Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule gave an endorsement for junior running back Emmett Johnson to be in New York come December.
Nebraska beat the UCLA Bruins 28-21 with outstanding performances from a new starting quarterback in freshman TJ Lateef and Johnson. In Saturday’s contest, Johnson had a career day, toting the rock for 129 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries while adding 103 receiving yards and two more touchdowns, racking up 232 total yards from scrimmage. He became the first Husker running back to have over 100 rushing and receiving yards in a single game.
“I personally believe Emmett Johnson should be a Heisman candidate,” Rhule said Monday afternoon. “I think he should be a Doak Walker finalist, if not winner, and I think what he’s doing is fantastic. I hope people appreciate seeing him. He’s a first-team All-American.”
Johnson has had an impressive season, rushing for 1,131 yards while adding 300 yards on 36 receptions, totaling 1,131 all-purpose yards and 14 touchdowns. His rushing yardage total ranks second in the country and his average fifth.
“Emmett will have a lot of decisions to make,” Rhule said. “Does he want to go play in the NFL? If Emmett decided to come back, he obviously would be a preseason All-American, he’d be on all the watch lists. I’m not so sure he shouldn’t go play in the NFL, right? I think he’s going to be a great pro player.”
Nebraska quarterback TJ Lateef made his first career start playing in his home state. The freshman went 13-of-15 for 205 yards and three touchdowns, while adding five carries for 31 yards. He led the Big Red on four consecutive scoring drives to begin the game, with his first incompletion not coming until the second half.
“I thought he went out and he was masterful,” Rhule said of Lateef’s performance. “He did a great job, and I think the team really responded to him and had his back. He brought joy and energy, and it was a lot of fun to see him doing what he was doing.”
Now, the Huskers are heading into their idle week winning three road games for the first time since 2014. However, they aren’t just focusing on their next game against Penn State on Nov. 22.
“I told our staff today, ‘We have a month of football left,” Rhule said. “Not two games, we have a month of football left. You better take this week to coach your guys at the highest level possible.”
Rhule signed an extension on Oct. 30, tying him to the Huskers through the 2032 season. At 7-3 through 10 games with a second-consecutive winning season secured (the first time since the 2013 and 2-14 seasons), he has the chance to keep building and developing the team that he envisions — from both a staff and a roster standpoint.
“You don’t want to have to change over your staff every year, because then you have this, right?” Rhule said. “I think rosters will change over every year. This will be the first year we can do whatever, we have the money now. I can’t complain anymore. We got what we need, so this is the first time where I have, but I want to keep the coaching staff. I want the coaches to stay, because I think that breeds consistency.”
The transfer portal and revenue sharing are big topics of discussion, with Nebraska now having more resources to participate.
“I think we did well in the portal last year,” Rhule said. “I think we won the portal last year. We can now go get anybody we want. At the same time, we also have the ability to keep our guys now, right? Guys don’t have to be embarrassed about ‘Hey coach, these people are offering me this.’ So, I think we can now be the best of the best. So to answer your question, I want to put the best players in the country in this room, and not have to worry about hey, can I afford to do it now? Some people might still have more than us, but we’ve got a lot.”
Rhule said that he plans on getting out and doing some recruiting during Nebraska’s idle week. He had one message about Nebraska for potential recruits, and players entering the portal.
“If you like atmosphere, and you like crowd, if you like being followed, come be a part of Husker nation,” Rhule said. “We’ve got something that not many people have.”
For now, Nebraska will focus on getting healthy while doing some light lifting before starting preparation for its game against Penn State.
