Nebraska football dealing with defensive injuries
The Nebraska Cornhuskers went through their Thursday walk through in preparation for their Big Ten debut against Illinois. Earlier in the day, kickoff was moved back to 4:02 p.m. ET due to Hurricane Joaquin. The Hurricane is not supposed to impede the progress of the Nebraska and Illinois game, but the Big Ten moved Michigan’s visit up to Maryland up to a 12 noon start. Therefore, BTN shouldn’t have any problems with their television programming.
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For the first time all season for the Nebraska football team, De’Mornay Pierson-El will be in uniform for the Huskers’ offense. He practiced all week, and Mike Riley said they will work Pierson-El into the lineup. It’s likely Pierson-El will factor into the special teams unit early on. When healthy, Pierson-El is supposed to be the most explosive player on the team.
There was a bit of good news for the Huskers’ defense on Thursday as well. Defensive end Jack Gangwish is returning from his elbow injury to play against Illinois. Gangwish was injured on the final play of the BYU game, and missed the last three games for the Huskers. His replacement, Freedom Akinmoladun has been a shining star for the Blackshirts defensive line.
According to Nebraska.247sports.com, linebacker Marcus Newby will be ready to play on Saturday. Unfortunately, the rest of the defense is still dealing with injuries. Fellow linebacker Josh Banderas is still suffering from a groin injury, and his status is up in the air. The coaching staff is “still a little hopeful” but they aren’t counting on Banderas to become a factor in the game.
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Once again, defensive tackle Vincent Valentine is “very doubtful” for the game against Illinois. Valentine will be missing his third straight contest for the shorthanded Huskers. So far, his absence has not hurt their defense against the run, but he would be helpful in pass rush situations. In addition to Valentine, the Huskers also lost defensive tackle Kevin Williams for Saturday’s game.
Due to all the injuries up front, expect Nebraska to find some young players to make contributions this weekend. Mick Stoltenberg will be performing in certain situations, giving Nebraska some more depth along the front four.
All season, the secondary of the Nebraska Cornhuskers has been much maligned. They’ve been trying to find the right combination, but they could be without a key player on Saturday. Daniel Davie injured his groin during Wednesday’s practice, making him questionable for the Cincinnati game.