Starting OL Ethan Piper and Turner Corcoran suffer season-ending injuries
The Huskers are the walking wounded right now. Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule announced on Monday that the team has suffered two more season-ending injuries, both to starters on the left side of the offensive line.
Starting left tackle Turner Corcoran and starting left guard Ethan Piper are both done for the year. Corcoran will have foot surgery, and Piper will have knee surgery after they both got hurt on Saturday against Northwestern.
In addition, starting right guard Nouri Nouili will miss "1-2 weeks" as he is undergoing a surgery on Monday. Rhule also announced that starting slot receiver Billy Kemp suffered an MCL sprain and will be out "multiple weeks."
“We’re a pretty beat-up team right now. ... We’ll have to have some guys step up," Rhule said. "We have lots of guys who have started games on the offensive line.”
Among those who will be called upon to step up and fill the three starters' shoes are left tackle Teddy Prochazka, guard Henry Lutovsky and interior lineman Justin Evans-Jenkins.
Rhule's final injury update was defensive back Tommi Hill, who will be "day-to-day" with an injury but "Tommi has kind of super-human healing powers. I’m sure he’ll be back. He’ll probably be at practice tomorrow, but he’ll be day-to-day.”
Nebraska's roster has sustained a handful of season-ending injuries this season, most of which have come on the offensive side of the ball. Running backs Gabe Ervin Jr. and Rahmir Johnson as well as receivers Marcus Washington and Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda have all seen their seasons come to an early end with an injury. Rhule's Monday announcement is the latest crushing news for an offensive depth chart that has been completely decimated with injuries.
Piper, a fifth-year junior, has started every game this season and is one of the leaders of the team.
In Piper's place, Evans-Jenkins played 39 total snaps, mostly at left guard. When starting center Ben Scott got banged up and briefly left the game in the second half, Evans-Jenkins shifted to center while backup Lutovsky played right guard and starter Nouili at left guard.
Piper was hurt in the first half on what was a 20-yard run from quarterback Heinrich Haarberg. It was a costly snap as receiver Kemp was also injured on the play. Piper needed help from two teammates to get to the sideline and was carted off the field. Kemp slowly walked off the field under his own power.
Hill was injured in the game, just before halftime. After the game, Rhule said Hill was held out of the second half after tests.
Injuries to Corcoran and Nouili was much more surprising news on Monday, as neither seemed to have been banged up against Northwestern. Either way, that is now a total of seven starters or key backups to have suffered season-ending injuries on the Huskers' offense this season.