Utah vs. Nebraska by the numbers

The stage is just about set for Utah and Nebraska to square off in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Final preparations for the New Year's Eve showdown are underway for both the Utes (10-2, 7-2 Big 12) and Cornhuskers (7-5, 4-5 Big Ten), with just over a week left until they meet at Allegiant Stadium in what will be Kyle Whittingham's final game as Utah's head coach.

Here's a look at some key stats and numbers to know going into kickoff.

5: Consecutive bowl game losses by Utah

Whittingham will have an opportunity to tie Clemson's Dabo Swinney for the most bowl game wins among active Football Bowl Subdivision coaches (12) when he takes the sidelines for his 18th bowl game as the Utes head coach on Dec. 31.

But for all the postseason success Utah has enjoyed over the past two decades, it's been a while since the program came out on top in a bowl game. In fact, most of the players on the current roster were just teenagers the last time the Utes won a bowl game — a 30-14 win over West Virginia in the 2017 Heart of Dallas Bowl.

Since then, Utah has lost five consecutive bowl games:

2023 Las Vegas Bowl: Northwestern 14, Utah 7
2023 Rose Bowl: Penn State 35, Utah 21
2022 Rose Bowl: Ohio State 48, Utah 45
2019 Alamo Bowl: Texas 38, Utah 10
2018 Holiday Bowl: Northwestern 31, Utah 20

Prior to 2018, the Utes had won 14 of 15 bowl game appearances between 1999 and 2017, and had only lost consecutive bowl games once before in program history (1992-1993).

Of course, the players on the 2025 team can't take the fall for what happened in the past. But given it'll be Whittingham's last bowl game at the helm, the Utes have extra motivation to send their long-time head coach off with a victory.

3: Career starts for Nebraska QB TJ Lateef

Nebraska has turned the keys of the offense over to true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef in wake of Dylan Raiola's season-ending injury he sustained against USC in November.

With Raiola reportedly set to enter the transfer portal, the Las Vegas Bowl will provide Lateef another 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 its pass attempts against Utah in the regular season, including the No. 5 seed in the College Football Playoff, Texas Tech.

Lateef won't be able to lean on star running back Emmett Johnson, either, as the Big Ten's leading rusher has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft and won't play in the Las Vegas Bowl. Johnson's presence would've been a big boost for Nebraska considering Utah's struggles defending the run over its last few regular season games.

3: Opt-outs for Utah

Johnson isn't the only notable Las Vegas Bowl opt-out — a few NFL-bound Utes have gotten a head start on their draft preparation as well:

RT Spencer Fano (NFL draft)
LT Caleb Lomu (NFL draft)
DE Logan Fano (NFL draft)

Utah's personnel for its bowl game won't look the same as it did for its 12-game regular season slate. The offensive line, especially, will feature some different faces with bothSpencer Fano and Caleb Lomu opting out while declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.

It'll be interesting to monitor how the Utes — who averaged the second-most rushing yards per game (269.8) in the Football Bowl Subdivision in the regular season — function without their two best offensive linemen bookending their front line against a Cornhuskers defense that allowed the third-highest yards per carry average in the Big Ten (4.8).

Likewise, Utah's ability to put pressure on Lateef without its top two edge rushers will be worth tracking. In addition to Logan Fano, the Utes will be without John Henry Daley for a second straight game after he suffered a season-ending injury against Kansas State on Nov. 22. Daley led the country in tackles for loss (17.5) and was tied for No. 2 in sacks (11.5) going into the final week of the regular season.

Here's a look at where Utah and Nebraska rank nationally in other key stats heading into Saturday:

Strength of record ranking

Utah: No. 15 (Big 12 rank: No. 3)
Nebraska: No. 43 (Big 10 rank: No. 10)

Offensive efficiency

Utah: 83.8 (No. 8; No. 1 in Big 12)
Nebraska: 54.9 (No. 56; No. 11 in Big Ten)

Defensive efficiency

Utah: 73.7 (No. 22; No. 3 in Big 12)
Nebraska: 52.9 (No. 65; No. 13 in Big Ten)

Special teams efficiency

Nebraska: 64.4 (No. 11; No. 3 in Big Ten)
Utah: 48.5 (No. 85; No. 11 in Big 12)

Overall efficiency

Utah: 84.3 (No. 9; No. 2 in Big 12)
Nebraska: 57.8 (No. 57; No. 10 in Big Ten)

Third down conversion rate

Utah: 52.8% (No. 4; No. 1 in Big 12)
Nebraska: 45.2% (No. 31; No. 7 in Big Ten)

Third down conversion defense

Utah: 33.1% (No. 19; No. 2 in Big 12)
Nebraska: 38.3% (No. 58; No. 7 in Big Ten)

Scoring rate in red zone

Utah: 90.4% (No. 28; No. 4 in Big 12)
Nebraska: 84.3% (No. 70; No. 12 in Big Ten)

Red zone defense

Utah: 79.3% (No. 33; No. 4 in Big 12)
Nebraska: 96.8% (No. 133; No. 18 in Big Ten)

Turnover margin

Utah: +5 (No. 34; No. 5 in Big 12)
Nebraska: +3 (No. 47; No. 9 in Big Ten)