Peterson: TJ Lateef's Coming-Out Party Outshines Emmett Johnson's Career Night

You could tell something was different on the first drive.

You could tell something was different on the first snap.

On the first offensive play of the night in Nebraska’s 28-21 win over UCLA, TJ Lateef put the ball in Emmett Johnson’s belly before pulling it back and keeping it for himself and gaining 14 yards and moving the chains. Within one play, the UCLA defense officially knew that this was indeed going to be a different offense than the one that had been on tape over the previous nine games.

Eight plays later, Nebraska was in the endzone and up 7-0 on UCLA.

On the first play of the game, TJ Lateef picked up a first down. Moving forward, the Bruins knew they'd have to account for QB run game. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

This wasn’t the first time this season Nebraska scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game. In fact, they had done so in each of the last two games against USC and Northwestern.

However, Nebraska did score another touchdown on their second drive – something they hadn’t done all season – before tacking on another on their final full drive of the first half. The only reason they didn’t score on the final drive of the first half was because they didn’t really have a chance to; they took a knee from their own 31-yard line with six seconds left and went into the break up 21-7.

The reaction to what we were all seeing was of pure giddiness.

On the first drive of the second half, it was more of the same. The Husker offense went right down the field, covering 75 yards in six plays, Johnson and Lateef trading rushing attempts, before Emmett Johnson eventually hauled in his second touchdown reception of the evening. It was 28-7, not even five minutes in the third quarter.

What were we watching?

That was the last time Nebraska would score against the Bruins. Their next two drives gained more than 50 combined yards, but ended in UCLA territory, and both ended in punts; one pinned the Bruins at the ten, the other all the way down at the four. And with less than five minutes left in the game, the offense picked up three first downs, with one coming on a 17-yard pass, before icing the game with three kneel downs.

Nebraska held on to win 28-21, moving to 7-3 on the season – their best record through ten games since starting 8-2 in 2016 – and picking up another one-score win in the process.

Emmett Johnson finished with 232 yards from scrimmage, scoring three of Nebraska’s four touchdowns. His 1431 combined rushing and receiving yards rank him first in the country. His 1131 rushing yards are the second-most in the sport. His 14 total touchdowns are tied for fourth. For the third straight game, and fourth in the last five, his performance had those around the program asking, “Did he just play his best game in a Nebraska uniform?” It was an unequivocal, without-a-doubt “yes” of an answer on Saturday night.

But come on, the story of the night was TJ Lateef.

I’m guessing you know the old adage; the backup quarterback is the most popular player on campus.

Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef scrambles for a 9-yard gain against Akron. — TJ Lateef shined in non-conference games against Akron and Houston Christian, leading some to push for the freshman QB to see more playing time. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The 2025 Cornhusker football team has not been immune to the cries for the backup quarterback, in this case, TJ Lateef, going back to his week two and three performances vs. Akron and Houston Christian. It wasn’t just that he went a combined 11-of-12 for 254 yards and a touchdown. It wasn’t even his combined 32 yards on five carries, adding a couple more scores to the ledger.

It was how he looked; it’s that he was mobile. He could move. He was different.

Through the ups and downs of the Big Ten season, the murmurs to see what Lateef could do against tougher competition only grew louder. Especially as Dylan Raiola took seven sacks against Michigan, five against Michigan State, and an otherworldly nine against Minnesota.

And through it all, I thought the notion of putting in Lateef was pretty ridiculous. You’re going to say the wins against Akron and Houston Christian didn’t mean much, while also pining for the QB that had good games against… Akron and Houston Christian? You want the more mobile guy, even though he’d still have to play behind that offensive line?

If there was one silver lining of the Raiola injury against USC, it’s that a large portion of the fanbase was going to get their wish. Not only that, the runway looked kind of nice; one of the most unhostile environments in college football against UCLA before things ramped up with a tough road game (on paper) at the underachieving Penn State Nittany Lions, before a Black Friday home game against the torture device that is Iowa.

At the very least, we’d learn a whole heck of a lot about Nebraska’s backup quarterback situation.

And learn we did.

