Nebraska fans breathed a collective sign of relief when learning that star running back Ameer Abdullah’s knee injury was not considered to be serious.
Per the Omaha World-Herald, head coach Bo Pelini said the injury, which occurred on the second offensive drive of the Huskers’ 35-14 win over Purdue, was a “mild” MCL sprain. The injury also includes a contusion where he was hit on the left knee. Additionally, in a bit of good timing, the Huskers (8-1, 4-1 Big Ten) have a bye this week, which will give Abdullah the ability to possibly heal up without missing any gametime.
“We’re very optimistic,” Pelini said of the chance Abdullah would be ready to play at Wisconsin on Nov. 15. “I’m optimistic. I can’t say for sure.”
Pelini said the injury was serious enough that he was unable to return to the game. Without him, Imani Cross and Terrell Newby put up a combined 108 yards with an average of 3.72 yards per carry – far below the 6.7 yard average Abdullah has put up so far this season.
A Heisman Trophy candidate, Abdullah led the country in rushing yards – 1,249 – coming into the Purdue game. Pelini would obviously like him back for a Wisconsin (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) game where first place in the Big Ten West could be on the line. If he’s not ready to go, Pelini has confidence that the rest of the offense can pick up the slack in Abdullah’s absence.
“Ameer’s a great player, but he’s not Superman,” Pelini said. “I don’t think that affected our other guys. If anything, it should make them want to rise up and play that much harder and rally around each other when a great player goes down”
For more Nebraska news, visit HuskerOnline.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah has MCL sprain, could return for Wisconsin game
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