PASADENA, Calif. - Saturday night was an opportunity for the UCLA Bruins to get back on track, but an unlikely Cornhusker pushed them off the rails instead in Nebraska's 28-21 victory.
Facing Nebraska was never going to be an easy challenge, but without their star quarterback Dylan Raiola, who is out for the rest of the season after breaking his fibula against USC and undergoing surgery, the Bruins looked to have more of a chance.
Instead of Raiola, the Bruins faced off against true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef, staring down the first start of his collegiate career in the Rose Bowl of all places. If the 20-year-old was daunted, he didn't show it.
True Freshman and True Talent
Instead, Lateef started the game with a perfect 6-6 in completions in the first half, good for 117 yards and two passing touchdowns. The Bruins began to figure him out in the second half, but it was too little too late and Lateef finished the game with 205 yards, three passing touchdowns and an 87% completion percentage.
"For their quarterback to come out here, first start, almost was perfect, you tip your hat to that kid," UCLA head coach Tim Skipper said.
Lateef had played in three games prior to Saturday night's start: two late game appearances in blow outs in September and when he was called on to replace Rainola against USC after his QB1 went down. He completed five of seven passes in that game for a grand total of seven yards.
A Homecoming for Lateef
Playing in the Rose Bowl wasn't special for Lateef just because it was his first college start; it was a chance for him to come home to Southern California for a night.
Lateef was born in Compton, CA and was a four-star standout at Orange Lutheran High School. His California origins even include UCLA's quarterback Nico Iamaleava, a Long Beach, CA native himself.
"TJ [Lateef] is my guy," Iamaleava said. "He's from back over here, from the city. You know, we hang out as lot, him [and] my little brother. We hang out off the field so it was good to see him shine. I kind of didn't want to see him shine tonight but, he did a great job coming into his first start."
A lot of Lateef's success can be attributed to one of his favorite offensive targets as well. Emmett Johnson not only rushed for a game-leading 129 yards, he received for a game-leading 103 yards and brought home three touchdowns between the two methods.
A 40-yard touchdown pass from Lateef to Johnson in the third quarter was particularly game-shaking and gave the Cornhuskers the 28 point lead they needed to take home the win.
"I was just really trying to soak the whole moment up," Lateef said (via KETV). "It was a blessing".