Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola exited the Huskers' 21-17 loss to No. 23 USC on Saturday because of a right ankle injury and did not return.
Raiola suffered the injury while being sacked and losing a fumble early in the third quarter with the Huskers leading 14-6, and had to be helped off the field.
The sophomore completed 10 of 15 passes against the Trojans for 91 yards and a touchdown before the injury.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule told reporters that Raiola wanted to return to the game but couldn't run, so Rhule felt it was unsafe to send him back in.
"I just don't think you can put a guy out there who can't protect himself," Rhule said. "I don't think that's the right thing to do. The trainers didn't want him to go out there, but they didn't say, 'No, he can't.' They were just kind of like, 'Hey, he shouldn't be out there.' So I told Dylan, 'I love you too much to ask you to play when you're hurt like this.'"
True freshman backup TJ Lateef replaced Raiola during the second half and went 5-of-7 for 7 passing yards and rushed for 18 yards on six carries.
"Your first time playing in that situation, that crowd, that atmosphere, I thought he did admirably," Rhule said. "If he has to play next week, with a full week [of practice reps], I think he'll play really well. Proud of him, proud of his effort, proud of the way he went out there and did it."
The Huskers got a 165-yard rushing performance from running back Emmett Johnson, who became the program's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2018, but scored just three points on four drives after losing Raiola and couldn't hold off a second-half rally by the Trojans.
Raiola ranked sixth among Big Ten quarterbacks in passing yards entering Saturday with 1,909 yards, 17 touchdowns and 6 interceptions this season.
The Huskers (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) lost their 29th consecutive game to an AP Top 25 opponent, a streak that dates back to 2016. They'll go on the road to face UCLA next Saturday.