LINCOLN\u2014Sophomore wideout Jacory Barney Jr. isn\u2019t interested in making excuses. Instead, he says the team is \u201cready to work with [TJ Lateef] and see what we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
After a whirlwind 72 hours of Husker football news, Nebraska now faces the challenge of taking its true freshman quarterback on the road for his first collegiate start. The Huskers will travel to Pasadena to face a 3\u20135 (3\u20132 Big Ten) UCLA squad under the lights Saturday night \u2014 a crucial test as the offense looks to find its rhythm under a new signal caller. <\/p>\n
Barney, a mainstay in Nebraska\u2019s receiver room and the program\u2019s all-time leader in single-season receptions by a freshman, met with the media Tuesday afternoon to discuss the team\u2019s mindset and the transition under center.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s everything he had to say ahead of the Huskers\u2019 final three regular-season games.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola looks for a receiver against Michigan. \/ Kenny Larabee, KLIN<\/p>\n
For Barney, losing starting quarterback Dylan Raiola for the season wasn\u2019t just a setback for the offense; it was personal. The two were roommates during their freshman year and have connected 88 times for 839 yards and three touchdowns in just over a season and a half together.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, it\u2019s been rough for him being out,\u201d Barney said. \u201cIt had an effect on all of us, knowing that\u2019s our boy. If it was any one of our teammates, we\u2019d feel some kind of way for them. But being that that\u2019s my boy, I feel bad for him that this happened to him. But I feel like God doesn\u2019t make mistakes. I feel like he\u2019s going to come back stronger, and we\u2019re going to have an even better season next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barney\u2019s perspective reflects a locker room refusing to hang its head despite its captain and QB1 no longer being available. And as the conversation naturally shifted toward where the offense goes from here under Lateef, the Miami native\u2019s outlook remained clearly sided towards optimism over discouragement.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
TJ Lateef runs for a touchdown against the Akron Zips, the first of his career. \/ Dylan Widger-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
When asked about Lateef\u2019s preparation this week, Barney said the freshman has already shown maturity beyond his years.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust so far, I\u2019ve seen a change in his focus,\u201d Barney said. \u201cHe\u2019s always dialed in, but it\u2019s like a switch, like, \u2018Hey, I\u2019ve got to run the show now.\u2019 I saw it today, and we\u2019re confident in him this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two have built chemistry throughout the year, something Barney says has helped make the transition smoother, albeit different.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always throw together,\u201d Barney said. \u201cHim and Dylan are always getting throws with us and the receivers. So I\u2019m used to throwing with him. Now it\u2019s just time for him to step up, and we\u2019re ready to work with him and see what we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the Huskers are tasked with bringing in Lateef, the offense itself is likely to change, due to the freshman’s strengths being more centrally focused on his mobility. With that in mind, it led to questions revolving around how Barney can get back to being a weapon within the system. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Nebraska wide receiver Jacory Barney Jr. hauls in an 18-yard catch against Akron. \/ Kenny Larabee, KLIN<\/p>\n
Despite his hot start to the 2025 campaign, Barney\u2019s noticed defenses adjusting to his breakout season in recent weeks. When asked about it, his response reflected the same maturity that\u2019s made him a leader in the wide receiver room.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen it a couple times,\u201d he said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, I just do whatever I can to help the team win. If I\u2019ve got to draw attention to get other guys open, I\u2019m willing to do whatever it takes [to win].\u201d<\/p>\n
Barney said the offense\u2019s mindset hasn\u2019t changed; it\u2019s still about creating balance and trusting whoever\u2019s under center to make the right reads. While Raiola\u2019s pre-snap recognition was a known strength, Nebraska now turns to a freshman quarterback who\u2019s still developing that part of his game. Even so, Lateef brings a different set of tools, something Barney was quick to highlight before wrapping up his time at the mic.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
TJ Lateef, with eyes down the field, looks for a receiver against the Houston Christian Huskies. \/ Dylan Widger-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Barney believes Lateef\u2019s composure in the huddle is exactly what Nebraska needs heading into Saturday\u2019s matchup with UCLA. With a full week of preparation, the sophomore wideout is confident his new quarterback will be ready to hit the ground running.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he was ready,\u201d Barney said with a grin. \u201cWe’re ready for him. It probably looked a little weird at first, but once he got going, we knew the calls and executed. Going into the next few weeks, I feel like it\u2019ll run smooth.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Huskers\u2019 offense now faces a defining stretch of the season, one that will test not only their execution but their resilience as well. Quarterback changes are rarely seamless, but from Barney\u2019s tone, it\u2019s clear this group isn\u2019t backing down from the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to prepare at a high level this week,\u201d he said. \u201cDylan\u2019s going to be there talking to him, making sure he\u2019s right mentally before the game. TJ will be good. He\u2019ll be prepared, and we\u2019ll be confident in him.\u201d<\/p>\n
After five straight weeks of football, Nebraska\u2019s matchup with UCLA on Saturday marks its sixth consecutive test, a stretch that\u2019s pushed this team both physically and mentally. With a bye week finally on the horizon, following their upcoming game, the Huskers appear poised to regroup and make a final push toward closing the season strong.<\/p>\n
Every remaining game will present a challenge, made even tougher now with a backup quarterback at the helm. Still, Nebraska\u2019s reality remains the same: find ways to win, no matter the circumstances. Every team in the Big Ten is dealing with injuries at this point in the year, and if the rest of the Huskers\u2019 roster takes a cue from Barney\u2019s mindset, motivation shouldn\u2019t be an issue heading down the stretch.<\/p>\n
Moments like these, when adversity hits and a team must choose how to respond, are what ultimately define a season. And if Barney\u2019s comments ahead of the trip to Pasadena are any indication, he\u2019s locked in on what he does best: making plays that few in college football can replicate. If that comes to fruition, Lateef will be just fine. The Huskers are humble, hungry, and determined to finish strong. Given everything they\u2019ve endured in recent days, what more could you ask from them in 2025?<\/p>\n
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking\u00a0Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI<\/a>,\u00a0subscribing to\u00a0HuskerMax on YouTube<\/a>, and visiting\u00a0HuskerMax.com<\/a>\u00a0daily.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LINCOLN\u2014Sophomore wideout Jacory Barney Jr. isn\u2019t interested in making excuses. Instead, he says the team is \u201cready to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":271862,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-271861","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}