Huskers Lose Running Back Ajay Allen for Season

Mickey Joseph elaborates on Chinander firing and says offense’s tempo will be dialed back to help defense

Nebraska has lost its No. 2 running back for the rest of the season.

Ajay Allen was injured during the Oklahoma game Saturday and underwent surgery Monday, interim head coach Mickey Joseph said. Joseph spoke with reporters Tuesday as his 1-3 Huskers go through a bye week before their Oct. 1 game against Indiana.

Ajay Allen / Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports

A true freshman from Louisiana, Allen had 33 rushes for 190 net yards and 5.8 yards per carry. Because he played in just four games, 2022 will be a redshirt year for him. Gabe Ervin Jr., who a year ago suffered a season-ending injury against the Sooners, is likely to step into the No. 2 spot at running back, Joseph said.

Joseph elaborated on his decision to fire defensive coordinator Erik Chinander. "Chins is a good man and a good coach," Joseph said.  "But the numbers didn’t add up. ... I didn't see us getting better from Week 1 to Week 4."

Joseph did lay part of the blame on himself for the defense's poor performance in the 49-14 loss to Oklahoma, saying he should have slowed down the Husker offense's tempo. That is something he said he plans to do as Nebraska enters Big Ten play.

As for Bill Busch's new role as Chinander's replacement, Joseph said: "Bill is built for this. He's sharp, he's going to be detailed, he's a really good football coach, and he'll take care of it. I understand and Bill understands what I want. ... Some people think we don't like each other, but we do. We just get after each other on the field."  

Joseph addressed a number of other topics, including the staff's recruiting efforts during the bye week. Refresh this page to see the latest additions to the coverage links below. Asterisk indicates item may require a subscription. Go here for the HuskerMax discussion.

Coverage

Non-paywall

• Inside Nebraska | Running back Ajay Allen will miss rest of season
• Inside Nebraska | Quick hits from Mickey Joseph's bye week press conference
• Husker247 | "Bill is built for this," Joseph says of Busch taking on D-coordinator assignment after rough Husker start 
• Husker247 | Tuesday Mickey Joseph press conference quick hits
• Husker247 | Amid some Tuesday tempo talk, Joseph points to mistake made by him in first Husker head coach outing
• On3 | Mickey Joseph explains what went into his decision to fire Erik Chinander
• Nebraska Athletics | Meet the Media: Coach Mickey Joseph
• Omaha World-Herald | Sam McKewon recap (video)
• Omaha World-Herald | Adam Carriker's three takeaways (video)

More sources

• Omaha World-Herald* | Practice report: Mickey Joseph aims to slow down Nebraska's offense
• Omaha World-Herald* | It's 'Nebraska vs. Nebraska' during bye week as Huskers adjust to new tempo, coaches
• HuskerOnline* | What we learned from Mickey Joseph's press conference
• HuskerOnline* | Steven Sipple: Joseph admits he should've slowed pace against Oklahoma, and his second-guessing sounds sort of refreshing - although Chinander may disagree
• Lincoln Journal Star* | Red Report: Joseph to slow down Husker offense; do the 'right thing' in recruiting
• Lincoln Journal Star* | Amie Just: Why Joseph fired Chinander, and three more Husker observations
• Hail Varsity* | Joseph Confirms Ajay Allen Out For Season, Will Redshirt
• Hail Varsity* | Mickey Joseph Recognizing, Making Changes Following First Game as Head Coach
• Hail Varsity* | Recruiting: Coaches Hit The Road On Bye Week

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More info

• Game pages: Okla., Ind.
• KLIN/HuskerMax reports
• NU roster
• 2022 schedule

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