Nebraska football’s Emmett Johnson, TJ Lateef earn Big Ten honors
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska football’s Emmett Johnson and TJ Lateef were both honored by the Big Ten Conference following Saturday’s win over UCLA.
In a press release on Monday, the conference named Johnson the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and Lateef the co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week.
In addition, Lateef was also one of eight quarterbacks named by the Manning Award as its “Stars of the Week.”
This is the first Big Ten honor for both Johnson and Lateef.
On Saturday, Johnson racked up a career-high 232 yards from scrimmage.
32 Touches
232 Total Yards
3 TDAmerica, meet Emmett Johnson. pic.twitter.com/DqrIQTpSXx
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) November 9, 2025
The junior from Minneapolis had 129 rushing yards and a career-high 103 receiving yards on three receptions.
Johnson is the first running back in school history to have more than 100 rushing and receiving yards in the same game.
He tallied three touchdowns in the game, including receiving touchdowns of 56 and 50 yards, matching a school single-game record for touchdown receptions by a running back.
Johnson became the first player in the Big Ten in at least 30 years to have more than 125 rushing yards, more than 100 receiving yards, a rushing touchdown and two receiving touchdowns in the same game.
Johnson is the first Husker to earn the offensive player of the week award since Anthony Grant in 2022.
Lateef was nearly perfect in his first start as a Husker, returning to his hometown to guide Nebraska to its first win at UCLA since 1992.
Stepped up and showed out. pic.twitter.com/VvO6FNCzGY
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) November 9, 2025
He completed 13-of-15 passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns, as he completed his first 11 passes of the game.
The Compton, California, native also rushed five times for 31 yards.
Lateef, who is just the fifth true freshman to start at quarterback at Nebraska since 1950, is believed to be the first true freshman in FBS since at least 1995 to have a game with a minimum of 15 passing attempts and less than two incompletions, 200+yards passing, three or more passing touchdowns and 30 or more rushing yards.
The last Husker to win the freshman of the week award was Jacory Barney Jr. in the previous season.
With today’s honors, Nebraska is now just one of three programs in the conference to have players earn each of the weekly awards.
DeShon Singleton won the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award following his breakout performance against Michigan State.
Kenneth Williams won the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week award after he returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Northwestern.
