Good start, bad finish. It’s rare that one game can be a microcosm of a season, yet Nebraska’s 44-22 loss to No. 13 Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl Thursday was a fairly accurate snapshot of Husker Football 2025. After Nebraska started the season 5-1, the Cornhuskers (7-6) dropped five of their last seven games, the final three in blowout fashion, by a combined 121-48. Meanwhile, the Utes shook off the departure of their 21-year head coach Kyle Whittingham less than a week before the contest and ran 37 straight points on the Huskers, erasing an early 14-7 lead.
Utah quarterback Devon Dampier was a natural selection for Las Vegas Bowl MVP, throwing for 310 yards (19-for-31, two touchdowns) while rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Dallen Bentley was the Utes’ top pass-catcher, making six catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. Moroni Anae led Utah in tackles with nine, while Trey Reynolds had two tackles for loss. Caleb Benning led Nebraska in tackles with 13, while Javin Wright closed his Husker career with 1.5 sacks, 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. TJ Lateef was 15-for-28 for 182 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Mehki Nelson rushed 12 times for 88 yards and a touchdown in his first start at running back, replacing the departing Emmett Johnson.
Nebraska’s offense got out to a strong start: 157 yards in 20 plays, but sputtered from there, gaining just five yards on 16 plays in six straight drives where the Huskers didn’t gain a first down. In the same stretch, Utah scored four touchdowns and a field goal on five straight drives.
Nebraska took the opening kickoff and Jacory Barney, Jr., returned the ball from three yards deep in the end zone to his 17. A steady dose of Mekhi Nelson helped the Huskers move the ball to the Utah 37, where Nelson found a hole and cut back left for a 37-yard touchdown to give NU a 7-0 lead with 11 minutes to go in the first quarter. Utah wasted little time answering on its ensuing possession, moving 75 yards in six plays. After Devon Dampier found Dallen Bentley for a 45-yard gain to move the Utes into the Nebraska red zone, Dampier ran it in from two plays later from two yards out to tie the game at seven with 8:33 to go in the first quarter.
The Huskers started the next drive at their 25 and again leaned on the run game to initiate the offense. Kwinten Ives picked up a third down and a fourth down to extend the drive, then TJ Lateef hit Isaiah Mozee for a 16-yard gain to the Utah 32. Then Lateef hit Nelson to gain 23 yards to the eight. On first-and-goal from the eight, Lateef pushed a pass to Barney on a jet sweep right for an eight-yard touchdown to give the Huskers the 14-7 lead with 2:20 to go in the first quarter.
But then the Nebraska offense went cold, registering three straight three-and-outs. Meanwhile, the Utes converted a third-and-goal from the 20 with a pass from Dampier to JJ Buchanan to tie the game with 10:05 to go in the half. Then on the next drive, Dillon Curtis booted a 28-yard field goal to put Utah ahead, 17-14, with 4:13 to go until halftime. Then the Utes darted down the field, 74 yards on 10 plays with Dampier running a four-yard touchdown to push the lead to 24-14 with 20 seconds to go in the half.
Utah had the first drive of the third quarter and easily glided down the field, 10 plays, 75 yards in 4 minutes, 20 seconds, with NaQuari Rogers punctuating the drive with a four-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 31-14 with 10:40 to go in the third. After another offensive three-and-out, the Utes cashed in on a short field, moving 51 yards in nine plays with Dampier running in third touchdown of the day from four yards out to push the lead to 38-14 with 5:56 remaining in the third quarter. After punting the ball on their next two drives, Utah drove 95 yards in eight plays, with Dampier hitting Bentley for a 16-yard touchdown, pushing Dampier over 300 yards passing, Bentley over 100 yards receiving and the Utes’ lead to 44-14 with 8:16 to go. Nebraska finally stopped the 37-point Utah avalanche with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a Lateef touchdown run from six yards out. Lateef added a two-point conversion on a pass to Quinn Clark, cutting the Utes’ lead to 44-22 with 1:55 to go.
The Huskers season ends at 7-6, with a daunting Big Ten schedule in 2026 including College Football Playoff qualifies Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon. Nebraska is scheduled to open its season Sept. 5 against Ohio at Memorial Stadium.