The Fallout: What Nebraska’s win over UCLA means long-term, plus more

It would be easy to overreact to the Nebraska football win over UCLA on Saturday night. TJ Lateef was stellar in his debut as a starting quarterback.

Lateef didn’t just manage the game. He was one of the reasons the Huskers scored on their first four drives and led UCLA 28-7 at one point on Saturday in the 28-21 win.

The running game was outstanding, thanks to Emmett Johnson. Yet, Lateef had more touchdown passes than incompletions. He threw for 205 yards and also ran five times for 31 yards. Matt Rhule called him a “triple threat” because he’s a weapon with his arm, legs, and his mind.

Lateef was making quick decisions. He was also accurate with the fooball, and never came close to a turnover. He looked as good as any freshman quarterback I’ve seen this season, which includes Bryce Underwood.

One Nebraska football beat writer previously said his comparison was to CJ Stroud.  You could see some of that on Saturday night. UCLA’s defense had to play differently against Lateef. The offensive line didn’t allow a sack. Outside of the Minnesota game, the Huskers have allowed one sack or less in four of five games.

The defensive line also got home three times. Keona Davis had a sack, five solo tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup in his best game as a Nebraska football player. Williams Nwaneri had a sack. He continues to look like a future NFL prospect with a high ceiling.

UCLA nearly came back to win. However, this was still one of Nebraska’s most complete games in a long time. The Bruins had won three of four games, too. The Huskers were also playing on the West Coast, late, with a true freshman quarterback.

It would be easy to overreact. We need to see what Lateef can do against Penn State and Iowa. But, if, and it’s a big if, he’s able to replicate this performance, and Nebraska wins out, how do you not at least make the quarterback job an open competition?

A truly open competition between Dylan Raiola and Lateef.  Is that even possible in this era? There is no spring portal window, so would both quarterbacks stick around?

It was one game. It’s too early for anything definitive. But things could get really interesting if Nebraska football wins the next two games and Lateef plays well in the process.

Nebraska volleyball stays unbeaten

The Huskers continued their consecutive set streak, which is now at 47 after wins over Illinois and Minnesota. Nebraska volleyball has 15 sweeps in a row. Three players — Harper Murray, Andi Jackson, and Bergen Reilly — were named semifinalists for the National Player of the Year award.

The magic number to clinch the Big Ten championship outright is five. Five wins would eliminate Purdue from title contention. Four wins would knock out Wisconsin. The Huskers are 24-0 and 14-0 in the Big Ten.

Solid week for Nebraska basketball

Both Nebraska basketball teams started the season 2-0. The Huskers started a little sluggishly against West Georgia, but didn’t have the same issue against FIU, a team ranked much higher in the KenPom rankings. Rienk Mast had a triple-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. Mast was 8-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

So far, Mast has been better than ever. He certainly looks like the All-Big Ten Player we saw back in 2023-24. Pryce Sandfort made six triples on nine attempts for 20 points. Braden Frager added 15 off the bench. He went 3 of 5 from 3-point range, while Connor Essegian added 13.

Britt Prince had 23 points (3 triples) in Nebraska women’s basketball’s 80-46 win over Samford to improve to 2-0 on Saturday. Jessica Petrie pitched in with 20 points and five rebounds. Creighton is up next on Wednesday. The Nebraska men’s team will face its first test on Saturday against Oklahoma.

Nebraska wrestling also earned a top-25 win last week against Army. 

Another recruiting win for Fred Hoiberg

Last but not least, Fred Hoiberg landed his second four-star recruit in the 2026 class with the commitment of Jacob Lanier on Sunday. The four-star guard from Arkansas is ranked 90th overall, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.

Lanier is 6-foot-5, and 3-point shooting is probably his best trait. He’s a deadly spot-up shooter. Lanier has some skills as a secondary playmaker, but he feels like the exact kind of player Hoiberg wants for a two guard in his offense, especially since he’s a quality defender.

Nebraska’s 2026 class ranks 29th in college basketball. Hoiberg has added two top-100 prospects now, with 6-foot-7 wing Colin Rice (77th overall) being the other.

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