Nebraska Leads No. 15 Utah Utes in the First Quarter at the Las Vegas Bowl, 7-0

Bowl season continues Wednesday with a battle between the Big Ten Conference and the Big 12 Conference.

Nebraska is taking on No. 15 Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl. The game is being televised on ESPN. Follow along for updates.

Most recent updates at the top.

Nebraska 7, Utah 0

1Q 11:08 TOUCHDOWN NEBRASKA

Mekhi Nelson takes off for a 38-yard touchdown run to get the Huskers on the board.

Nebraska receives the opening kickoff, with Jacory Barney Jr. taking it out to the NU18.

#Huskers availability report for the Las Vegas Bowl vs. No. 15 Utah. pic.twitter.com/jgufBhj8F0
— Kaleb Henry (@iKalebHenry) December 31, 2025

Key Storylines

The Morgan Scalley Era Officially Begins

After 21 seasons and 18 bowl games, it was a messy end to the tenure of Kyle Whittingham, the former Utah head coach who was tied for the second-longest tenured head coach in the FBS. After going back and forth over the last few seasons about retiring, pressure started to mount for a decision so the Utes wouldn't lose their head coach in waiting — defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley. The patience finally ran out after the 2025 regular season, with Whittingham moving up to take the Michigan head coaching job, with Scalley filling in.

In what has been a roller coaster of emotions in the last few days, Utah will be tested without many of its top players, and the looming questions of which staff members will follow Whittingham to Ann Arbor or stick around with Scalley. However, with Scalley having been on staff for nearly as long as Whittingham, the transition should go pretty smoothly, but the past couple of days have been the most chaotic around the Utes in nearly 20 years. It'll be curious to see how much, if any, the changes have on their performance on New Year's Eve.

The Opt-Out Factor

In what has become a trend over the past few seasons, likely NFL draft picks have opted out of bowl games to avoid injury, and that's no exception for both Utah and Nebraska.

The Utes have definitely suffered more as they'll play without their two All-American caliber tackles in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu. Joining them is Logan Fano, another NFL pick who was second team All-Big 12 and the leader of the defensive line after the injury of All-American John Henry Daley (17.5 TFL, 11.5 sacks).

The Huskers won't have veteran Rocco Spindler at guard in Vegas, as he'll take the time to heal up before the draft in April. The same goes for Oklahoma transfer and linebacker Dasan McCullough. However, the biggest is All-American running back Emmett Johnson, who was granted the blessing of head coach Matt Rhule to sit out and prepare for his pro career after a brilliant junior campaign in Lincoln that saw him rush for over 1,400 yards.

Allbeit, Utah has more depth to offset their opt-outs, but they're massive nonetheless. The Utes were a scary matchup for the Huskers due to the play up front, but the departures of the two Fanos and Lomu could push this game closer than the double-digit spread suggests.

How can Nebraska move the ball?

Aside from a spike against UCLA, the offense under newly crowned starting quarterback TJ Lateef didn't spark any hope. Johnson essentially acted as the entire offense, but even the All-American could only do so much. Now, with Johnson moving on to prepare for the pros, pressure will be on the true freshman to not only make Nebraska competitive against a good Utah team but also ignite his offseason campaign to be the Huskers' starting signal caller in 2026.

Recovering from a hamstring injury that limited his form against Iowa in the regular season finale, Lateef will have had two weeks with offensive coordinator Dana Holgorson to find a style and rhythm that fits with the California native.

Isaiah Mozee and Mehki Nelson will split carries as the primary back, but I'd imagine that Nyziah Hunter and Jacory Barney Jr. will be more involved in the gameplan with their vertical speed. Luke Lindenmeyer will continue to be a safety blanket, but I wouldn't count on NU leaning into the run as they did with Johnson.

Keeping reads simple and providing Lateef with opportunities to use his legs will be the keys to success for Nebraska, who use this game as another data point in the decision to either grab a bona fide starter in the portal, who collects a depth piece to compete with Lateef next spring and fall.

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 Nebraska 28, Northwestern 21
Nov. 1 USC 21, Nebraska 17
Nov. 8 Nebraska 28, UCLA 21
Nov. 22 at Penn State 37, Nebraska 10
Nov. 28 Iowa 40, Nebraska 16
Dec. 31 vs. Utah (Las Vegas Bowl) 2:30 p.m. ESPN

Home games are bolded. All times central.

Have a question or comment for Kaleb? Send an email to kalebhenry.huskermax@gmail.com.

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