Thursday notebook: Jones, Kalu set to return vs. Wisconson

As one of the biggest games of Nebraska’s 2017 season draws near, the Huskers got some of the best news they’ve heard all year on Thursday.

Head coach Mike Riley announced that senior cornerback Chris Jones, who has been out since July with a torn meniscus, and senior safety Joshua Kalu, who has been out since the Oregon game with a hamstring injury, would both be back in the mix for NU’s showdown with No. 9 Wisconsin on Saturday night.

The biggest surprise is Jones, who was given a four-to-six month recovery time frame but was cleared to return to practice this week less than three months after suffering the injury.

“He’s cleared to play,” Riley said. “He won’t play full-time, but we anticipate him getting some action during the game.”

Riley said Jones has impressed everyone with how quickly he’s bounced back from what was initially considered a potentially season-ending knee injury.

“Chris looks good,” Riley said. “You don’t get cleared from that kind of injury without really being able to do all of the physical things that they put them through and the tests. So he looks fine, looks confident.

“Now, it’s been a long time since he’s played football. He had these four days of practice, and then he hadn’t done anything since spring ball. So it’s been awhile, but it’s good to have him back.”

Riley added that he had no clue when or if Jones would be available to play again this season, but his optimism definitely increased with every positive report he got from Nebraska’s medical staff.

“I get all my ideas from the medical staff, and when he passes all of his tests with flying colors and does a nice job and he’s given back to us…” Riley said.

“Now I did see him working out, and it was encouraging. I think both the medical staff and Chris did a great, great job getting ready to go. He’s very excited about his health and how he feels, so we’re all glad that he feels that good.”

As for Kalu, Riley said on Monday that the senior possibly could have played last week at Illinois but the staff decided to give him one more week of recovery before bringing him back into the mix.

It remains to be seen if Kalu will rejoin the starting lineup opposite Aaron Williams, but Riley said the Houston, Texas, native was physically ready to go for whatever workload he ends up getting.

“Well I think he’s come back in pretty good shape,” Riley said. “They’ve worked these guys pretty hard in their proactive rehab. He’s in pretty good shape.

“You have to remember, Josh Kalu has played like six quarters of safety in his life, so it’s not like a guy who’s been playing his whole career is coming back to play safety. However, we are also very glad to have him. He’s instinctive, he’s tough, and it’s a great addition.”

One of the biggest questions facing No. 9 Wisconsin as it prepares for Saturday night’s showdown in Lincoln is the status of one of its best all-around offensive players, tight end Troy Fumagalli.

Given the damage the senior has done in his previous three meetings with Nebraska, the Huskers might be keeping just as close of an eye on his availability as well.

Fumagalli missed last week’s win over Northwestern due to a left leg injury. Though he was able to return to practice this week, Fumagalli was still listed as “questionable” on UW’s official injury report on Thursday.

Despite sitting out last week, the preseason All-American still leads the Badgers in receiving with 15 catches for 236 yards and is tied for the team lead with three touchdowns through three games in 2017.

Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst told local reporters that Fumagalli probably could have played vs. the Wildcats but was ruled out just before kickoff. Based on what he’s seen from the 6-foot-6, 248-pounder this week in practice, Chryst said he was encouraged about his availability for Saturday night.

"Troy has been able to work every day this week, and each day do a little bit more," Chryst said. "I feel good barring any setback in today's work."

Should Fumagalli make his return vs. Nebraska, the Huskers will have to account for a player who has racked up 11 receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown over his past three games against NU.

In 2015, he hauled in a 23-yard catch in the final minute to help set up UW’s winning walk-off field goal as time expired.

“He can do it all,” NU linebackers coach Trent Bray said. “He can block inline, he moves around, he’s obviously a really good receiver. He’s an all-around tight end, so he causes some problems. We’ve got to know where he’s at and whether it’s a safety, a linebacker, whoever’s on him needs to know and make sure they’re on him and being disruptive.”

Even if Fumagalli ends up missing a second straight game, Nebraska defensive coordinator Bob Diaco said the Badgers’ have two other talented tight ends who the Huskers would still have to take into account.

Diaco said junior Zander Neuville (three catches for 33 yards and a touchdown this season) was another tight end who stood out on film this week, and sophomore Kyle Penniston (three catches for 28 yards) was a versatile H-back weapon out of the backfield.

“They are three talented tight ends,” Diaco said. “I think you’d be hard-pressed to think we’d see better tight ends in the league than them. Maybe ‘as good’, but not better. They’re excellent. They create a problem.”

