victory on Saturday.

NCAA Football: Northern Iowa at Nebraska - Source: Imagn

Raiola attended Burleson High before transferring to Chandler High School in Arizona. In his junior season, he recorded 2,435 yards, 22 touchdowns, and five interceptions. For his senior season, he again transferred to Buford High School in Georgia.

Raiola flipped his commitment from Ohio State to Georgia in May 2023. By the time December hit, he flipped it again to play under Matt Rhule's Nebraska.

Dylan Raiola's performance in the first four games of the 2024 season

Despite being a freshman quarterback, Dylan Raiola showcased great skillsets to become a top-tier quarterback in years to come. He's already thrown eight touchdown passes to his receiver corps.

During Week 1's 40-7 win over UTEP, he threw for 238 yards and two touchdowns on a 70.4% completion rate. The following week, in a 28-10 win over Colorado, he threw for 185 yards and one touchdown on 76.7% pass completion.

The Week 3's 34-3 win against Northern Iowa saw him passing for 247 yards, including two touchdowns and one interception.

Despite the overtime 31-24 loss against Illinois, Raiola had his best game, throwing for 297 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on 24 of 35 pass attempts.

“Hate that we’re still in the learning-how-to-win phase,” Rhule said, via Sports Illustrated following loss against Illinois. “It just felt really tight out there in the second half, except for some guys. Dylan [Raiola] doesn’t feel tight. He’s out there saying ‘let’s go play. I don’t think anything was good enough in that game,” he said

The oddsmakers expect Matt Rhule's Nebraska Cornhuskers to get back to winning ways as they enter the game as a 10.0-point road favorite.