Injury Report: OTs Prochazka 'done' for year, Gottula TBD, Corcoran in line to start
Nebraska football is thinning out along an already struggling offensive line – with offensive tackle the main area Matt Rhule and Co. need to address.
The Huskers’ head coach announced a key injury to a starter, updated another whose status is in question and gave his latest thoughts on one of the unit’s more versatile, movable players during his regular Game Week press conference on Monday.
Nebraska starting RT Teddy Prochazka suffers another season-ending torn ACL
Rhule touched on both the win over Northwestern and looking ahead to Saturday’s primetime showdown vs. No. 23 USC to open his latest media availability. Following that brief opening statement, the fiest question he fielded pressed him for an update on the team’s health status across the board and where he feels his team is at from a physical standpoint.
“Where are we at health-wise?” Rhule said. “I mean, obviously, we’re down with some injuries at right tackle. Teddy (Prochazka) is done – he won’t be able to play anymore. Gunnar (Gottula) is banged up. We’re just gonna have to have guys battle through. But I also know that’s what every other team is dealing with, too, so we need our guys to continue doing what they’ve been doing.”
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For Prochazka, a fifth-year senior, this marks his fourth season-ending injury.
>> He played in five games (including two starts) during his true freshman season in 2021 before missing the final seven games.
>> Then, he started the Huskers’ first three games at left tackle in 2022 before suffering a season-ending injury in the third game and ultimately using his redshirt.
>> As a sophomore, the 6-foot-10 offensive tackle was still rehabbing to begin the campaign but finished out strong with his first near-full season as a Husker – playing in each of Nebraska’s final 10 games (including six starts).
>> Prochazka missed his entire junior year in 2024 after suffering a season-ending injury during fall camp.
>> This year, he was in the midst of a healthy season, playing in each of the first seven games with five starts at right tackle (including a start in the season opener to mark his first game since November 2023) before exiting on Saturday against Northwestern with approx. 11:30 left in the second quarter.
Rhule confirmed that Prochazka suffered a torn ACL in the Northwestern game.
“I’ll just say he’s done for the year,” Rhule said. “Hate it for him. I hate it for him.”
Will Gunnar Gottula be ready to play vs. USC?
The answer to that question^^ remains up in the air.
“I’m not sure, I’m not sure that he’ll (play),” Rhule said when asked about Gottula’s outlook for this week. “He’s battling through a real injury, and he’s trying to play through it. It takes a toll on you, so I’m not sure if he’ll be available or not.”
RELATED: Rhule Rundown as Nebraska shifts focus to Big Ten showdown with No. 23 USC
Prior to his updates on both Prochazka and Gottula, the Husker head coach made sure to give a shoutout to the training staff – just as cornerback Ceyair Wright made a point to do during his postgame interview after Northwestern.
“Our guys do a great job of taking care of their bodies,” Rhule said. “Drew Hamblin, our trainer, Mitch Cholewinski with sports science, and all the people that work underneath him. We have these infrared beds that I can’t even get in anymore because there’s a player always waiting. They’re for them, so they should go first, obviously. Our guys are so committed to taking care of themselves. I think they understand that if you let up in terms of the way you practice, you have to be smart, but you lose your edge, and we’re a team that needs to have an edge.”
Rhule later touched on player health while answering a separate question regarding whether or not there is a practice rep count to keep another player (Emmett Johnson) fresher for game day, especially at this point in the season.
“We keep a GPS on everyone. We have rep counts on everyone – this guy can do this, this guy can do that – based on injury,” Rhule said. “Contrary to what you might hear, we don’t over-practice. There were–– sometimes, some things are not really what people say they are. As the guys have gotten stronger and bigger, they’re right at the right amount.”
Turner Corcoran in line to start for Nebraska at RT
With Prochazka out for the remainder of the year and Gottula’s status to be determined, that leaves Turner Corcoran in line to start on Saturday night vs. USC.
Both Corcoran and Gottula are listed as potential starters at right tackle with the “OR” designation on the team’s official depth chart for this week with Tyler Knaak listed as the No. 3 right tackle. Everywhere else along the O-line remains steady – Elijah Pritchett at LT1, Henry Lutovsky at LG1, Justin Evans at OC1 and Rocco Spindler at RG1.
“I thought (Corcoran) did a great job (against Northwestern),” Rhule said. “He went in at left tackle last week (at Minnesota) when we lost Pritch (Elijah Pritchett) with the targeting and flipped over – took no reps at right tackle and went right over to right tackle. People think it’s the same thing, but go switch your grip and hit a golf ball and see how that feels. It’s difficult. Turner’s a guy who has started here a bunch. He had a really bad injury last year that took a long time to heal. We weren’t sure that he’d even play. Credit to him. He’s just a winner.
“Tyler Knaak was ready to play, and Preston Taumua, Grant Brix, all those guys have been developing and getting better and better and better. Their time is coming. We have enough guys.”