Analyzing the Quarterbacks Nebraska Will Play This Season

First of Three Parts

Quarterbacks have a major say in the outcome of football games — especially in college and the NFL.

For Nebraska, Dylan Raiola will enter his second season after a learning-experience freshman year that had more than his share of highlight moments and solid play, as the Cornhuskers went 7-6.

Since quarterbacks are almost always so influential, we are analyzing the quarterbacks expected to start against the Huskers this season.

In today’s story, we feature the opponent quarterbacks in August and September. Tomorrow, we’ll look at the quarterbacks who will face Nebraska in October, and the following day we’ll feature the November quarterbacks.

Aug. 28: vs. Cincinnati (5-7)

At Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
8 p.m. CT, ESPN

Bearcats quarterback: Brendan Sorsby

Sorsby, a redshirt junior transfer from Indiana, is 6-foot-3, 235 pounds. He’s from Lake Dallas (Texas) High.

In 2024 for the Bearcats, he completed 249-of-389 passes (64 percent) for 2,813 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while playing all 12 games. He also rushed 105 times for 447 yards. He was a two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week and was Big 12 Newcomer of the Year honorable mention.

After redshirting in 2022 at Indiana, he passed for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2023. He passed for five touchdowns at Illinois and three touchdowns at Penn State.

2024 highlight: Completed 23-of-31 passes for 206 yards and had two rushing touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 24-14 victory over eventual Big 12 champion Arizona State.

Overview: Sorsby is a dangerous quarterback, someone the Cornhuskers can’t overlook.

Advantage: Goes to Raiola, but expect Sorsby and the Bearcats to be competitive and in the game until the end.

Sept. 6: Akron (4-8)

At Memorial Stadium
6:30 p.m. CT, BTN

Zips quarterback: Ben Finley

Finley is a redshirt senior who previously played at N.C. State and California. He is 6-foot-3, 201 pounds, from Paradise Valley (Ariz.) High.

Finley was named to the All-MAC Academic Team and started all 12 games in 2024. He completed 211-of-387 passes (54.8 percent), with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Finley’s brother, Ryan, played in the NFL with the Bengals (2019-20) and Texans (2021). Ryan was drafted by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

2024 highlight: Finley completed 10-of-21 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the Zips’ season finale, a 21-14 overtime victory over bowl-bound Toledo.

Overview: Finley is a heady player who is a pass-first, from-the-pocket quarterback. He completed a touchdown pass in nine of the Zips’ 12 games. He had a career-high 395 passing yards in a 34-24 loss at Western Michigan.

Advantage: Raiola has the edge. Simply, he is more talented.

Sept. 13: Houston Christian (5-7)

At Memorial Stadium
11 a.m. CT, FS1

Huskies quarterback: Bo Krell

Krell is one of two redshirt freshmen quarterbacks on the roster. The other is William Little. Neither played last season for HCU.

Krell is a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from McAllen, Texas, who played at Sharyland High for his dad, Craig.

Houston Christian plays in the Southland Conference with the likes of Lamar, McNeese, East Texas A&M and 2024 conference champion Incarnate Word. HCU finished 3-4 in the conference.

2024 highlight: None to mention, since neither played. Krell appears to have the inside track at the job, as the Huskies’ website does not have a photo of Little.

Overview: A more intriguing story involving an HCU quarterback is that of former Huskies starter Eli Brickhandler. According to the Houston Chronicle, Brickhandler transferred to Ohio State — yes, that Ohio State — after playing this spring with the Gyór Sharks, of the professional Hungarian American Football League. Not sure if anyone on the current HCU roster is Ohio State worthy.

Advantage: Raiola … probably by a mile.

Sept. 20: Michigan (8-5)

At Memorial Stadium
2:30 p.m. CT, CBS

Wolverines quarterback: Bryce Underwood

The five-star recruit was considered the country’s top recruit last season. Underwood played high school ball not far from Ann Arbor, in Belleville, Mich. He was committed to LSU before Michigan reportedly swooped in with an enormous NIL package and signed him away.

Underwood enrolled at Michigan in December, so he was a full participant in spring practice.

Underwood, at 6-foot-4, 214 pounds, is a unique combination of size, speed and strength. “The way Bryce attacks football, man — he’s the first one, last one [in the building]. He’s a sponge, always wanting to learn. Hanging around the receivers,” Michigan wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Ron Bellamy told The Wolverine website.

2024 highlight: Underwood led Belleville to the state semifinals. He completed 72 percent of his passes for 2,509 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also rushed for 600 yards and six touchdowns.

Belleville won the Division I state title under Underwood as a freshman and sophomore and lost in the final his junior season. 

Overview: Is Underwood ready to show he was the top-ranked quarterback coming out in 2025? Will he be ready to handle the big crowd at Memorial Stadium for both teams’ Big Ten opener? The Wolverines play at Oklahoma in the second week, so Underwood will get a taste of big-time college football.

Advantage: Even, since we don’t know how good Underwood actually is at this early stage of his career. Will his talent outweigh his relative inexperience? How great is Underwood’s talent? This should be a fascinating game and matchup between the quarterbacks.

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