Saturday night ended as a bummer for Huskers fans. Nebraska’s quarterback Dylan Raiola is officially out for the rest of the 2025 season after breaking his fibula. The devastating injury happened during the Huskers’ 21-17 loss to USC. After going 7-6 last season, Matt Rhule and Co. invested heavily in Nebraska this offseason and built a playoff-caliber roster. Things were trending in the right direction at 6-2, until the third quarter completely shifted the season’s trajectory. Now the team has to figure things out without their star QB for the home stretch, but even from the sidelines, Raiola’s leadership still runs through the program amid the chaos.

On November 3rd, just a couple of days after the injury, Dylan Raiola hopped on IG and reposted his sister Taylor Raiola’s heartfelt message following Nebraska and Dylan Raiola’s setback: “You made waking up with a smile on your face these last two days look so easy. So proud of you buddy. Let’s freaking do this! In your corner always.” The siblings also shared a photo of themselves cheesing for the camera. Even though he was on pace for the best season of his career and had Nebraska positioned for a serious playoff run, Raiola still carried a surprisingly positive and upbeat attitude about the injury.

For those who are late to the party, here is how it happened. Nebraska led 14-6 in the third quarter against USC. Raiola dropped back to pass, and as the Trojans’ DL applied pressure, he was sacked and fumbled. The awkward contact during the fall caused a broken fibula in his right leg.

Although the former five-star wanted to return to the game, Coach Matt Rhule wisely kept him out based on the advice of the team’s medical staff: “I love you too much to ask you to play when you’re hurt like this.” The Trojans capitalized on that play, came from behind, and handed Nebraska their third loss of the season, which essentially put them out of playoff contention.

Before the injury, Dylan Raiola was putting up Heisman-contender numbers. In nine games, he completed 72.4% of his passes for 2,000 yards, threw 18 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. If you have watched Nebraska this season, at least half of those picks were not even his fault. His leadership, playmaking ability, arm talent, and football IQ will be sorely missed as the Huskers push forward. Although it is a major blow, Raiola took to social media to call it a “small bump in the road.” That says a lot about him and his mentality.

Matt Rhule gives token of approval for Dylan Raiola’s replacement

In Raiola’s place, true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef will be taking over the offense. Lateef got some snaps after the injury against USC. And while his stats were modest (5 of 7 for 7 yards and 18 rushing yards), he’ll now have a chance to prove himself with extended playing time.

Earlier today, Matt Rhule has spoken highly of Lateef’s potential and advised the rest of the team to rally behind him. “Guys are going to have to do a great job of being strong around (TJ Lateef),” Matt Rhule said. “Do their job at such a high level that TJ can just do his job and not try to do anything more.” It is pretty obvious that the team might lean on a more balanced offense. Or even a slightly run-heavy offense, especially with Emmett Johnson’s recent performances. That way, they can take some pressure off the true freshman QB.

With three games left in the 2025 season against tough Big Ten opponents like UCLA, Penn State, and Iowa, Nebraska’s campaign is at a crossroads. Since they’re already bowl-eligible (which is great), now it’s about seeing how they respond to this adversity. The rest of the season will be hell break loose for the team’s depth and resilience at its finest. If Matt Rhule can get two wins out of these three games and finish with more wins than last season (7-6), it would still be an impressive year for Nebraska.