Head coach Mike Riley announced that senior quarterback Tommy Armstrong "feels good" and is undergoing concussion protocol this week and is considered "day-to-day" going into Nebraska's game vs. Minnesota on Saturday.
"Tommy is going through the protocol for a concussion," Riley said. "He feels good. I think I can tell you that right off the bat. As this goes forward, we will know more about his availability day-to-day.
"These things, I don’t have a crystal ball in that way, and I can’t go out there and say he’s going to be ready to play or not ready to play until we get a little bit further through the process of what goes on in concussion protocol. But as far as how he feels, that’s all good news for us right now."
With six minutes remaining in the half in Saturday's loss at Ohio State, Armstrong took a rush around the left end and was hit as he was going out of bounds, falling with the side of this head hitting hard on the turf.
Armstrong lied motionless on the field for several minutes before being carted off the field and taken to a Columbus hospital. He did give a thumbs up as he was carted off, and he eventually walked back onto the sideline in sweats in the third quarter.
Riley said they would need to know either way on Armstrong's status by Thursday for him to have a chance to play vs. Minnesota. Riley said Armstrong likely wouldn't practice on Tuesday but he hopefully would be at practice on the sidelines with the coaches.
“I think what we have to initially focus on in the first couple of days, because he won’t be able to practice at that time, is for him to be engaged in the game plan,"Riley said. "Staying in tune with what we’re doing, keeping a good eye on it, studying film, kind of putting himself mentally into what’s going on in practice and being involved that way the best he can with what he’s going through.
"Then when he is physically able to practice, we’ll have to make a decision on that. What is that time when we say yes or no that he can play? Probably as far as physically being able to do something, it’s probably Thursday.”
Riley added: “My anticipation is that Tommy won’t be practicing tomorrow (Tuesday) and that he will be standing there with Danny Langsdorf watching. That would be a good scenario, if indeed the protocol stays its course. If something changes on that, then this whole plan would fall apart.”
Should Armstrong be ruled out, Riley said Ryker Fyfe would be the starter and Zack Darlington would be the No. 2. Riley said they don't want to pull Patrick O'Brien's redshirt at this point in the season.
"We will prepare both ways, basically," Riley said. "We will prepare as if we’re not going to have him and we will prepare for having him and therefore what can he do and what will he be most comfortable with. If he can play, that means that he has been cleared.
"That’s what we have to wait for. This is out of our hands, which is a good thing. The decisions will be made medically. So if he is cleared, then he will play and then we will determine what we will do with him."
