Freshman quarterback TJ Lateef will start for Nebraska after taking over when sophomore Dylan Raiola broke his fibula and subsequently entered the transfer portal.

MSU is ranked ninth and 12-1 on the season, but the Spartans haven't played a high-quality opponent on the road yet. That'll change on Friday night when they take on 13th-ranked Nebraska. The Cornhuskers enter 13-0 themselves and have won 17 straight overall, dating back to the end of last season.

The 2025 Las Vegas Bowl features the Nebraska Cornhuskers facing off against the No. 15-ranked Utah Utes in this exciting postseason showdown.

The Utes are one of the worst run defenses in the Big 12, and they’re only a few games removed from surrendering close to 500 yards on the ground to Kansas State. Without Johnson in Nebraska’s backfield, Utah has one less weapon to worry about. And if Lateef is forced to air the ball out, this is a shutdown secondary that’s picked off 14 passes.

Nebraska will be without quarterback Dylan Raiola in the Las Vegas Bowl vs. Utah. Here's a closer look at why and who the Huskers will play at QB:

Adam Carriker gives his RAW Gut Reaction to Nebraska's bowl game vs the Utah Utes. People are FIRED UP. The Huskers needed to MAKE A STATEMENT in this identity

The Nebraska football team will play its final game of the year on Wednesday afternoon, taking on No. 15 Utah in the 2025 SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl.

The Utes offense gashed the Blackshirts from the start scoring on four of five drives (the one stop assisted by an 11-yard loss on an unassisted fumbled pitch) and rolling up 300 yards, most of it courtesy of QB Devin Dampier who has thrown for 210 and run for another 62.