This is Part Two of our series. The Nebraska sophomore quarterback is better than the players the Huskers will play in October.
Part Two of our look at the players Nebraska will likely face in 2025 is a look at the teams the Cornhuskers will play in October.
We look at a 2024 highlight of each expected starting quarterback and decide if the other team’s quarterback or Nebraska sophomore Dylan Raiola has the upper hand before the game. Part One came out on Tuesday, and Part Three, along with an outline, will be out on Friday.
QB for the Spartans is Aidan Chiles.
Chiles, a junior, moved from Oregon State to MSU after the 2023 season when Jonathan Smith was hired as coach of the Beavers. In 2023, he only threw 35 times at Oregon State. All 12 games he started for MSU in 2024 were wins. He completed 192 of 323 passes, threw for 2,415 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 picks.
Overall, Chiles’ growth was slow compared to the tough competition in the Big Ten. It was a problem that he threw 11 picks and only 13 touchdowns.
A: This fight should be seen as even, especially if Chiles develops some of the skills he showed in 2024.
Justyn Martin or Malik Washington for Terrapins quarterback?
Junior redshirt transfer to UCLA The Ourlads depth chart lists Martin as the starter, even though he only made 35 passes in 2024. However, talented freshman Malik Washington could be starting by October. People say that the race will get really tough, and a clear winner should emerge by the summer.
A big event in 2024 was when Washington’s Archbishop Spaulding team from Glen Burnie, Maryland, won its third Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association title. That made him the first quarterback in state history to win three. Last year, Archbishop Spalding was ranked in the top 10 in the whole country. When it comes to passing, Washington is the best in MIAA history.
Advantage: Since so little is known about the Terrapins, this has to go to Raiola.
Oct. 17: At Minnesota (8-5) at 7 p.m. Fox
QB for the Gophers is Drake Lindsey.
On the Ourland depth chart, Lindsey is marked as the starter. The rookie from Fayetteville, Arkansas, is 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 230 pounds. Before Zach Pyron moved to South Alabama, Lindsey and Pyron were competing for the starting job. Pyron had come from Georgia Tech.
In 2024, Lindsey made three out of four passes for 35 yards in a 48-0 win over Rhode Island.
In short, Lindsey comes from a family of athletes. Jim Lindsey, his grandpa, was a running back in the NFL for seven years with the Vikings. Jim played on Arkansas’s 11-0 team in 1964 as well. Lindsey’s dad played football at Arkansas too, and his sister Loren plays basketball in college at Arkansas.
Again, Raiola has the upper hand because the Cornhuskers should use their rookie quarterback to their advantage.
Oct. 25: Northwestern (4-8)
At Memorial Stadium
Time and TV TBD
Wildcats quarterback: Preston Stone
Stone is a graduate transfer from SMU, who had an outstanding season in 2023 but only started four games in 2024. In 2023, Stone threw for 3,197 yards with an impressive 28 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He completed 206-of-344 passes (59.9 percent).
Northwestern struggled at quarterback and as a team in 2024 and are looking for an upgrade at the position with Stone. Stone, who is from Dallas, is 6-foot-1 and 214 pounds.
2024 highlight: Stone completed 17-of-30 passes for a season-high 254 yards in SMU’s 29-24 victory at Nevada in the season opener. He started four games and played in seven games (30-of-51 passes for 421 yards and five touchdowns) but lost his starting job to Kevin Jennings. SMU lost in the College Football Playoff to Penn State, 38-10.
Overview: Stone has the ability and background to lead Northwestern. His brothers were college football players: Parker was a wide receiver at SMU, and Lindell was a quarterback at Virginia.
Advantage: By the time these teams play, Stone will have nearly an entire season under his belt. The battle between Stone and Raiola might be close to even.
Oct. 4: Michigan State (5-7)
At Memorial Stadium
Time and TV TBD
Spartans quarterback: Aidan Chiles
Chiles is a junior who transferred after the 2023 season from Oregon State when Beavers coach Jonathan Smith was named MSU coach. He threw only 35 passes at Oregon State in 2023. In 2024, he started all 12 games with MSU, completing 192-of-323 passes for 2,415 yards and 13 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.
2024 highlight: Chiles threw for 256 yards and one touchdown as the Spartans defeated Iowa, 32-20, moving MSU to 4-3 on the season. Chiles was 22-of-30 passing against the Hawkeyes.
Overview: Chiles’ development was slow against the hardened competition in the Big Ten. His 11 interceptions were a problem — especially with only 13 touchdown passes.
Advantage: This matchup should be considered even, especially if Chiles grows into some of the potential he showed in 2024.
Oct. 11: At Maryland (4-8)
Time and TV TBD
Terrapins quarterback: Justyn Martin or Malik Washington
UCLA redshirt junior transfer Martin, who only threw 35 passes in 2024, is listed as the starter on the Ourlads depth chart but talented freshman Malik Washington might be starting by October. The competition is said to wide open with a favorite expected to emerge through the summer.
2024 highlight: Washington’s Archbishop Spaulding team (Glen Burnie, Md.) won its third Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association title in 2024. He became the first quarterback to win three state titles. Archbishop Spalding was ranked in the top 10 nationally last year. Washington is the all-time passing leader in MIAA history.
Overview: This is a classic case of experience vs. potential. Which way will Maryland coach Mike Locksley lean?
Advantage: This has to go to Raiola with so many unknowns regarding the Terrapins.
Oct. 17: At Minnesota (8-5)
7 p.m. Fox
Gophers quarterback: Drake Lindsey
Lindsey is listed as the starter on the Ourland depth chart. He is a 6-foot-5, 230-pound redshirt freshman from Fayetteville, Ark. Lindsey was in a battle for the starting job with Zach Pyron, a Georgia Tech transfer, before Pyron transferred to South Alabama.
2024 highlight: Lindsey completed 3-of-4 passes for 35 yards in a 48-0 victory over Rhode Island.
Overview: Lindsey comes from an athletic family. His grandfather, Jim Lindsey, was a running back who played seven years in the NFL with the Vikings. Jim also played on the 1964 Arkansas team that went 11-0. Lindsey’s dad also played football at Arkansas, and his sister, Loren, plays college basketball at Arkansas.
Advantage: Raiola, again, as the Cornhuskers should take advantage of an inexperienced quarterback.
Oct. 25: Northwestern (4-8)
At Memorial Stadium
Time and TV TBD
Wildcats quarterback: Preston Stone
Stone is a graduate transfer from SMU, who had an outstanding season in 2023 but only started four games in 2024. In 2023, Stone threw for 3,197 yards with an impressive 28 touchdowns and only six interceptions. He completed 206-of-344 passes (59.9 percent).
Northwestern struggled at quarterback and as a team in 2024 and are looking for an upgrade at the position with Stone. Stone, who is from Dallas, is 6-foot-1 and 214 pounds.
2024 highlight: Stone completed 17-of-30 passes for a season-high 254 yards in SMU’s 29-24 victory at Nevada in the season opener. He started four games and played in seven games (30-of-51 passes for 421 yards and five touchdowns) but lost his starting job to Kevin Jennings. SMU lost in the College Football Playoff to Penn State, 38-10.
Overview: Stone has the ability and background to lead Northwestern. His brothers were college football players: Parker was a wide receiver at SMU, and Lindell was a quarterback at Virginia.
Advantage: By the time these teams play, Stone will have nearly an entire season under his belt. The battle between Stone and Raiola might be close to even.
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