Nebraska’s injury picture is clearing up at just the right time, and the biggest name trending in the right direction is Riley Van Poppel.
After missing both the Indiana and Oregon games, Van Poppel has gone from questionable to probable and then off the availability report entirely this week. That’s a strong sign the defensive lineman will be back on Halloween night when Nebraska faces Washington, though the final Big Ten availability report later Saturday could still change things.
For the Huskers, getting Van Poppel back matters. Washington wants to throw the ball, and Nebraska could use another veteran presence in the trenches who can get after the quarterback. With the Blackout on deck, his return would give the defense a timely boost.
Isaiah Mozee followed a similar path. The running back spent most of the week listed as doubtful, but by Friday he also disappeared from the report. In this setup, being off the report usually points to a player being ready to go.
Not every Nebraska injury note broke that way, though. Offensive lineman Gunnar Gottula and safety Jamir Conn are still expected to be unavailable.
Conn has been working through a lower leg injury for several weeks and will miss Saturday’s game. Gottula took a concussion against Oregon and had been trending toward playing before being moved to out on Thursday.
Washington has its own quarterback situation to sort out. Demond Williams, who was listed as doubtful earlier in the week, has since moved to probable. Huskies coach Jedd Fisch said earlier this week he would not reveal whether Williams or Elijah Brown would start against Nebraska, and he has stuck to that.
Nebraska and Washington kick off at 7 p.m. Saturday night, with the Huskers set for a Blackout. Nebraska will wear black and red uniforms, fans will have black balloons ready to release after the first NU score, and the field itself has been dressed up with a Halloween Blackout theme.
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Johnson also put the current challenge in modern terms, noting how much harder it is now to keep a roster together and keep recruiting moving in the right direction. He pointed to quarterback Anthony Colandreas ability and the need for more balanced weapons around him, a reminder that Nebraskas late-game issues are tied not just to execution, but to the broader task of building a team that can hold up when the game tightens. [Read more 🡒]