Jon D. Gaede, BVN Sports
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Cornhuskers (7-3) came to Pasadena without their starting quarterback, Dylan Raiola, who suffered a season ending injury. The Bruins planned on facing the untested freshman TJ Lateef, which gave them hope during practice week. But, Lateef, who hails from Compton and played at Orange Lutheran, would prove to be a challenge for the Bruin defense.
The Bruins could not convert on a crucial fourth down, plus a missed field goal that allowed Nebraska to march down the field at will. The Huskers scored three times in that first half to lead UCLA 21-7.
Bruin quarterback, Nico Lamaleava, showed his ability to run, gaining big yards at times. At 6’6” and lean, Lamaleava can run like a gazelle when he wants to, gaining 86 yards on 15 carries for nearly 6 yards per carry.
The second half did get interesting as Lamameava started connecting to Bruin receivers like Rico Flores Jr. who caught 6, Kawzi Gilmer, Anthony Woods, Mikey Mathews, Anthony Frias II and Jalen Barger who caught 2 each. UCLA did make a comeback in the second half to get close, but the clock worked against them.
Compton (Orange Lutheran HS) quarterback TJ Lateef had an impressive debut, completing 13 of 15 passes for three touchdowns for Nebraska.
Bruins travel to take on number one ranked Ohio State on Saturday.