The injury situation at quarterback has drawn heavy attention since Nebraska’s 21-17 loss Saturday night to the USC Trojans, but the Huskers also are hurting on the offensive line. Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen had some encouraging news Tuesday on that front.
Speaking to reporters after practice, Holgorsen said left tackle Elijah Pritchett practiced Tuesday — “so that’s good.” Pritchett left the USC game with an ankle injury during the Huskers’ first offensive series after quarterback Dylan Raiola suffered a season-ending broken fibula.
It amounted to a one-two gut punch in the third quarter that did nothing to help the Huskers’ chances to complete an upset of the 23rd-ranked Trojans. On Monday, it got worse when it was announced that Gunnar Gottula, who started the first seven games at offensive tackle but sat out the last two, was done for the season due to a knee injury.
Now the Huskers are preparing for a West Coast trip to face the UCLA Bruins. TJ Lateef will be taking the snaps in place of Raiola, and sketchy offensive line play is the last thing the true freshman will need under the lights in the Rose Bowl.
“Everyone else needs to elevate now,” Holgorsen said. “Including me.”
As for Lateef, who will be making his first career start scarcely 25 miles from his hometown of Compton, Holgorsen remarked: “If he can step into that game Saturday night and not blink, then he will be just fine.”
“My message to TJ is ‘Just be yourself, just play your game.'”
It would seem a safe bet that another heavy dose of Husker running back Emmett Johnson is in store against the Bruins. The Huskers’ junior workhorse had 29 carries against USC and 28 the previous week against Northwestern, and he has more rushing yards — 1,002 — than any other Power Four conference back.
“I don’t know how I could feed him any more,” Holgorsen said. “I love what that kid’s doing. He’s turning himself into one of the best backs in the country.”
Holgorsen doesn’t see a team that’s down in the dumps after its latest close-but-no-cigar flirtation with a win over a ranked team. “Our players are pissed off, motivated and ready to play,” he said. And they’re solidly behind their new QB: “Our team is going to rally around him, I know that.”
Also speaking Tuesday were defensive coordinator John Butler and a number of players. The Huskers’ pass defense was extraordinarily effective in the loss to USC, and Butler credited his players for doing a good job of disguising their coverage schemes before the snap.
The Huskers were far less effective in stopping the Trojans’ ground game, including quarterback keepers by a QB not known for his running prowess. Next up for the Blackshirts is a true dual-threat quarterback in UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava, and Butler said it’s a “constant cat-and-mouse game” to apply a pass rush without allowing a mobile QB to take off running.
See the full press conference below, and scroll down for more coverage.
Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule
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