Mickey Joseph confirms Casey Thompson will start against Wisconsin
The Nebraska Cornhuskers will start quarterback Casey Thompson for the final two games of the season, interim head coach Mickey Joseph confirmed on Thursday.
According to Joseph, Thompson’s proved that he’s ready to go as he’s participated in practice this week. The Huskers host Wisconsin for a 12 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday.
“He threw the ball well today,” Joseph said. “I hope he wakes up feeling the same way. I hope he wakes up feeling good. The last three days have been enough for me to see.”
The newly-rehabbed QB missed the last two games after starting the first eight. He racked up 2,023 pass yards, 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
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Ready to play at a high level once again, Thompson will attempt to pick up right where he left off. The interim head coach has no concerns about his QB being about to do just that on Saturday.
“Casey’s played a lot of football,” Joseph said. “This is not his first rodeo. He’s played a lot of football so he can pick up where he left off at.”
If Thompson has any kind of setback, the Huskers could turn to sophomore QB Logan Smothers. The other backup, Chubba Purdy, won’t be available as he undergoes surgery this week for a high ankle sprain.
Nebraska kicks off versus Wisconsin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday. According to the ESPN matchup predictor, the Huskers have a 25.3% chance of an upset win.
Joseph not expecting Trey Palmer to walk at Senior Day
One notable player who won’t participate in Senior Day on Saturday is Trey Palmer, the team’s leading receiver. Palmer is a junior who transferred in from LSU.
According to a report from Mitch Sherman of The Athletic, interim coach Mickey Joseph said “he’s not expecting wide receiver Trey Palmer to walk in Senior Day festivities this week.”
Palmer has racked up 58 catches for 831 yards and five touchdowns, though he’s been kept in check the last three weeks, tallying just 11 catches for 50 yards in that span as Nebraska has been forced to shuffle quarterbacks.
Though neither Joseph nor Palmer have announced the 6-foot-1, 190-pound receiver’s plan going forward, not walking in Senior Day could be a possible indicator a return for another season with the Cornhuskers is in the cards.
On3 staff contributed to this report.