When trying to gauge where Wisconsin’s defense will rank compared to the other units Nebraska has faced thus far this season, the numbers speak for themselves.

The Badgers come into Saturday night’s game boasting one of the stingiest defenses in college football, ranking fourth nationally in total defense (247.0 yards per game) and rushing defense (74.3 ypg), eighth in scoring defense (13.5 points per game), and 23rd in passing defense (172.8 ypg).

Not only that, the Badgers are tied for the Big Ten lead with seven interceptions as a team, having returned two of those for touchdowns. They also rank second in the league with 16 sacks, eight of which coming in last week’s win over Northwestern alone.

Nebraska offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf said all of those numbers have been taken into consideration while formulating the game plan this week and doing all they can to help quarterback Tanner Lee.

“I think you really have to be smart about the protections that you use and the route selection,” Langsdorf said. “The patterns downfield, you need to have some protection in there, and if you’re going to try and push it, you’ve got to be smart about it and not give up hits, sacks, try to force balls into tough situations.

“They do a nice job in coverage with changing things up, so it’s going to be about being smart about the planning and making sure we put the quarterback and the offense in good situations.”

Maybe the biggest concern for the Huskers is that two of their most worrisome issues this season have been turnovers and pass protection. However, Lee is coming off his best game yet in last week’s win at Illinois, and the offensive line has put together two straight solid efforts.

Lee, who still leads all of FBS with nine interceptions this season, said he knows his decisions with the ball and not making bad plays worse would be just as important as the offensive line’s ability to keep him upright in the pocket.

“A lot of situations a punt is a win,” Lee said. “Caleb (Lightbourn) has been doing a great job, so being able to help our defense out with field position is really good.”

With Tre Bryant already ruled out for a third straight week and Mikale Wilbon listed as questionable at best, there’s an increasing chance that Devine Ozigbo could go from the milk carton to the starting lineup on Saturday night.

After receiving just 21 carries over a span of 10 games dating back to last season, Ozigbo has emerged as a fixture in Nebraska’s running game the past two weeks, surpassing 100 yards rushing in wins over Rutgers and Illinois.

Prior to the last two games, Ozigbo had just two carries for eight yards on the year.

“Definitely at first, when the season started, I was a little down, but I just had to continue to work in case my number got called,” Ozigbo said. “Having a thing like this, it’s a blessing, so I just thank God every day and continue to work.”

The bulk of the junior’s workload during that span has come in the second half, as he gained 85 of his 101 yards against Rutgers and 84 of his 106 yards at Illinois after halftime.

While Wilbon has been the starter since Bryant went down, it’s been all Ozigbo for the Huskers when they've needed to close games out down the stretch.

“Well we love it as a staff and a team, and I think as a state they love it, know what I mean?” running backs coach Reggie Davis said of Ozigbo’s late-game running. “It’s great to see. It’s great to have that element of your run game, that physical element, and that’s what we talked about and he went out and did that.”

***Riley said linebacker Marcus Newby (hamstring) has practiced all week and will play vs. Wisconsin. Whether he will start has yet to be determined.

***Riley said running back Mikale Wilbon (ankle) did not practice again on Thursday but was feeling “much better”. Wilbon is considered questionable for Saturday, and they’ll evaluate his progress again on Friday.

***Riley said true freshman Brenden Jaimes would start again at right tackle against Wisconsin, but senior David Knevel would be available as well. Sophomore Michael Decker will also get the start at center.

***Asked the biggest keys to victory on Saturday night, Riley said running the ball, protecting the quarterback, and being good on the “critical downs” (third down, red zone, etc.) were crucial on offense. On defense, he said having “great eyes” in the secondary and not giving up big pass plays in play-action would be huge.

***Riley said regardless of who starts at safety, they want to continue to get Antonio Reed involved in the games a lot the rest of the season. Riley said Reed has really grown over the past few weeks and want to keep that trajectory going up.

"We want to keep Antonio Reed active and playing in the game," Riley said. "He’s been a good player. With him and Aaron (Williams) playing at safety, the defense has actually grown and done a nice job, so we want to keep Antonio active. We really like him.”

***Riley said members of the 1997 national championship team, which will be honored on Saturday night, have been invited to attend Friday’s practice.

***Former NU offensive lineman and current Baltimore Raven Alex Lewis was in attendance for Thursday’s practice.