Nebraska linemen Turner Corcoran, Ethan Piper suffer season ending injuries

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska football lost three offensive linemen to injuries in Saturday’s win over Northwestern.

Matt Rhule said Monday that Turner Corcoran and Ethan Piper will be out for the rest of the season.

Piper suffered a knee injury and Corcoran has a foot injury.

“We’re a pretty beat-up team right now,” Rhule said at the press conference.

Corcoran and Piper have started in every game this season.

Another offensive lineman, Nouredin Nouili, will also be out for one to two weeks with an injury, Rhule announced.

Wide receiver Billy Kemp is also expected to miss time with an MCL sprain.

LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska offensive tackle Turner Corcoran and guard Ethan Piper were lost for the season to injuries suffered Saturday in the Huskers’ victory against Northwestern, coach Matt Rhule said, and fellow starters Nouredin Nouili at guard and wide receiver Billy Kemp will miss multiple games.

Rhule said he’s never experienced “anything close” to the slew of injuries that have hit the Huskers offensively. In earlier games, wide receivers Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda and Marcus Washington were lost for the season in addition to running backs Rahmir Johnson and Gabe Ervin Jr.

The O-line had avoided problems until the seventh game of the season and has helped Nebraska rush for a Big Ten-leading 195.1 yards per game and 4.9 per rushing attempt.

“You know what, we press on,” Rhule said. “There’s no sadness in me. There’s sadness for my guys.”

The first-year coach said Nebraska has “enough players to win.” It is 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten as Purdue visits Memorial Stadium on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The Huskers are seeking their first three-game winning streak since 2016.

“I’m thankful for the backups who are now starters,” Rhule said. “These guys fight. They fight for the University of Nebraska.”

Kemp, a sixth-year senior, leads Nebraska in receptions and receiving yardage. He was hurt during the same second-quarter play as Piper, a quarterback scramble by Heinrich Haarberg. The injury, an MCL sprain, might keep Kemp out until early November.

True freshmen Jaidyn Doss and Jaylen Lloyd helped fill Kemp’s spot in the 19-7 victory on Saturday. And true freshman wide receiver Malachi Coleman snagged a 44-yard touchdown reception, the first of his career.