The Nebraska football team added some injuries to the insult of a loss at home to USC on Saturday. The chief injury among them was obviously starting quarterback Dylan Raiola. However, offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett went down as well. And then there was Gunnar Gottula, who didn't play against the Trojans but who the Huskers hoped would be able to return at some point this season.
As it turns out, it looks like Pritchett might be back for UCLA. There's been no official report on just what happened that caused him to leave the game against USC, but Huskers' head coach Matt Rhule said on Monday the Alabama transfer is working his way back to the field. The news is not good for Gottula.
Matt Rhule confirms Gunnar Gottula’s season-ending surgery
Rhule said the other tackle had knee surgery and is officially out for the year. He joins Teddy Prochazka, who ended his own season in Nebraska's game against Northwestern with a torn ACL.
Like Prochazka, that Gottula's season is over prematurely is frustrating in large part because the lineman has already had to come back from several injuries that saw previous campaigns get cut short.
There is, of course, also the fact that the Huskers' offensive line has been banged up all season long and porous at others. While Gottula has been among those to struggle greatly at times, Nebraska is running out of healthy bodies at an alarming rate in that position group. Hopefully, Pritchett will be able to play meaningful snaps against UCLA as NU works to finish the season strong.