The Nebraska Cornhuskers received some positive news on the injury front. During Monday’s press conference, Mike Riley revealed linebacker Josh Banderas returned to practice. Banderas was suffering from a groin injury over the last few weeks. In addition, senior cornerback Daniel Davie returned to active duty for the Huskers.
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Michael Rose-Ivey also has a chance to play this Saturday. After missing the season opener against BYU, Rose-Ivey returned in week 2 vs South Alabama. However, he missed the majority of the game against Miami due to a groin injury. Therefore, the Huskers haven’t had their best linebacker in the lineup for most of five games. If he’s healthy, his return against Minnesota could be a boost for a struggling defense.
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According to Nebraska.247sports.com, Riley said defensive tackle Kevin Williams is questionable to return to the lineup. The depth in the front seven has been severely limited due to multiple injuries this season.
Unfortunately, linebacker Chris Weber is also questionable for the Huskers’ defense. Weber sustained a neck injury against the Wisconsin Badgers, and this issue will linger this week. To date, Weber has been the Huskers most physical linebacker, replacing the injured starters. Weber leads the Nebraska Cornhuskers with 42 tackles.
Offensively, the Huskers came out of Saturday’s game relatively healthy, but they did lose one key piece to their struggling offense. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Nick Gates is out for Saturday’s game due to a high ankle sprain. Gates missed the entire second half in the 23-21 loss.
Due to all of the injuries, the Nebraska Cornhuskers updated their depth chart this week. Freedom Akinmoladun and Kevin Maurice were ruled out of last week’s game. They’ve officially been placed on the injured list.
Defensive tackle Givens Price is now the backup to Maliek Collins, while Vincent Valentine is the other No.1 defensive tackle. He is followed by Mick Stoltenberg. Collins and Valentine were the original starters, but Valentine missed three weeks due to injury before recording his first sack on Saturday.
Jordan Stevenson has also been listed as the No.1 Kick returner for the Huskers. He didn’t have much impact on the game last week, but the Huskers expect him to become a big factor in special teams.