Emmett Johnson caught touchdown passes of 56 and 40 yards, rushed for a score and totaled 232 yards of offense as Nebraska held off host UCLA 28-21 on Saturday in Pasadena, Calif.
With Dylan Raiola sidelined for the season after breaking his fibula last week vs. Southern California, TJ Lateef made his first career start at quarterback for Nebraska (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten Conference). Lateef, a native of Compton, Calif., quickly found a reliable target in Johnson, throwing three of his first eight completions to the running back.
Two of those went for touchdowns, the first a 56-yarder that was all Johnson.
Johnson took a short catch near the line of scrimmage and broke tackles on the way to the end zone for the first of three unanswered Cornhuskers touchdowns — and all by Johnson.
He capped a nine-play, 60-yard drive just before halftime with a goal-line carry, then helped Nebraska open a 28-7 lead early in the third quarter when he hauled in a 40-yard toss from Lateef on a wheel route.
The two scoring receptions comprised the majority of Johnson’s 103 yards on three receptions. He carried for another 129 yards on 28 attempts, marking his third consecutive game with at least 124 yards.
Lateef did not throw an incompletion until the early fourth quarter, finishing the night 13 of 15 for 205 yards and three TDs. He added 31 yards on six carries.
UCLA (3-6, 2-3) rallied late, cutting into the 21-point deficit midway through the third quarter when Nico Iamaleava connected with Anthony Woods on a 45-yard touchdown.
The Bruins then pulled to within a one-score margin in the fourth quarter when Iamaleava found Anthony Frias II for a 9-yard touchdown, capping a 12-play, 96-yard drive.
Iamaleava finished 17-of-25 passing for 191 yards and two TDs, and he led UCLA with 86 yards on 15 carries.
UCLA’s fourth-quarter touchdown consumed 6:39 of clock, affording the Bruins little time to regain possession for a potential game-tying drive. Nebraska methodically closed out the win with Johnson and Lateef each peppering the UCLA defense with chunks of yardage gained on carries.
The Cornhuskers converted three first downs before being forced into a third down on the final drive, effectively ending the contest and sending the Bruins — previously winners in three straight — to their second consecutive loss.
