Dylan Raiola didn’t exactly leave the Nebraska chapter quietly on Monday at Oregon’s Media Day.
If the Ducks quarterback ends up seeing the Huskers down the line, his answer to a simple transfer question may have already done plenty of the talking for him. Asked, “What's the difference between Nebraska and Oregon?”
Raiola was given a soft landing by the reporter, who described Nebraska as a “hard-nosed midwestern team” and noted Oregon’s extra swag. Raiola still went straight at it.
“I'll start with the landscape of outside. And there's not cornfields here.
There's mountains and trees. I love the nature,” Raiola said.
That was only the opening jab. Raiola went on to compare the two programs on the football side, and that’s where the real sting landed.
“As far as football, it's different. With coaches and players, we have a lot more talent than we did at Nebraska.
And I don't say that to knock on them, but I think everybody will know that. But I'm very grateful for my time there.
Learned a lot from my coaches, teammates. Still have those relationships, but…”
The comments were especially sharp because Raiola spent two years as Nebraska’s starting quarterback and, by his own history, had been a strong face for the program before he left Lincoln this past winter. He had stayed mostly quiet after entering the portal, which made Monday’s comments stand out even more.
The landscape line was easy to swat away - low-hanging fruit, really - but the talent remark was the one that gave Nebraska fans something to chew on. On paper, it’s hard to argue with the idea that Oregon has more talent; the Ducks are one of the top teams in the country. Still, that’s not the kind of thing most players say about a team they might have to face later in the season, especially when they’re talking about former teammates they say they still have relationships with.
And if Nebraska does end up crossing paths with Raiola this year, it may only happen if Dante Moore is hurt. That makes the whole exchange feel even more pointed. Raiola took his shots knowing he probably won’t be the one asked to answer for them on the field.
No, nothing he said crossed into truly outrageous territory. But it wasn’t exactly a polished look either.
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