Mickey Joseph says Casey Thompson is a 'game-time decision' for Minnesota game

Nebraska quarterback Casey Thompson’s status for Saturday against Minnesota remains in question as interim head coach Mickey Joseph said on Thursday that the injured quarterback returned to practice in a limited capacity.

Thompson appeared to hurt his right arm or hand in the first half against Illinois last weekend and did not return to the game. Joseph said a decision on Thompson will come right before kickoff.

“So Casey’s going to have to be — we’ve got a game-time decision on Casey to see if he’s able to go,” Joseph said.

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When Thompson went down, Nebraska initially put Logan Smothers into the game at quarterback instead of the usual backup, Chubba Purdy.

Joseph said on Thursday that both Smothers and Purdy had been taking reps in practice, though it seems Purdy would be in line to get the start should Thompson be held out.

“Casey went a little bit yesterday,” Joseph said. “Chubba took most of the reps, him and Logan, but Casey went a little bit yesterday.”

Joseph shared his message for Purdy during the week

Purdy played the entire second half against Illinois after Thompson left with the injury, finishing just 3-of-8 passing for 15 yards and an interception. In his Tuesday press conference, Joseph addressed his young quarterback’s struggles and how the coaching staff is working to put him in a better mindset going forward.

“Chubba just has to settle down,” Joseph said. “He has to breathe at that position. He can’t let his emotions take over. He has to be a true leader out there. I thought he was trying to make plays, but he’s got to understand the situation we was in at that time when he threw the pick. We already had three points, so let’s make the score 20-12. You throw a pick and they go and kick a field goal and now they’re up 23-9. So he’s got to understand situations.

“I thought he had a really good day today just talking. Chubba’s a kid you’ve got to talk to every play. Sometimes you don’t wanna do that with quarterbacks, but it’s a little different with Chubba. He’s young. Chubba’s a young quarterback without a bunch of reps. So we’ve got to make sure this week we do a really good job with him reminding him what situation he’s in. If it’s not there, throw it away. If it’s not there, run.”