Dylan Raiola may be the most poised 19-year-old in the country

Patrick Mahomes who? Just kidding, kind of. The look-alike, act-alike, play-alike Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola has lit up the college football scene so far in 2024 and that was no different against the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini.

Raiola not only hopes to be like Mahomes, but he also has the same levels of poise as the three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, and Raiola is only 19 years old. The Cornhuskers' redshirt freshman star looked nothing short of elite in the first half against Illinois as the two teams clashed in a top-25 matchup.

While Raiola and Nebraska couldn't find the end zone to cap off their impressive second drive, the quarterback completed 9-of-11 pass attempts for 68 yards to kick off the Huskers' offensive game.

Just one drive later, the run game and Raiola combined for a four-play drive that found the end zone and the Cornhuskers were suddenly up 10-7.

Despite Raiola throwing an unfortunate, and slightly delayed, interception to end Nebraska's fourth drive of the game, his first-half performance was undeniably one of note.

Raiola's interception was initially ruled as a touchdown but after an official review, was turned the other direction, giving Syracuse cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. a pick on the evening.

On the final drive of the half, Raiola led the Cornhuskers on a 9-play, 70-yard touchdown drive. He headed to the locker room with 16 completions, 156 yards, and 2 touchdowns to further fluff his stat book. Nebraska led Illinois 17-10 with two quarters remaining.

Leading into the Big Ten matchup between the two teams in the top 25, Raiola had 670 yards on 50 completions and 5 touchdowns. His interception against Syracuse was just his second of the season. So far this year, Raiola has averaged an impressive 79.2 QBR.

The young quarterback, while channeling Mahomes' game energy may have picked up a few of his style points as well.

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