3 questions for Utah football going into Las Vegas Bowl matchup vs. Nebraska

A new era of Utes football is set to begin with a postseason matchup against the Cornhuskers

The Utah Utes face the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 2025 Las Vegas Bowl. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

With everything going on off the field, it'd be easy to forget Utah still has one more game to play before wrapping up the 2025 college football season.

Having dealt with transfer portal news, NFL draft declarations and one swift head coaching change, the Utes (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) can finally get back to business on the field, as they face Nebraska (7-5, 4-5 Big Ten) in the Las Vegas Bowl from Allegiant Stadium on Wednesday.

Here's three burning questions regarding the Utes' game plan and personnel for the New Year's Eve matchup.

What will the start of the Morgan Scalley era look like?

It's easily one of the biggest questions heading into the New Year's Eve matchup: What will the Utes look like without Kyle Whittingham leading the charge as head coach for the first time in two decades?

The expectation is that Morgan Scalley, Utah's defensive coordinator and former All-American, will make the transition seamless. The 46-year-old from Salt Lake City has been on the Utes' coaching staff for almost his whole adult life, starting as a graduate assistant in 2007 and working his way up the food chain from safeties coach to recruiting coordinator, then special teams to defensive coordinator in 2016.

Scalley's understanding of Utah's culture and identity — both of which he's helped curate on the defensive side of the ball over the past decade or so — should help ease the adjustment process.

But as for his first game at the helm — which came sooner than expected with Whittingham's expedited takeover in Michigan — how will Scalley's players respond to their new head coach?

How will opt-outs along the offensive line impact the run game?

Utah's offensive line paved the way for one of the most lethal rushing attacks in college football during the regular season. The Utes averaged 269.8 yards on the ground per game, ranking No. 2 in the Football Bowl Subdivision behind Navy (289.3), and scored 37 rushing touchdowns, fourth-most in the FBS. Heading into its postseason game, Utah was the only FBS team averaging over 6 yards per carry (6.1).

Granted, the Utes had two projected NFL draft picks bookending their offensive line, with Spencer Fano at right tackle and Caleb Lomu at left tackle. Both have declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, leaving Utah to make due without its two best lineman.

According to reports, Keith Olsen and Zereoue Williams will fill in for Fano and Lomu along the offensive line. Olsen, a 6-foot-6 junior, started at right tackle for the Kansas game and has allowed one pressure and one hurry in 64 pass blocking opportunities this season, according toPro Football Focus. Williams, a 6-foot-8 Arizona native, played in all 12 regular season, mainly at left tackle, and recorded 79 total snaps, including 59 on run plays.

So, how will the Utes' ground game fare against a Cornhuskers defense that allowed the third-highest yards per carry average in the Big Ten (4.8) during the regular season? Especially considering Utah's tendency to call outside run plays, it'll be worth monitoring how effective Wayshawn Parker, NaQuari Rogers, Daniel Bray and even quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin are moving the ball on the ground.

Will Utah rattle TJ Lateef?

Utah got after opposing quarterbacks quite frequently in the regular season, with 31 sacks to show for it (third-most in the Big 12). A majority of those quarterback takedowns came courtesy of uniquely-designed blitz packages and coverage schemes that Scalley concocted, along with relentless pressure off the edge by Logan Fano and John Henry-Daley. Those two combined for 16.0 sacks and 25 tackles for loss in the regular season.

How the Utes attempt to get after Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef — a true freshman set to make his fourth career start on Wednesday — won't look entirely the same as the strategies they used for the past three months. Scalley will certainly dial up five- and six-man blitzes. But with Logan declaring for the draft and Daley out due to injury, the Utes won't be able to lean on their top pass rushers to get home on Lateef.

Whether that plays a factor in Lateef and company's ability to move the ball through the air will be worth tracking throughout. Nebraska's O-line wasn't particularly stout in the regular season; the Cornhuskers allowed 30 sacks, fifth-most in the Big Ten, and were about middle of the pack in rushing yards per game (144.7, No. 10 in the league) despite having the Big Ten Running Back of the Year recipient, Emmett Johnson, in their backfield.

And with Johnson declaring for the draft, Utah's spotty run defense won't have to worry about slowing down one of the country's top tailbacks.

As for Lateef, he'll have an opportunity to show Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers coaching staff what he can do against a top-20 pass defense. The last time the 6-foot-1 California native went toe-to-toe with a stingy unit didn't end so well for him and Nebraska. Against Iowa — the No. 6 pass defense in terms of yards allowed (158.2 per game) — Lateef was 9-of-24 through the air for 69 yards in a 40-16 loss for the Cornhuskers.

The Utes' defense won't give Lateef many freebies, either. Utah was No. 17 in the FBS in pass yards allowed per game (177.5) and was No. 2 in the Big 12 defensive efficiency rating against the pass (101.5). In fact, only four teams completed more than 50% of their pass attempts against Utah in the regular season, including the No. 5 seed in the College Football Playoff, Texas Tech.