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Huskers’ Quarterback Picture Still in Flux

Casey Thompson is practicing but is day to day; Purdy is out; walk-on Synek is No. 3 after Smothers

Joe Hudson

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There was good and bad news Tuesday about Nebraska's quarterback situation.

Casey Thompson, sidelined by a nerve injury in his throwing arm for the last 2½ games, was throwing in team drills Tuesday and has a chance to return to action in Saturday's home finale against Wisconsin. Thompson's status remains day to day, and interim head football head coach Mickey Joseph said he'll be watching "how the ball is coming out of his hand" as the week progresses.

Chubba Purdy, who started the last two games in Thompson's place, definitely won't play again this season. Joseph said Purdy will have surgery this week after injuring an ankle during Saturday's loss to Michigan.

Logan Smothers has been playing through injuries of his own but is expected to be available against Wisconsin. Joseph said walk-on Jarrett Synek is next in line after Smothers and was taking snaps Tuesday with the No. 2 offense.

"If you gotta go to a third guy, you want him to be athletic," Joseph said of Synek, a redshirt freshman from Hastings who played the final series against Michigan. "You don't want them to be all the same, so he can go in and give you some run game and throw it a little bit. That's where we're at right now.”

Nebraska faces another 1,000-yard rusher this week in Wisconsin's Braelon Allen. As a freshman a year ago, Allen scorched the Nebraska defense for 228 yards on 22 carries.

"This kid is special," Joseph said. "Someone told me he is 18 years old. To be that big (6-2, 235 pounds) and to be 18, that's special. But he is a really good back.”"

Joseph offered no insights on Nebraska's coaching search but said he's "prepared for whatever." Whether he gets the job or not, "I'm good. Don't worry about Mickey. Mickey is gonna be OK."

Whoever is hired needs to be "ready to work" on the recruiting front and build competitive depth on the roster, Joseph said.

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Joe Hudson
JOE HUDSON

Joe Hudson has operated a Husker-related website since 1995 and joined forces with David Max to form HuskerPedia (later renamed HuskerMax) in 1999. It began as a hobby during his 35 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, a career that included stints at the Lincoln Star, Omaha World-Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Denver Post. In Denver, Joe was chief of the copy desk during his final 16 years at the Post. He is proud to have been involved in Pulitzer Prize-winning projects in both Philadelphia and Denver. Joe has been a Nebraska football fan since the mid-1960s during his childhood in Omaha. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in journalism and economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1976. He resides a few freeway exits north of Colorado Springs and enjoys bicycling and walking his dogs in his spare time. You can reach him at joeroyhud@outlook.com.

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