Red Report: Purify returns to the spotlight this week
Both Maurice Purify, the senior receiver, and junior tight end Hunter Teafatiller will be back in action Saturday against Wake Forest after serving one-game suspensions.
Husker coach Bill Callahan responded with a “we’ll see” when asked if Purify would start against the Demon Deacons.
“From the very beginning, we told him he’d have to come back and earn his spot,” Callahan said Monday morning during the league coaches’ teleconference. “How close is he to being back? He’s had a tremendous training camp, so I think he’s improved himself with time and experience.”
Last season, Purify had 34 catches for 630 yards, the most yards of any Husker receiver. His seven touchdowns also led the team.
Teafatiller had five catches for 78 yards. Four of those catches were for touchdowns.
Callahan said he thought both Purify and Teafatiller had learned from their off-field woes.
“I know they feel a great deal of remorse,” Callahan said. “The game that they missed hurt them badly. I’m sure they want to get back and prove themselves all over again, to their teammates and to themselves as well.”
Steinkuhler watch: Callahan said that sophomore defensive tackle Ty Steinkuhler is “day-to-day” after injuring a knee less than five minutes into the Nevada game.
Callahan would not expand on the seriousness of the injury.
“Like I said, he’s day-to-day,” Callahan said when asked if it might keep Steinkuhler from playing against Wake Forest.
Taking his place against Nevada was junior Kevin Dixon, a 6-foot-3, 295-pound juco transfer.
Dixon had a solo tackle and a third-quarter interception, in which he tipped a pass and then caught it for NU’s only defensive takeaway of the day.
By the Numbers: 50
That’s the highest number of rushing plays Nebraska had in any game last season. Saturday against Nevada, the Huskers ran the ball 70 times.
That’s the most since the Huskers ran the ball 72 times for 337 yards against Penn State in 2003.
The school record, by the way, is 86 rushes against South Dakota in 1952. Who can forget that game?
Scouting Report: RB Cody Glenn
It was probably not the season opener the junior running back envisioned back in the spring.
While freshman Quentin Castille captured the attention of NU fans with 18 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns, Glenn only had mop-up carries in the 52-10 win.
He rushed eight times for 29 yards, with a long run of 20 yards.
It was a tough offseason for Glenn. Injuries to a toe and hamstring kept him off the field for much of practice, perhaps contributing to his lack of snaps Saturday.
Callahan was asked Monday if a healthy Glenn would still be the No. 2 running back behind junior Marlon Lucky.
The coach’s answer: “He’s going to be instrumental down the stretch here, there’s no doubt about it. He’s going to factor in as one of our marquee backs.”
Callahan said to not discount the importance of any of the running backs yet — be it Glenn, freshman Roy Helu or sophomore Major Culbert.
“We’re going to need everybody,” he said. “Just like a year ago, I think we were all talking about how we were going to use our backs, then, of course, this year, we said we didn’t have any backs. Then we come out of the game the other day and we have all these backs again.”
Opponent watch: Missouri
Mizzou fans were holding their breath Saturday when starting quarterback Chase Daniel took a hit after a 17-yard scramble.
The blow knocked the junior quarterback out of the game for one play.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said Daniel showed no lingering effects Sunday of what was being labeled a “mild concussion.”
Daniel’s arm might be as sore as anything. He threw 54 passes, completing 37 for 359 yards and three touchdowns.
Opponent watch: Wake Forrest
Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner, who last season steered the Demon Deacons to the ACC title and an Orange Bowl berth after starter Benjamin Mauk broke his arm in the opening game, suffered a separated shoulder in Saturday’s loss at Boston College, likely knocking him out of this week’s game against Nebraska.
Skinner (28-for-37 for 236 yards, a TD and three interceptions) was injured on a third-quarter play in which he was scrambling for the sideline. He momentarily remained in the game, only to have a pass intercepted on the next play.
Brett Hodges, who, ironically, was taken out of the battle to be Mauk’s backup last year when he separated his shoulder a couple weeks before the season began, entered Saturday’s game and completed 17 of 23 passes for 130 yards and a TD. He also threw an interception.
The Wake Forest defense also had a setback when defensive end Matt Robinson suffered a high-ankle sprain while blocking downfield after an interception on the opening play. He did not return, and like Skinner, is considered doubtful for Saturday.
