Starting Nebraska offensive linemen Piper, Corcoran out for the season
The old saying is that when it rains, it pours. That couldn’t apply more to Nebraska’s brutal injury list this season, which keeps getting longer.
Head coach Matt Rhule announced Monday that two starting offensive linemen — left tackle Turner Corcoran (foot) and left guard Ethan Piper (dislocated knee) — suffered season-ending injuries in Saturday’s 17-9 win over Northwestern.
Starting right guard Nouredin Nouili was in surgery on Monday and will be out for 1-2 weeks.
“We’re a pretty beat-up football team,” Rhule said.
He also said that No. 1 wide receiver Billy Kemp will be out “multiple weeks” with an MCL sprain. Cornerback Tommi Hill is day-to-day with an ankle injury, the coach said.
“Tommi Hill has super-human healing powers,” Rhule said. “I’m sure Tommi will be back.”
Sitting at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten, and on the cusp of its first .500 season since 2016, the Huskers must now dig even deeper into their offensive depth chart.
Going back to the start of fall camp, Nebraska has now lost four of its top five wide receivers, two of its top three running backs, and three of its top five offensive linemen.
That’s not to mention quarterback Jeff Sims, who started the first two games before being sidelined at Colorado with a high-ankle sprain.
Rhule characterized the injuries as being mostly “contact injuries.” In other words, there isn’t necessarily a pattern.
Piper, for instance, suffered his injury when a defender was blocked into his knee from the front.
“My heart is with Ethan, I can tell you that,” Rhule said. “There’s no one — no one, no one — more a Cornhusker than him.”
Nebraska’s offensive line will take on a new look
With two starters now shelved for the season, Nebraska’s offensive line will look much different when it returns to action this week against Purdue.
After Piper went down against Northwestern, redshirt freshman Justin Evans-Jenkins took over as the top left guard. When center Ben Scott was briefly sidelined in the second half, Evans-Jenkins moved to center, Nouili swapped to left guard, and sophomore Henry Lutovsky took over at right guard.
It’s expected that Evans-Jenkins will be the new starting left guard, with Lutovsky on the right side. Sophomore Teddy Prochazka, who has five career starts at left tackle, was the No. 2 behind Corcoran on the depth chart.
“Henry Lutovsky is a guy who’s been a starter for us (in two games),” Rhule said. “Teddy Prochazka is a guy who’s been waiting his turn. We have lots of guys who’ve started games here on the offensive line.”
The 6-10, 325-pound Prochazka suffered a knee injury in early August but apparently has worked his way back well.
“He can absolutely play at a super-high level,” Rhule said. “He’s had the benefit of all these weeks of practice, of getting his feet underneath him. He got some reps in the Michigan game. He wasn’t quite to full speed yet. He’s full speed now. That knee is healthy. He’s ready to go.”
Rhule said in all his years as a head coach — 10-plus years — he’s never had anything close to this amount of injuries on one side of the ball.
After Saturday, there’s a chance Nebraska could turn to true freshmen Sam Sledge at guard and/or Gunnar Gottula at tackle for more depth. Both could play in NU’s remaining four games while retaining their redshirt eligibility.