In his first career start, TJ Lateef completed his first 11 passes. He finished the night going 13-of-15 for 205 yards – 86.7% - with three touchdowns. He added another 31 yards on five carries on the ground. On a night with just eight* possessions, the Nebraska offense picked up 70% of available yards.

*In all reality, they had seven drives. The final drive of the first half lasted a single play as Nebraska knelt down.

With a mobile quarterback next to him, Emmett Johnson had his finest day as a Husker. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

But the numbers don’t really tell the full story, do they? It’s the way things looked for the offense; the ease with which they moved down the field. The holes that were opened up for Emmett Johnson. The way Lateef moved in and out of the pocket, avoiding pressure, and throwing on the run.

It would be incredibly silly to make any grand proclamations after this game. As much as I want to come down on one side or the other – TJ Lateef should be the guy moving forward! No way, Dylan Raiola is a five-star with 21 starts under his belt! It was one game! – it was a matchup against an admittedly very bad UCLA defense.

That said, it’s impossible to argue against the way things looked; that a mobile quarterback, especially in the college game, doesn’t change the math in a way that makes things very difficult to defend. Especially on a night when the quarterback spins it like Lateef did. Nebraska’s success rate* when passing on Saturday night hit an otherworldly 73%. They came into the game averaging a 43.8% passing success rate in Big Ten play.

*Success rate is a measurement of how often an offense is picking up 50% of the yards needed on first down, 70% of the yards needed on second down, and 100% on third and fourth down. Another way of describing it is whether the team is staying ahead of the chains or not.

For just the third time all season – and first time against a Power Four opponent – Nebraska didn’t allow a single sack. The obvious caveat here is that UCLA is literally the worst team in the country at getting home; with just six sacks in 2025, the Bruins rank 136 out of 136 teams in total sacks. But that makes just two sacks allowed in the three games since Minnesota got home nine times. And with a more mobile QB for the final two games, against Penn State and Iowa teams that are both tied for 78th in the country in sacks per game, you figure it’s possible that number might remain low the rest of the year.

TJ Lateef completed his first 11 passes and finished the night going 13-of-15 with 205 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Lateef only carried the ball five times, which means after the opening play of the game, he only carried it four times. Yet, how much did that one rush change how UCLA defended him – and thus, Nebraska’s entire offense – all game long? Emmett Johnson had his finest day as a Husker. The passing game looked easier than it had in weeks. Think of all the green space Johnson and the receivers had on many of their 13 receptions. The field looked more wide open throughout.

The best part of all this? The questions we have about Nebraska’s offense will absolutely be answered – positively or negatively – in the weeks to come. If UCLA’s defense is a 100-level for a first-time quarterback, Penn State is a step up to the 200-level before a matchup with Iowa is a graduate-level course. The Bruins’ EPA per play on defense ranks 100th in the country. For the Nittany Lions, it’s 52nd. For Iowa, it’s fourth.

The math of a running quarterback won’t change against Penn State and Iowa. The level of opposition will. I’d be stunned if Lateef is as efficient as he was on Saturday night against UCLA. 13.7 yards per attempt is close to four yards better than the nation’s leader, CJ Carr. Both of his incompletions hit the hands of his targets, with the second and final missed pass being entirely on the wide receiver. Nebraska didn’t come close to turning the ball over and the offensive line protected Lateef with relative ease all night long.

It won’t ever look that easy again.

Matt Rhule's 2025 group moved to 7-3 on the season, Nebraska's best record after ten games since the 8-2 start in 2016. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

At the very least, things just got a whole lot more interesting around here. Nebraska is guaranteed a second-straight season with a winning record, a first since 2013 and 2014. Nebraska could finish with seven, eight, nine, or even ten wins by the time its bowl game is in the rear-view mirror. The vibes of this offseason will be shaped by the final two games of the regular season, before a bowl game at the end of December.

And there's big potential for those vibes to be high. I didn't see that coming before the UCLA game. Just like I didn't see that night coming for Nebraska’s true freshman quarterback.

Those calling for TJ Lateef – The Teefies – might have been on to something.

Agree or disagree, if you have a comment for Josh, send him an email: joshpeterson.huskermax@gmail.com

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