Mazzccua to Miss Illinois Game
Last Saturday prior to the Northern Iowa game, it was revealed that Nebraska Cornhusker starting RG Micah Mazzccua, arguably one of the best starters on the offensive line was out due to “coaches decision.” He was also notably absent from the sideline during the game. On Monday’s press conference, Husker Head Coach Matt Rhule stated Mazzccua would be also out for Friday’s game against Illinois, although he noted Mazzcua is still with the team, practicing and just “working through some things.” Guys, there is no reason to panic about this. Sorta like the Evan Cooper thing, we will likely never know what’s going on here unless Mazzccua tells us, and that’s ok. The key thing here is he is still with the team, and even practicing with the team. I would expect him back next Saturday on the road versus Purdue. In his absence, Henry Lutovsky started against Northern Iowa. Lutovsky also played against Colorado for a portion of the game, and there were no issues. He seems to slide into that roll without much drop-off. Now I get that we are going against a BIG10 team here, but I wouldn’t be overly concerned until we are given any reason too. Much ado was made about Turner Corcoran stepping into the LT position over the summer, and he has played just fine.
Jimari Butler Returns
In other news, Jimari Butler, Husker starting DE and a huge presence on the defense will be back on Friday night after being rested due to soreness during the Northern Iowa game. Having him back will be big on trying to both stop the Illinois run game and contain their mobile QB. Smart move by the coaching staff on a short week to get him healthy when we could play backups against Northern Iowa and did just fine.
Van Poppel Redshirt
Lastly, Riely Van Poppel, the talented Huskers defensive tackle will redshirt this year. He showed plenty of promise last year, but Rhule told him he could either play a handful of snaps each game this year and burn a year, or continue to develop, mature, and lift weights and “be Ty Robinson” next year. So, Van Poppel will redshirt. That bodes well for the future and depth of the Husker defensive line. Go big red!
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