Pickering on track to return at kicker

Nebraska coaches and players always talk about having a "next man up" mentality because you never know when you might be called upon.

That scenario played out at the kicker position for the Huskers last weekend against South Alabama, as Barret Pickering was a late scratch from the game and true freshman Lincoln native Dylan Jorgensen was thrust into the spotlight.

Jorgensen had some good and some bad in his debut, but the Huskers would certainly like to have Pickering back in the fold when they travel to Colorado this weekend for a game in which the Huskers are just 3.5-point favorites.

The good news for NU is that, according to special teams coach Jovan Dewitt on Tuesday, Pickering looks to be on his way to return to action this week.

“Oh yeah, he’ll be fine," Dewitt said. "It is what it is. Sometimes you get those things, and it happens. It was just a freak soft tissue thing that I’ve never seen before.”

On Monday, head coach Scott Frost was asked about the kicking situation and declined to get into specifics about Pickering's status.

“You know we don’t talk about injuries, so good try," Frost said.

Dewitt added that he was proud of the way Jorgensen stepped up in Pickering's absence on Saturday. He compared Jorgensen's debut to that of Pickering's a year ago and said consistency in their approach is key.

“For him, it’s going to be a matter of consistency on his approach," Dewitt said about Jorgensen. "We saw it last year with Barret at the beginning of the season where he was, inconsistent would be the nice way to put it in terms of his kicking. Then he got better and better as the year went on. They have to learn that when they come to this level they have to be more consistent all of the time.”