Nebraska QB Raiola Out for Season with Broken Fibula

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola suffered a broken fibula in his right leg during the Cornhuskers' 21-17 loss to Southern California on Saturday night, ending his season and dealing a significant blow to the team's Big Ten aspirations.

The injury occurred early in the third quarter at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, with Nebraska leading 14-6. Raiola dropped back to pass, absorbed a sack from USC defensive end Anthony Lucas that forced a fumble, and fell awkwardly to the turf. He clutched his lower leg in pain as trainers attended to him, and although he attempted to jog on the sideline and expressed a desire to return, head coach Matt Rhule kept him out on the advice of the medical staff. "I love you too much to ask you to play when you're hurt like this," Rhule later recounted telling his sophomore starter.

Raiola, a former five-star recruit who has started all 22 games since arriving in Lincoln, was enjoying a breakout season before the setback. Through nine games, he completed 72.4 percent of his passes for 2,000 yards, with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. His performance had Nebraska at 6-3 overall and 3-3 in Big Ten play, positioning the Huskers as a fringe playoff...