As Nebraska gears up for their second conference game of the season, injuries are casting uncertainty over the Cornhuskers’ lineup heading into their matchup against Purdue in West Lafayette. With multiple key players dealing with various injuries, head coach Matt Rhule confirmed during his recent press conference that many of these players’ statuses will be decided right before kickoff.
“We don’t have any injury updates yet,” Rhule said. “We’re going to do some things full speed tomorrow, see where some of those guys are so I probably won’t know – a lot of game-time decisions.”
The injury report includes cornerback Tommi Hill and offensive lineman Turner Corcoran. Hill, who is battling plantar fascia, missed Nebraska’s last game and remains questionable for Saturday. Rhule emphasized that Hill’s availability will depend on his pain tolerance. While the injury typically takes about a month to recover from, Hill is fighting through it and could potentially play if he can manage the pain. Rhule acknowledged the difficulty of Hill’s situation, adding that backup Ceyair Wright is ready to step in if needed.
“Yeah, it’s a pain threshold thing. It’s a really, really painful injury. I just saw the other day that there was a guy in the NFL who’s out for like four weeks with it. Most guys would be out for four weeks. Tommi’s just battling through,” Rhule explained. “If he can go? Great. If he can’t? Then Ceyair proved that he’s a starting-level corner in the Big Ten.”
As for Corcoran, he is out indefinitely after suffering a significant hamstring injury. The loss of Corcoran will be a big blow to Nebraska’s offensive line, which already faces depth challenges.
The Cornhuskers will evaluate their injured players throughout the rest of the week, but many decisions won’t be made until Nebraska takes the field for pregame warm-ups at Ross-Ade Stadium. As kickoff approaches, the uncertainty surrounding these injuries leaves Nebraska’s lineup in flux, adding to the intrigue of Saturday’s Big Ten showdown against the Boilermakers.
