After a perfect get-right game against the Central Michigan Chippewas, the Michigan Wolverines look to keep the good times rolling against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday.
The Huskers are 3-0 and are playing with a ton of confidence after winning their last two games with a combined score of 127-7 over Akron and Houston Christian. Their aspirations are set much higher in Year 3 of the Matt Rhule era, and understandably so, with a team oozing with potential.
A few guys have stood out so far and
could make a key difference in this game. Here are three players who you’ll likely hear about often on Saturday.
QB Dylan Raiola
As much as Dylan Raiola attempts to be Patrick Mahomes in everything he does, his numbers also reflect it this season. Through three games, he has 829 yards and eight touchdowns all while completing 76.6 percent of his passes.
He’s been impressive — until you look into how inflated those stats are, which are just as ridiculous as his statement that it’s not his fault that he is compared to the NFL’s darling quarterback.
Cincinnati, the Cornhuskers’ Week 1 opponent, currently ranks 99th in the country in passing defense against Power 4 teams. A week after losing by three to Nebraska, the Bearcats allowed 274 yards and only forced seven incompletions to Bowling Green. Then, Raiola threw for 364 yards against Akron, which is ranked second-last in pass defense in the country, allowing another 325+ yard performance in a loss to UAB and Jalen Kitna a week later. Then, an easy win over Houston Christian holds little merit for his stats as well. He’s looked excellent, but he did in the first three games in his freshman campaign, too.
Michigan will be the first real defense he plays this season. Raiola struggled against Big Ten competition last season, completing 64.7 percent of his passes with more interception (9) than touchdowns (7). The bulk of that came in the games against Top-25 opponents, where five of those nine interceptions were had in three games against Indiana, Illinois and Ohio State.
Raiola keeps his name in the headlines for many reasons, and he has the intangibles to be a good quarterback. But there is also still a lot to prove for the former top recruit, and Michigan’s defense will be champing at the bit to ensure his effectiveness against the top ranks of college football stays minimal.
WR Dane Key
One of main talking points about Nebraska last year was Raiola didn’t have any weapons. Well that’s far from the case this season, as the Huskers went to the portal and added a slew of receivers, including Dane Key.
In three seasons at Kentucky, Key had 1,870 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also averaged around 14.5 yards per reception. He’s exactly the kind of deep threat option a quarterback like Raiola needs, and the two have really started to click early this season. Last week, Key owned 104 of Raiola’s 222 passing yards and caught a touchdown for the third consecutive game to start the season.
At 6-foot-3, Key is an X-receiver that could cause problems for Michigan’s secondary. Key seems to be Raiola’s go-to guy, especially in important situations, and that makes me think he’ll be the priority for the secondary this weekend.
DB Deshon Singleton
Nebraska touts the best passing defense in the country right now, and understandably so with the teams it has played. But the thing is it’s so outlandishly better than everyone else statistically, as the Cornhuskers have allowed just 65 passing yards per game.
The leader of this secondary is safety Deshon Singleton. He is the Husker’s version of Rod Moore. A season-ending knee injury against Michigan in 2023 left his future in doubt, but he returned to start every game in 2024 and had 71 tackles, the second-most on the team last year.
After a stellar season, Matt Rhule told Singleton to go pro, but he felt he had a legacy to uphold in Lincoln and the journey wasn’t over yet. Now, he is tied for the team lead with 12 tackles. Not only is he leading on the field, but he’s a team captain and someone that younger developing players look up to. And he is a heck of a quote every week:
Noting Underwood’s struggles at Oklahoma, Nebraska’s secondary could pose a similar threat for the Wolverines on Saturday in a hostile environment.
