Nebraska’s rushing game in 2025 is all about grit and grind, with Emmett Johnson leading the charge. After Dylan Raiola’s injury ended his season, the Huskers are leaning heavily on their ground attack. Matt Rhule thinks the sky is the limit for his RB. “I personally believe Emmett Johnson should be in New York,” Rhule said during a press conference.

“I think he should be a Heisman candidate. Think he should be a Doak Walker finalist, if not winner.” Before wrapping up his praises for an entire 4 minutes during the conference, Rhule said just one extra thing that sounded really selfless for the Nebraska HC. “I’m not so sure he shouldn’t go play in the NFL.” Rhule genuinely wants Johnson to take his talents and face the pros on Sundays. But if Johnson actually takes that advice and doesn’t return, Raiola and he will never play college ball together again. Now that’s a huge gamble, Rhule is ready to do for Emmett Johnson’s behalf.

And why wouldn’t he? After Raiola was on the sidelines, Johnson has been the guy carrying the entire offense on his back. His stats tell the story: after 11 weeks, he’s the national leader in yards from scrimmage with 1,431, second in rushing yards with 1,131, and tied for fourth in total touchdowns at 14. That’s elite company, and it underscores just how much Nebraska is leaning on him. Early in the season, doubts hovered about whether he could sustain heavy workloads, especially with an injury history. But Johnson has answered those concerns by averaging around 30 touches a game recently. Let’s take the recent game against UCLA. From the get-go, Johnson was the engine driving the Huskers’ offense.

On Nebraska’s opening scoring drive, he galloped for gains of 13 and 5 yards. It helped set up an early touchdown. This junior running back became the first Husker in program history to rush for over 100 yards and catch for over 100 yards in a single game. It was 129 yards on 28 carries and 103 yards on just three receptions. Johnson scored three touchdowns that day, including a show-stopping 56-yard catch-and-run where he tiptoed down the sideline to the end zone, plus a 40-yard reception and a one-yard rushing dive. Johnson carried the offense not just on his legs but also as a receiving threat, proving why Matt Rhule called him an “absolute weapon.”

His 28 carries marked his third straight game with 25 or more carries, showing his durability and workhorse mentality that hasn’t been seen at Nebraska since Ahman Green in 1997. Can you imagine the guy has just one fumble and one tackle for loss this entire season? All this should be wrapped up in a box and sent to the NFL for presentation. After the UCLA game, Matt Rhule shared his thoughts on his favourite RB. “Emmett was just unstoppable tonight,” Rhule said postgame. “He did everything—running, catching, blocking. It’s the kind of performance that inspires a team and breaks an opponent’s spirit.” And let’s not forget his clutch performance against Maryland.

In that game, Nebraska was down 31–24 in the fourth quarter when Emmett Johnson came up with what everyone’s calling his “season-defining run.” He took a handoff deep in Husker territory, broke four tackles, and tore down the field for 50 yards. That huge play set up a field goal that trimmed the lead to just four. By the end, Johnson racked up 176 rushing yards and 196 all-purpose yards. It’s the kind of performance that made him the true heartbeat of Nebraska’s offense. Letting Johnson go next year would really affect Nebraska’s ground attack, plus Dylan Raiola needs to produce the same chemistry with another rusher.

Dylan Raiola’s replacement gets Emmett Johnson’s stamp of approval

With Dylan Raiola sidelined, second-string QB TJ Lateef made his first career start against UCLA, and boy did he deliver. That’s when Emmett Johnson, instead of shying away, said some kind words about Lateef. Now, Raiola has been flirting with his Heisman-level number all season. But then that broken fibula was a major setback for the team. However, Lateef didn’t let the team down in the game against the Bruins.

So while Johnson remained the more experienced player on the field, Lateef completed his day with 13 out of 15 clean passes for 205 yards and three touchdowns. The two formed an explosive duo, with Johnson hauling in a team-high 103 receiving yards. After the game, Johnson’s message was loud and clear. “I’m proud of him, man. Super proud of him,” Emmett Johnson said about Lateef. “Everybody on his team knows that he started the week of practice, and he was really focused on the little details.”

But this wasn’t beginner’s luck; it was the precision that Lateef showed during his practice sessions. “I remember we had a team compete early in the week, and he told the coach, like the next day of practice, ‘ Can we do team compete again?’” Johnson stated. “ That just shows the competitor he is, and that showed today in the field. So. I’m really, really proud of him, man.” So Nebraska’s offense doesn’t miss a beat, even without its star QB.