Recently, in Week 4, when Nebraska hosted Michigan, despite a close 27-30 loss, Dylan Raiola managed to impress. The arm strength was exceptional, the post-snap reads were perfectly executed, and the efficiency in passing was there to see. The result? Raiola became the first QB since 2022 to pass for 300+ yards against UM and did it for three touchdowns. However, despite that performance, Raiola lagged in one crucial department, which former coach of Jalen Hurts, Quincy Avery, said can even “get a coach fired.”

There’s no doubt that Dylan Raiola this season has progressed massively. His passing efficiency is 75.6% through four games and is third nationally. The QB has also made more explosive plays this season, upping his tally to 8.4 yards per attempt from 6.9 yards per attempt last year. Owing to Raiola’s ability, the scoring offense for Nebraska sits at 15th nationally, accumulating 22 touchdowns, and is 5th nationally in passing offense. Despite that promise, Raiola hasn’t shown that movement with his legs, despite losing 15 pounds in the off-season. Moreover, the QB’s release timing is also a bit slow, which has Quincy Avery concerned.

Avery, popularly known as the “QB whisperer” of the NFL, has been the QBs coach of players like Jalen Hurts to C.J. Stroud. He appeared on Ryan Russillo’s podcast on Thursday and agreed with Russillo’s take that Dylan needs to “show urgency” and currently is showcasing “too many highs and lows.” “Sometimes he (Dylan Raiola) looks great and sometimes it looks like there’s just no urgency if and tell If you think that’s fair,” said Russilo. For Avery, playing as a QB, one needs to come with fast throws and even faster reads.

“I want you to play quarterback with your hair on fire, with relentless urgency, and do the things that need to be done to be successful…. You’ll see him miss a routine slant route or a shallow cross. You’re like, How did you manage to miss that throw when you’re the same quarterback that has the ability to move in the pocket. Hit somebody running full speed right to left, 18 yards down the field in stride, in situations where nobody else can do those things,” said Avery. Dylan Raiola did show some of those issues in his recent games, including against Michigan.

For instance, against Cincinnati in Week 1, on 2nd-and-8 in the third quarter, Raiola first went through three reads and eventually connected the pass to his running back for an insignificant gain. Of course, it wasn’t a turnover, but Nebraska’s drive was stalled, something Dylan could have completed on the 2nd down itself. Moreover, against Michigan, Dylan showed the same reading and processing mistakes and held the ball more than 3+ seconds on blitzes. The whopping 7 sacks, of course, came with major faults in the O-line, but Dylan’s lack of mobility was also a factor. Now, these mistakes, according to Quincy Avery, can even lead to Matt Rhule’s firing.

Dylan Raiola vows to learn from his mistakes, which could land Matt Rhule in hot water

Matt Rhule is in his third season with Nebraska and is 15-14 so far. The season then becomes crucial to prove his worth for the Cornhuskers. Failing to do so with a QB as talented as Dylan Raiola and an explosive passing offense under Dana Holgorsen won’t be taken kindly in Lincoln. So, at such a time with “hot seat’ murmurs hovering over Matt Rhule, Raiola’s mistakes may lead to close game losses like we saw against Michigan. This puts further pressure on  Rhule’s situation.

“The quarterbacks who play like that, it’s a lack of focus, a lack of attention to the details. It’s those guys who’ve been so good their entire life that they don’t have to be on their p’s and q’s every single time they approach the line of scrimmage. That is the same thing that’s going to get a coach fired, right?” said Avery. While Avery pointed out Nebraska’s situation and firing of Matt Rhule as “unlikely,” he still described how margins are too thin in the NFL.

“When you get to the NFL, when you don’t go out there and have that urgency and the understanding that every play, not only your job’s on the line, but a bunch of other people’s jobs are on the line, that’s how you get in situations where they make those costly errors that cost you,” said Avery. Dylan, of course, has not been terrible so far in the season, as he has passed for 1,137 yards. That, too, while also missing three-quarters of the play. That points to an optimistic scenario for the Cornhuskers.

However, his -30 rushing yards and meagre scrambling do raise concern. And if he can improve on that, a Heisman won’t be too distant a feat for the young QB. Dylan, in turn, has vowed to improve his throwing speeds after the Michigan loss.

“We just have to find a way to get the ball out quicker. There’s no magic sauce. We just got to figure it out and move on,” said Dylan Raiola, showing accountability and leadership after the Michigan game.