Nebraska Football's Dylan Raiola says criticism of OC Marcus Satterfield is "unfair."

Nebraska football has had an inconsistent season on the offensive side of the ball.

At the start of the year, the Huskers looked like they had a high-powered offense that would become a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten. But as the season progressed, the Huskers’ offensive unit was more of a weakness for the team than a strength. True freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola has been learning on the job, with mixed results. However, these mixed results are to be expected from a quarterback making his first start at the college level.

Due to the struggles the offense has had, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has received a lot of criticism for his play-calling, with some comments that come across as unintelligent. Unlike Raiola, Satterfield doesn’t have the built-in excuse of inexperience. He has been performing plays at the college level for years.

However, Raiola defended Satterfield on Tuesday and shared his thoughts on why the offense is struggling.

“Coach Satt gives us the rules to go do it and as players we have to go out and execute,” Raiola said. “I know that coach Satt is receiving a lot of criticism at the moment because of the actions he calls for. I think that’s unfair to him. He can’t go out there and make plays and do everything he coaches us to do. So as players and as the quarterback of this offense, I take responsibility for that and for us to go out and execute. That’s not his fault.”

Having a quarterback who defends his coaching staff is a good thing for a locker room. Especially for a young player like Raiola, as this is the first college offensive coordinator he has ever played for. It would be more worrying if Raiola publicly bashed his OC, even if defending him isn’t entirely justified at this point in the season.

Satterfield certainly deserves some blame, but it’s a good sign that Raiola is looking out for his coach and defending him from outside criticism. The Huskers need better performances from their coaches and players on Saturday against UCLA and for the rest of the season.

Nebraska Football’s Dylan Raiola says criticism of OC Marcus Satterfield is “unfair.”

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