It’s official: Nebraska linebacker Nick Henrich is out for the season.
Huskers athletic director Trev Alberts alluded to Henrich being out for the year during his radio appearance last week, but during Tuesday’s press conference Nebraska interim coach Mickey Joseph confirmed that Henrich “will be out for the year” with a knee injury.
Henrich, who suffered a broken hand during the season opener against Northwestern, returned for the Huskers’ game against Oklahoma and also played against Indiana and Rutgers. However, he suffered his latest injury against Purdue, going down with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter and clutching his knee.
Sources indicated to Inside Nebraska that the injury is a torn ACL, but Joseph did not confirm the severity of the injury other than the fact that it is a knee injury.
“I feel terrible for Nick. I love that young man,” Alberts said last week. “He’s a really, really smart football player, physical football player. Our defense is going to miss Nick and hopefully we can get Luke (Reimer) back. Not sure where he is (in regard to a return). But that’s part of what happens in football, in particular in the Big Ten. This is a very physical league, and it’s never going to be easy. But this is a great opportunity. We’ve seen young men step up before when needed them.
“But (with) Nick, I talked to him a little bit, and he said ‘I still have a great chance to lead. I’m still a captain, and I’m still going to do my part.’ And that’s the type of young man he is.”
Joseph said that Chris Kolarevic will seen an increased role in the linebacker group, and Joseph also said that the team feels “good” about Reimer returning.