The Big Lead

Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola and Patrick Mahomes impressions is turning head

By Dibyendu Mondal

Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) runs onto the field before the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium.
Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) runs onto the field before the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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The ͏Nebraska Cornhuskers battled the Michigan͏ W͏olverines͏ in ͏a ͏game th͏at d͏elivered ple͏nty of drama.͏ Th͏e highligh͏t c͏ame͏ late in the firs͏t half when Dylan Rai͏ola rolled right ͏and fired a 52-yard Hail Mary to Ja͏cory B͏arney Jr. The ͏sop͏homore ͏w͏ideout someh͏ow leaped ͏above͏ five defende͏r͏s t͏o secure th͏e tou͏chdo͏wn, tying the game 17͏-17 at halftime. Raiola entered the b͏reak with ͏an imp͏ressive ͏st͏at line 30 o͏f 41 for 308 yards, two scores, and one in͏terceptio͏n. Though Nebraska ultim͏ate͏ly͏ fell short, the play left fans buzzing.

For Raiola, the spotlight wasn’t just about his performance but also about the comparisons he can’t shake. The sophomore quarterback has long been linked to Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes. From jersey number and haircut to throwing motion and even hand signals, Raiola’s style has drawn constant parallels.

"“Everybody be like, ‘Oh, he wants to be like him,’ … I can’t get mad at God for making me look like him,” "

- Raiola said earlier this year per CBS

Not everyone is buying it, though. NFL Network’s James Palmer blasted Raiola during Saturday’s game. You are the one that created all of this.

"Have they ever met? Does Mahomes have a restraining order?," one fan commented.

"Is this a bad thing when he becomes a millionaire because of it? Nah," a fan said.

"He going need a therapist once he has to get his first sales job," a fan wrote.

"Raiola has moxy, I think he has a shot to make it in the pros. Hope so," another fan said.

"The dikk riding is immaculate & the guy still can’t win the big game," one commented.

"YOUNG athletes did the same for MJ," another fan chimed in.

Whether it’s admiration or imitation, Raiola’s Mahomes-like flair is impossible to ignore.

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