Five things we learned from Nebraska's Week 12 press conference

Nebraska football interim head coach Mickey Joseph and several Huskers met with reporters on Tuesday to preview this week’s road game at No. 5 Michigan.

Here are five of our biggest takeaways from what they had to say…

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Thompson doubtful, QB decision coming Thursday

Joseph didn’t sugarcoat Nebraska’s quarterback situation this week regarding the injury status of starter Casey Thompson.

While Joseph didn’t officially rule the junior out for this week’s trip to Michigan, he said Thompson did not practice on Tuesday. If Thompson cannot go on Wednesday, he will not be available to play on Saturday.

Joseph said Thompson’s biggest issue was gripping the football due to the “nerve damage” he suffered in his right throwing elbow against Illinois.

“Right now, just looking at him today, I probably would rule out Casey if he doesn’t go by tomorrow,” Joseph said. “If he doesn’t go by tomorrow, I’m going to have to rule him out. I look at these kids like my sons, so I’m not going to put him out there if he can’t go. 

“Casey is going to say he’s feeling better, but I’ve got to be smart with Casey and not put him out there if he can’t perform at a high level.”

With Thompson out, Joseph said Chubba Purdy and Logan Smothers would get equal looks this week in practice. Should Thompson remain out, a decision on this week’s starter will come following Thursday’s practice.

“I’m going to make a decision probably Thursday after I watch them both practice…” Joseph said. “Right now, I’m looking at both of them.”

Myles Farmer suspended following DUI arrest

On3 reported Tuesday morning that Nebraska starting safety Myles Farmer was arrested on Saturday on a DUI charge.

Shortly after On3’s report, Joseph announced in a statement that Farmer would be suspended for this week’s game at Michigan.

“I was informed on Sunday morning of an incident involving Myles Farmer this weekend,” Joseph said. “Myles is a good young man but understands he used poor judgment and made a mistake on Saturday night. The result of poor judgment and mistakes is consequences and discipline. 

“In addition to penalties he may face through the legal system, Myles is suspended for this week’s game at Michigan and will be subject to internal discipline.”

Farmer has started all nine games this season and played 683 snaps, 23 more than any other Husker defender. He ranks second on the team with 62 tackles, an interception, and three pass breakups.

Nebraska only played six defensive backs in last week’s loss to Minnesota, and Farmer had a career-high 14 tackles in the defeat. 

The only other safeties who saw the field in the game were junior walk-on Phalen Sanford and sophomore DeShon Singleton. Joseph said both players would be in the mix to replace Farmer in the starting lineup at Michigan.

Huskers hoping to get some help at running back

Considering Nebraska’s situation at quarterback and the caliber of the opponent on Saturday, Joseph is fully aware of how critical it will be for NU to run the football effectively.

Anthony Grant got back on track with 21 carries for 115 yards (5.5 ypc) against Minnesota. But the Huskers hope to get a key piece of their backfield rotation back this week.

Gabe Ervin Jr. has missed the past four games while dealing with a turf toe injury he suffered in the win over Indiana on Oct. 1. Joseph said the redshirt freshman was back at practice this week. Barring any setbacks, Ervin could be available to play at Michigan.

“Gabe looked good today,” Joseph said. “We worked him out yesterday with the trainers and just running through some things, and he looked good today. But he’s got turf toe. I’ve had turf toe before, and it’s a tricky injury. It can come, and it can go. But he practiced today.”

Whether it’s Grant, Ervin, or any other running back, NU knows it must commit to its ground game. Left guard Ethan Piper said a big part of that would be the offensive line giving Joseph enough trust in them to stick with the run.

“We have to give Mickey the confidence that we can get four yards a carry,” Piper said. “That starts in practice. We’ve just got to be more physical and try to impose our will on the opponent.”

Michigan’s Blake Corum the latest top running back on NU’s schedule

Nebraska’s defense has tried to slow down two of the nation’s best running backs the past two weeks in Illinois’ Chase Brown and then Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim.

The road doesn’t get any easier this week, as next up is Michigan’s Blake Corum. On Monday, Wolverine head coach Jim Harbaugh called the 5-foot-8, 210-pound junior “the best running back I’ve coached.”

That’s high praise from a coach who has had the likes of Toby Gerhart at Stanford (1,861 yards, 28 TDs in 2009) and Hassan Haskins last season (1,327 yards, 20 TDs). But Harbaugh meant what he said.

“Blake has meant even more to this 2022 team than Toby did that season,” Harbaugh said. “I think the only exception would be Frank Gore, who I was able to coach (with the San Francisco 49ers).”

Corum ranks fourth in the country in rushing yards (1,187) and is tied for the national lead with 16 touchdowns. He’s eclipsed 100 yards in six straight games and now boasts the third-highest odds (+600) to win the Heisman Trophy, trailing only Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker.

“He’s a really good player, probably one of the best backs in the country,” Joseph said. “I think he’s getting Heisman votes right now. If you watch the film, he runs low to the ground, he runs with violence, and he has a really good burst. He sees it, and he busts through. He’s a really good football player.”

Nebraska not deterred as massive underdogs 

According to gambling sportsbooks, Nebraska is listed anywhere from a 28.5 to 29.5-point underdog this week at Michigan.

Depending on how those lines move between now and Saturday, the Huskers could be the largest underdogs they’ve been in the last 25 years. The highest spread during that span was in 2004 when NU was a 29.5-point dog at Oklahoma.

Vegas’ lack of faith in Nebraska this week is no secret to Joseph and his team. Joseph made it clear that this was rare territory when asked if he’d ever been that heavy of an underdog.

“You talking about when I played? Absolutely not. Never been an underdog like that,” Joseph said. “But it happens… It means (Vegas oddsmakers) think they’re four touchdowns better than you. But you’ve still got to kick the football off. We’ve got to play at a top level for 60 minutes, but we’re not going to back down. 

“We’re not going to throw in the towel. These kids will not do that, and the coaches won’t do that.”

For the players, Piper said the Huskers were doing their best to embrace an underdog mentality. At the same time, he said it was critical that NU didn’t let Michigan beat them mentally before the game even kicked off.

“At the end of the day, it’s Michigan, but it’s just guys out there,” Piper said. “They have weaknesses like everybody else, and we’ve just got to be able to exploit those. We’ve got to play it like any other game. When you start looking at stuff like that, that gets in your head. You have to take that outside noise and just turn it off…

“Just have that mentality that we have nothing to lose at this point and go guns blazing.”