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Nebraska Holds Off UCLA, 28-21

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are playing at the Rose Bowl for the seventh time in program history, taking on the UCLA Bruins Saturday evening. Follow along for updates.
Kaleb Henry|
The UCLA Bruins host the Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday evening at the Rose Bowl.
The UCLA Bruins host the Nebraska Cornhuskers Saturday evening at the Rose Bowl. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

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Nebraska CornhuskersUCLA Bruins

For just the seventh time in program history, the Nebraska Cornhuskers are playing at the Rose Bowl.

NU is at UCLA Saturday evening. This is second meeting as Big Ten Conference foes and 15th overall between the two programs. Both teams are looking to bounce back from recent losses, with the Huskers falling to then-No. 23 USC last week and the Bruins losing to No. 2 Indiana two weeks ago. The game is televised on FOX.

Most recent updates at the top.

Final: Nebraska 28, UCLA 21

Nebraska Athletics Postgame Notes

  • With tonight’s win, Nebraska improved to 8-7 all-time against UCLA, winning for the third time in seven tries on the Bruins’ home field.
  • The win gave Nebraska a 7-3 record, which is the Huskers’ best 10-game record since opening 8-2 in 2016.
  • Nebraska matched last year’s win total (7), and Matt Rhule has matched or increased his team’s win total from the previous season in every year of his college coaching career.
  • All-America candidate running back Emmett Johnson rushed 28 times for 129 yards and had 103 receiving yards on three receptions, including a pair of TD catches to account for 232 yards from scrimmage. Tonight’s game marks the first time in school history that a Nebraska running back has had 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in the same game.
  • Johnson’s 103 receiving yards were a career high and marked the first 100-yard receiving game by a Husker running back since Rahmir Johnson had 105 yards against Michigan in 2021.
  • Johnson’s 56-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was a career-long, bettering his 29-yard touchdown catch at USC last season. Johnson increased his career receptions total to 82, making him the third Husker in school history with more than 80 career receptions, joining Jeff Kinney (82) and Marlon Lucky (135).
  • Johnson had TD catches of 56 and 40 yards, and his two receiving touchdowns in the game tied the NU running back school record, also held by Ahman Green and Cory Ross.
  • With his 129 rushing yards, Johnson increased his season total to 1,131 rushing yards, the most by a Husker since Ameer Abdullah rushed for 1,611 yards in 2014.
  • Johnson has rushed for 100 yards in three consecutive games and six times overall this season. He is the first Husker to have three consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Anthony Grant rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the first three games of the 2022 season. Johnson is the first Husker to have three consecutive 100-yard rushing games in Big Ten play since Devine Ozigbo in 2017.
  • Johnson had 28 carries after rushing 27 times against Northwestern two weeks ago and 29 against USC last week.  He is the first Husker to have 25 or more carries in three consecutive games since Ahman Green in the final three games of the 1997 season.
  • Johnson scored three touchdowns in the game (one rushing, two receiving), giving him 14 touchdowns this season, the most by a Husker since Ameer Abdullah scored 22 touchdowns in 2014.
  • True freshman quarterback TJ Lateef completed 13-of-15 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 31 yards, while guiding Nebraska to touchdowns on its first four drives of the game.
  • Lateef completed his first 11 passes of the game, including three TD passes in his first eight attempts.
  • Lateef is just the fifth true freshman quarterback to start for Nebraska since 1950. The other members of that group are Tommie Frazier (1992), Cody Green (2009), Adrian Martinez (2018), and Dylan Raiola (2024). Lateef joins Frazier and Green in making their first start in a conference road game and leading the Huskers to a victory.
  • Sophomore receiver Jacory Barney Jr. opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. It was Barney’s fourth touchdown reception of the season and his first in the past six games.
  • Barney had four receptions in the game to give him 92, making him only the fourth Husker to have 90 or more receptions in his first two seasons at Nebraska, joining JD Spielman (121), Maurice Purify (91), and Wan’Dale Robinson (91).
  • Senior safety DeShon Singleton tallied a career-high 11 tackles, bettering his previous high of 10 last season at Ohio State.  It was his fifth game this season with at least six tackles. Singleton added a TFL stop on 4th down stop in the second quarter and added a PBU and a quarterback hurry.
  • Redshirt freshman safety Rex Guthrie had six tackles to increase his season total to 53. He is only the fourth Husker freshman to record 50 tackles since the freshman regained eligibility in 1972. The other members of that group are Michael Rose-Ivey (66 tackles in 2013), Dedrick Young II (61 in 2015), and Ernest Hausmann (54 in 2022).
  • Redshirt freshman defensive end Williams Nwaneri had a six-yard sack in the second quarter, giving him a team-leading 2.5 sacks in 2025.
  • Sophomore Keona Davis had an eight-yard sack, giving him 1.5 sacks this season. Davis finished the game with a career-high seven tackles, topping his previous career high of six tackles at Minnesota.
  • Ceyair Wright had four tackles in the game, with his fourth stop marking the 100th tackle of his career. 
  • After limiting UCLA to 348 yards, Nebraska has held each of its first 10 opponents to fewer than 400 total yards. The last time the Huskers held their first 10 opponents to fewer than 400 total yards was 2009 (first 11 opponents).

