Nebraska was leading 16-14 until an injury ruled out their star QB. Dylan Raiola sustained a broken fibula and will miss the remainder of the season. Since the entire Raiola family is somewhat involved with the program, this feels like a personal loss. But something more profound is subtly emerging in Lincoln under the grief. Matt Rhule has never let such tragedies define his team. The HC seems to be building something greater, a new family legacy at Nebraska.

The Nebraska football team might have lost on Saturday, but the Blackout was a massive success on the recruiting front. After his most recent visit to Lincoln, Ahmad Hudson couldn’t stop smiling. This visit may have just sealed the deal for the five-star tight end from Ruston, Louisiana. “I loved it. Everybody was chill and the coaches expressed how badly they wanted me,” Hudson said after the night game against USC. His relationship with the Cornhuskers is solid so far.

Nebraska had already approached him with an offer in January 2025. Hudson had two unofficial visits to Nebraska after the offer. He maintains a good rapport with Matt Rhule and the coaching staff, plus also has a good relationship with the Huskers’ 4-star commit Trae Taylor. Both played in Lincoln for the Battle at the Boneyard tournament, taking Miami RAW to the tournament championship. That’s why Hudson called it a special moment.

“What made it special was that it was my first game day there, and my mom got to see what it would be like if her son played here.” That moment mattered. He was treated as family in Nebraska. It was also evident that Matt Rhule’s pitch extends beyond football when the Huskers offered his younger brother, Branson, his first scholarship. When Branson announced his achievement on X, Ahmad wrote, “Yessir🙂‍↕️think I’m starting to like this! ”

This was definitely a smart recruiting move by Matt Rhule. Ahmad now considers the Huskers to be his “Out of my top schools, they are No. 1 or 2,” school, and he grinned, saying that “they aren’t No. 2.” Rhule’s pitch to recruits is simple that he wants your family to be a part of this, too. That’s no coincidence.

The Raiola family stands by that fact. Huskers are deeply rooted in the same family-first ethic. The freshman quarterback’s story is a true example of that legacy. Even though an injury might have ended Dylan Raiola’s season, the family is involved. His uncle Donovan coaches Nebraska’s offensive line. Plus, his younger brother Dayton has already committed to the future. Apart from the three members currently associated with the program, his father, Dominic, proudly carried off the Husker jersey once. Clearly, Nebraska is creating a family with one Raiola, one Hudson at a time.

Dylan Raiola’s injury capped Nebraska’s painful collapse

The night in Nebraska began with fireworks and ended tragically. For three quarters, it looked like Matt Rhule’s team had finally found its groove. But then came the gut punch. The Huskers’ offensive rhythm was disrupted when star quarterback Dylan Raiola, the backbone of this young Nebraska squad, suffered a right leg injury. Rhule said, “Obviously, this is a very bitter pill for us to swallow… We had a lot of opportunities to win the football game.”  Even beyond defeat, it was a hit to the team’s spirit.

With a cheeky X post featuring a popped balloon and the comment “Aw Shucks,” right next to the final score, Lincoln Riley’s team added even more insult to injury. That stung for Nebraska fans. The Huskers failed to reverse the momentum shift following Raiola’s injury, despite running back Emmett Johnson’s constant efforts, pulling off 165 yards on 29 runs. TJ Lateef, a freshman, filled in wonderfully for Raiola.

He completed five of seven passes, but even he owned up that the moment had slipped away. “I had bad footwork on that play; I’ll fix that,” he said, referring to the fateful fourth-and-one that ended Nebraska’s comeback hopes. For Rhule, who’s now 2-24 against ranked teams, it’s another reminder of how far this rebuild still has to go. Nebraska battled fiercely and had USC on the verge of defeat,  but once again, the finish line slipped away.