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Whipple Sees Improvement From Huskers’ Backup QBs

Offensive coordinator isn’t ruling out Casey Thompson for Michigan game, will ‘see where everybody is at’ Thursday

Joe Hudson

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Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple isn't ruling out Casey Thompson for Saturday's game at third-ranked Michigan even though the quarterback didn't throw during Wednesday morning's Nebraska football practice.

Whipple said he's seeing "a little more confidence" from Thompson's backups, Chubba Purdy and Logan Smothers, who are "just handling things better" compared with last week.

He described this week's practices the best yet for the two.

Whipple said the plan is to "see where everybody is at tomorrow afternoon. Casey has played enough that you can get him ready quicker. He's mentally there, been in the meetings. The two other guys got some game action, so I feel better about it."

Purdy started last week's game against Minnesota after Thompson suffered a nerve injury in his throwing arm the previous week against Illinois. Smothers replaced Purdy during the fourth quarter of the loss to Minnesota. 

Whoever is at quarterback, the receivers need to do better than they did against the Gophers, Whipple said, citing "dropped balls that cost us points" in the 20-13 setback.

On defense, Myles Farmer's suspension for a DUI charge opened up a starting safety spot. Defensive coordinator Bill Busch said DeShon Singleton, Phalen Sanford and Jaden Gould are in the mix there.

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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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