Emmett Johnson ready for 'special night' in homecoming return

LINCOLN, Neb. - The old saying goes, there’s no place like home - and home is exactly where Huskers running back Emmett Johnson will take the field on Friday night.

The Minneapolis native is currently the second-leading rusher in the Big Ten and says he’ll have family, friends, former coaches and former teammates in the stands.

“It means a lot,” Johnson said. “Being born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. Get a lot of family come out who don’t get to come out here so it’s going to be really exciting.”

To make homecoming even more perfect, Johnson heads to Minnesota playing the best football of his career - He’s top ten in touchdowns nationally, second in the Big Ten in rushing, and enters off a career game against Maryland.

Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen says confidence has been key for 21.

“I think his confidence is at an all time high right now,” Holgorsen said. “He wasn’t playing as much as he wanted to [last year], but he’s so versatile in what he does in the pass game, blitz pick up… He made 10 people miss. That’s hard.”

Johnson wasn’t sought after by Minnesota coming out of high school. Quarterback Dylan Raiola knows Johnson will be playing with a chip on his shoulder Friday evening.

“For him to have a chance to go back there and make his statement, make his mark it’s special,” Raiola said. “On the flip side, you got to keep him calm because if you get him out of his game it can mess things up.”

“At the end of the day, it just comes down to the process and focusing on doing what I’ve got to do to help the team win,” Johnson said.

Nebraska and Minnesota kick off at 7:00 P.M. CT on Friday night