End 4Q Nebraska runs out the clock.

TWO MINUTE TIMEOUT

4Q 1:57 Nebraska has a 1st and 10 from the UCLA32 upcoming.

Nebraska 28, UCLA 21

4Q 4:54 TOUCHDOWN UCLA

Nico Iamaleava throws a 9-yard touchdown pass to bring the Bruins within a score.

4Q 11:33 Nebraska's drive stalls after crossing midfield. Archie Wilson's punt flies 38 yards and is fair caught at the UCLA08. An unsportsmanlike penalty on the Bruins moves the ball back to the UCLA04.

End 3Q Nebraska has a 2nd and 8 from the NU37 upcoming.

3Q 0:49 UCLA picked up one fourth down on a fake punt but did not atempt to do so a second time. Jacory Barney Jr. calls for a fair catch at the NU35.

3Q 4:33 For the first time in the game, Nebraska's offense does not find the end zone. Archie Wilson's punt goes 33 yards and out at the UCLA10.

Nebraska 28, UCLA 14

3Q 9:58 TOUCHDOWN UCLA

Anthony Woods takes a check down 45 yards for the touchdown.

Nebraska 28, UCLA 7

3Q 11:44 TOUCHDOWN NEBRASKA

TJ Lateef hits Emmett Johnson on a wheel route that Johnson takes to the house for the 40-yard score.

Halftime: Nebraska 21, UCLA 7

Nebraska Athletics Halftime Notes

  • All-America candidate running back Emmett Johnson accounted for 114 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the first half, including 51 rushing yards and 63 receiving yards with both a rushing and receiving touchdown. Johnson’s 56-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter was a career-long for Johnson, bettering a 29-yard TD catch at USC last season.  
  • True freshman quarterback TJ Lateef was 6-of-6 for 119 yards in the first half, including a pair of TD passes in his first five attempts. Lateef’s two TD passes were the second and third TD passes of his freshman season.
  • Sophomore receiver Jacory Barney Jr. opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. It was Barney’s fourth touchdown reception of the season and his first in the past six games.
  • Senior defensive back DeShon Singleton Jr. had eight tackles in the first half. The eight tackles are a season high for Singleton and are two shy of his career high of 10 tackles.
  • Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Williams Nwaneri had a 6-yard sack in the second quarter, giving him a team-leading 2.5 sacks this season.

End 2Q Nebraska runs out the clock.

2Q 0:06 FIELD GOAL MISSED

UCLA drives into field goal range but misses the 49-yarder to the left.

Nebraska 21, UCLA 7

2Q 1:47 TOUCHDOWN NEBRASKA

Emmett Johnson caps off the drive with a 1-yard run.

TWO MINUTE TIMEOUT

2Q 2:00 Nebraska has a 1st and Goal from the UCLA05 upcoming.

2Q 6:18 TURNOVER ON DOWNS

UCLA is stopped on fourth down at the NU40.

Nebraska 14, UCLA 7

2Q 11:01 TOUCHDOWN NEBRASKA

Emmett Johnson takes a screen pass 56 yards for the score.

Nebraska 7, UCLA 7

2Q 13:14 TOUCHDOWN UCLA

The Bruins have the ball for nearly 10 minutes and score a short touchdown after picking up a fourth down inside the NU05.

End 1Q UCLA is driving and has a 2nd and 7 from the NU10 upcoming.

Nebraska 7, UCLA 0

1Q 8:00 TOUCHDOWN NEBRASKA

Nebraska looks smoth driving down the field, capped off by TJ Lateef's touchdown pass to Jacory Barney Jr.

1Q 13:19 UCLA goes three-and-out on the opening drive. Jacory Barney Jr. returns the punt to the NU39.

UCLA receives to begin the game.

Availability reports for Nebraska and UCLA.
Availability reports for Nebraska and UCLA. | Big Ten Conference

Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule

  • Aug. 28 Nebraska 20, Cincinnati 17
  • Sep. 6 Nebraska 68, Akron 0
  • Sep. 13 Nebraska 59, Houston Christian 7
  • Sep. 20 Michigan 30, Nebraska 27
  • Oct. 4 Nebraska 38, Michigan State 27
  • Oct. 11 Nebraska 34, Maryland 31
  • Oct. 17 Minnesota 24, Nebraska 6
  • Oct. 25 vs. Northwestern 11 a.m. FS1
  • Nov. 1 USC 21, Nebraska 17
  • Nov. 8 at UCLA 8 p.m. FOX
  • Nov. 22 at Penn State TBA
  • Nov. 28 (Black Friday) vs. Iowa 11 a.m. CBS

Home games are bolded. All times central.

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Kaleb Henry
KALEB HENRY

Kaleb Henry is an award-winning sports reporter, covering collegiate athletics since 2014 via radio, podcasting, and digital journalism. His experience with Big Ten Conference teams goes back more than a decade, including time covering programs such as the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Oregon Ducks, and USC Trojans. He has contributed to Sports Illustrated since 2021. Kaleb has won multiple awards for his sports coverage from the Nebraska Broadcasters Association and Midwest Broadcast Journalists Association. Prior to working in sports journalism, Kaleb was a Division I athlete on the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Track and Field team where he discussed NCAA legislation as SIUE's representative to the Ohio Valley Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. 

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