PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — TJ Lateef was 13 for 15 for 205 yards and three touchdown passes in his first collegiate start, Emmett Johnson went over 100 yards rushing and receiving, and Nebraska defeated UCLA 28-21 on Saturday night for its first win in Pasadena since 1993.

Playing at the Rose Bowl 25 miles from his hometown of Compton, Lateef took over from Dylan Raiola, who is out for the rest of the season with a lower right leg injury he sustained in a 21-17 loss to Southern California last week. Lateef played the final four possessions against the Trojans.

As the first true freshman to start for Nebraska since 1950, Lateef directed the Cornhuskers (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) to scores on their first four possessions for a 27-7 lead.

“I was just really trying to soak the whole moment up,” Lateef said. “It was a blessing.”

Jacory Barney Jr. caught Lateef's 2-yard pass on the right side pylon, which bent over, for Nebraska's first TD after a video review. Lateef hit Johnson with a pass at the Nebraska 41 and Johnson rumbled 56 yards down the left sideline past his own bench for the score. Johnson's 1-yard TD run capped the Cornhuskers' scoring in the first half.

“Emmett is just an absolute weapon,” Huskers coach Matt Rhule said.

Nebraska extended its lead to 28-7 to open the third on Johnson's 40-yard TD catch from Lateef. Chants of “Go Big Red!” filled the Rose Bowl from red-clad fans who packed the historic stadium's east stands. They also shouted out Lateef's name.

“It was cool, man,” he said.

Lateef was 10 for 10 for 173 yards going into the fourth.

Already the first 1,000-yard rusher at Nebraska since 2018, Johnson had 28 carries for 129 yards and ran for one TD. He had three catches for 103 yards and two TDs.

“Most of our game plan was to stop 21 (Johnson),” UCLA interim coach Tim Skipper said. “He's a special, special player.”

After a bye week, the Bruins (3-6, 3-3) were trying to bounce back from a 56-6 drubbing at No. 2 Indiana that ended their three-game winning streak.

Their only score in the first half was Jalen Berger's 1-yard run on a direct snap that tied the game 7-7. Mateen Bhaghani missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt wide left just before halftime.

Nico Iamaleava hit Anthony Woods with a 45-yard TD pass that left UCLA trailing 28-14 in the third. The Bruins closed to 28-21 on Iamaleava’s 9-yard scoring pass to Anthony Frias II with 4:54 remaining in the game on a drive that began at their 3-yard line.

Iamaleava was 17 for 25 for 191 yards and two touchdowns. He was the team's leading rusher with 15 carries for 86 yards.

“Nico was fantastic. Just an absolute warrior,” Rhule said. “On that first drive, we hit him so many times I didn’t know how long he could do that and he did it all night. I have a lot of respect for him.”

Fake punt

The Bruins got gutsy with a fake punt on their own 19-yard line on their final possession in the third. After a timeout, 260-pound defensive lineman Jacob Busic carried the ball two yards to get a first down. But the Bruins were penalized for a false start and Iamaleava's pass was broken up by DeShon Singleton, forcing them to punt.

The takeaway

Nebraska: The Huskers were already bowl eligible and Lateef's cool-headed performance paired with Johnson's exploits bolsters their hopes of landing in a top-tier bowl with two games remaining.

UCLA: The Bruins have their toughest stretch ahead of them, with three ranked opponents to close the regular season. They'll visit No. 1 Ohio State, host No. 24 Washington and visit No. 20 USC.

Up next

Nebraska has a bye week before visiting Penn State (0-6 Big Ten) on Nov. 22 in Rhule's return to his alma mater.

UCLA visits No. 1 Ohio State next Saturday.

Nebraska QB TJ Lateef comes home to beat UCLA in his first college start at the Rose Bowl

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef walked into the Rose Bowl like he owned the place, and by the time his first college start was over, he did.

Lateef was 13 for 15 for 205 yards and three touchdowns in place of injured Dylan Raiola as the Cornhuskers beat UCLA 28-21 on Saturday night. He also had 31 rushing yards.

“Super proud of him,” running back Emmett Johnson said. “I'm excited for his future.”

Playing 25 miles from his hometown of Compton, Lateef was cheered on by family and friends as well as red-clad Husker fans who dominated the crowd of 44,481 and chanted his name.

“I had to turn the city up,” a smiling Lateef said.

As the first true freshman to start for Nebraska since 1950, Lateef directed the Cornhuskers (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) to scores on their first four possessions for a 27-7 lead. He kept his poise throughout, with his only two incompletions coming in the fourth quarter.

“Just had a what’s next mentality, just breathing, taking it one snap at a time and trying to execute to the best of my ability,” Lateef said.

Raiola is out for the season with a lower leg injury, but he sent Lateef back home with a lot of confidence.

“What Dylan has done for TJ, embracing him, bringing him in the fold," Huskers coach Matt Rhule said, "pushed TJ to this point where he was more than ready for this moment.”

Coming out of Orange Lutheran High, a private Christian school in Orange County, Lateef made a couple casual recruiting visits to UCLA. But he was impressed by the coaching staff and fan base at Nebraska.

“For their quarterback to come out here, first start, and almost was perfect, you tip your hat to that kid,” Bruins interim coach Tim Skipper said.

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who's from Long Beach, said he and younger brother Madden spend time with Lateef.

“TJ's my guy,” Iamaleava said. “It was good seeing him shine. I kind of didn't want to see him shine, but he did a great job going into his first start.”

The Huskers didn't change their offense to accommodate Lateef's first start. He made his own read on the first play of the game and at other times he called play-action passes.

“I don’t believe you give people confidence. They earn it and they deserve it,” said Rhule, who reminded Lateef beforehand that he isn't a dual threat, but a triple threat.

“You’ve got an arm, you’ve got feet and a brain,” he told the 19-year-old. “He made the right checks, the right plays, he was really professional.”

Johnson elevated his own play to back up Lateef, piling up 232 all-purpose yards along with three TDs.

“He was already super, super focused, but I told him just take it one play at a time, just play football,” Johnson said. “The first play, I was really excited. The team thought I was going to get the ball the whole game so when he pulled it and ran, I was like, ‘OK, he’s locked in.’”

The Huskers were already bowl eligible and Lateef’s cool-headed performance paired with Johnson’s exploits bolstered their hopes of landing in a top-tier bowl with two games remaining in the regular season.

“They got confidence in me, I got confidence in them,” Lateef said. “That’s how we’re going to continue to be great.”