Five burning questions heading into Wisconsin week

Nebraska’s running game has done pretty well the past two weeks despite being without its best all-around back in Tre Bryant, who’s been out since the second half at Oregon with a knee injury.

However, there’s a chance the standout sophomore, who recored back-to-back 100-yard games to start the year prior to being sidelined, could return to action this week against Wisconsin.

Depending on Bryant’s status, there could be a question of what the Huskers will do with their running back rotation once he returns.

The two-headed attack of Mikale Wilbon and Devine Ozigbo has done NU well in back-to-back Big Ten victories, especially with keeping both players fresh to close out games on the ground in the fourth quarter.

But Bryant was the clear No. 1 to open the season for a reason, and he lived up to that billing with his play the first six quarters of the year. So it’s no guarantee that Nebraska will stick with a committee approach if he’s full strength.

That said, the staff might also opt to take some of the workload off Bryant’s shoulders - more specifically his problematic knee - and stick with a rotation of him, Wilbon and Ozigbo.

After missing all of fall camp and the first five games of the regular season due to a knee injury he suffered during summer workouts, there is a growing hope that star cornerback Chris Jones could be back in action this week.

Shortly after his injury was announced, Jones tweeted that he would return to the field well before the projected four-to-six month recovery timeframe set for him.

The senior was able to put on a helmet and run through some non-contact drills last week, and on Sunday he again took to Twitter for the most positive update yet.

Could the Huskers be getting back one of their best overall defensive players just in time for a huge primetime showdown vs. division rival Wisconsin?

After three straight weeks of downright bad play, Tanner Lee took a massive step in the right direction with his impressive performance in Friday night’s win at Illinois.

The junior quarterback had far and away his best individual outing as a Husker, and most importantly he was very smart with the football and didn’t throw an interception.

Granted, Illinois might be one of the worst defenses in the Big Ten, but Lee made all of the plays he needed to and probably should have posted even better numbers had it not been for several easy dropped passes by his receivers.

Can Lee carry over that momentum this week against a significantly better Wisconsin defense?

The Badgers come to Lincoln ranked second in the conference in scoring defense (13.5 points per game), total defense (247.0 yards per game), rushing defense (74.3 ypg), and tied for first in interceptions (7).

While injuries shook up Nebraska’s offensive line the past two weeks, the Huskers seem to have found their best combination yet up front with the additions of Michael Decker at center and Brenden Jaimes at right tackle.

Decker looks to be locked in as the starter at center for the rest of the year, but it’s still unknown what NU wants to do at right tackle going forward.

David Knevel, who opened the year as the starter, could be back in the mix this week. Will Nebraska decide to go back to the experienced senior?

Or will the Huskers stick with the talented true freshman Jaimes, who has more than held his own in his first two collegiate starts?

The opponent this week could end up being a heavy factor in that decision, as Wisconsin will undoubtedly be the best front seven Nebraska has faced this season.

Nebraska might be entering this week as double-digit underdogs against Wisconsin, but something Las Vegas might not be considering is how good the Huskers have been in home night games over the years.

NU is a staggering 46-5 all-time in night games at Memorial Stadium, including the longest active home night game winning streak in the nation now at 20 in a row.

The last time the Huskers lost in a primetime home game was against Missouri in 2008, and they're undefeated since joining the Big Ten Conference. Included in that streak is a 30-27 win over Wisconsin back in 2012.

Can the 90,000 fans in Memorial Stadium once again provide the rowdy night game atmosphere Nebraska needs to pull off the upset?