Husker coach Bill Callahan responded with a “we’ll see” when asked if Purify would start against the Demon Deacons.
“From the very beginning, we told him he’d have to come back and earn his spot,” Callahan said Monday morning during the league coaches’ teleconference. “How close is he to being back? He’s had a tremendous training camp, so I think he’s improved himself with time and experience.”
Last season, Purify had 34 catches for 630 yards, the most yards of any Husker receiver. His seven touchdowns also led the team.
Teafatiller had five catches for 78 yards. Four of those catches were for touchdowns.
Callahan said he thought both Purify and Teafatiller had learned from their off-field woes.
“I know they feel a great deal of remorse,” Callahan said. “The game that they missed hurt them badly. I’m sure they want to get back and prove themselves all over again, to their teammates and to themselves as well.”
Steinkuhler watch: Callahan said that sophomore defensive tackle Ty Steinkuhler is “day-to-day” after injuring a knee less than five minutes into the Nevada game.
Callahan would not expand on the seriousness of the injury.
“Like I said, he’s day-to-day,” Callahan said when asked if it might keep Steinkuhler from playing against Wake Forest.
Taking his place against Nevada was junior Kevin Dixon, a 6-foot-3, 295-pound juco transfer.
Dixon had a solo tackle and a third-quarter interception, in which he tipped a pass and then caught it for NU’s only defensive takeaway of the day.
By the Numbers: 50
That’s the highest number of rushing plays Nebraska had in any game last season. Saturday against Nevada, the Huskers ran the ball 70 times.
That’s the most since the Huskers ran the ball 72 times for 337 yards against Penn State in 2003.
The school record, by the way, is 86 rushes against South Dakota in 1952. Who can forget that game?
Scouting Report: RB Cody Glenn
It was probably not the season opener the junior running back envisioned back in the spring.
While freshman Quentin Castille captured the attention of NU fans with 18 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns, Glenn only had mop-up carries in the 52-10 win.
He rushed eight times for 29 yards, with a long run of 20 yards.
It was a tough offseason for Glenn. Injuries to a toe and hamstring kept him off the field for much of practice, perhaps contributing to his lack of snaps Saturday.
Callahan was asked Monday if a healthy Glenn would still be the No. 2 running back behind junior Marlon Lucky.
The coach’s answer: “He’s going to be instrumental down the stretch here, there’s no doubt about it. He’s going to factor in as one of our marquee backs.”
Callahan said to not discount the importance of any of the running backs yet — be it Glenn, freshman Roy Helu or sophomore Major Culbert.
“We’re going to need everybody,” he said. “Just like a year ago, I think we were all talking about how we were going to use our backs, then, of course, this year, we said we didn’t have any backs. Then we come out of the game the other day and we have all these backs again.”
Opponent watch: Missouri
Mizzou fans were holding their breath Saturday when starting quarterback Chase Daniel took a hit after a 17-yard scramble.
The blow knocked the junior quarterback out of the game for one play.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said Daniel showed no lingering effects Sunday of what was being labeled a “mild concussion.”
Daniel’s arm might be as sore as anything. He threw 54 passes, completing 37 for 359 yards and three touchdowns.
Opponent watch: Wake Forrest
Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner, who last season steered the Demon Deacons to the ACC title and an Orange Bowl berth after starter Benjamin Mauk broke his arm in the opening game, suffered a separated shoulder in Saturday’s loss at Boston College, likely knocking him out of this week’s game against Nebraska.
Skinner (28-for-37 for 236 yards, a TD and three interceptions) was injured on a third-quarter play in which he was scrambling for the sideline. He momentarily remained in the game, only to have a pass intercepted on the next play.
Brett Hodges, who, ironically, was taken out of the battle to be Mauk’s backup last year when he separated his shoulder a couple weeks before the season began, entered Saturday’s game and completed 17 of 23 passes for 130 yards and a TD. He also threw an interception.
The Wake Forest defense also had a setback when defensive end Matt Robinson suffered a high-ankle sprain while blocking downfield after an interception on the opening play. He did not return, and like Skinner, is considered doubtful for Saturday.
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