Husker Big Red Daily: Nebraska injury report vs. Washington is a mixed bag, volleyball hits the road, recruiting buzz

Welcome to Husker Big Red Daily, your daily stop for the latest Nebraska football news, recruiting buzz, transfer portal updates, and Huskers headlines. Here’s a quick look at the latest storylines surrounding Nebraska athletics.

Nebraska football head coach Matt Rhule announced on the radio on Thursday night that Riley Van Poppel will be back this Saturday for the Washington game.

Van Poppel has missed the last two games with an injury. He had four tackles for loss and two sacks last season. Getting him back will be critical for the defensive front, especially with Anthony Jones being out.

However, some new concerns were raised on the Thursday injury report for the Nebraska-Washington game, as Gunnar Gottula, who wasn’t on Wednesday’s injury report, is now listed as out for the game on Saturday.

Worse, linebacker Vincent Shavers, who is really coming into his own, is now questionable. Isaiah Mozee is probable, though, and seems likely to return.

Washington quarterback Demond Williams was upgraded to probable for Saturday’s game. He has eight touchdown passes and three interceptions. Jedd Fisch has said the starting quarterback won’t be announced before the game.

Nebraska football recruiting buzz

The Huskers will have more than 50 recruits on campus this weekend for the Blackout game against Washington. Ahmad Hudson isn’t on the list as of right now.

There is a five-star visiting, though, in offensive tackle Antijuan Wilkes Jr., a 6-foot-5 offensive tackle out of Detroit. He’s ranked 15th overall by Rivals in the 2028 class. Missouri four-star tight end Israel Johnigan will be back on campus, as will in-state EDGE Owen Price, along with three-star running back Noel Washington from California.

It feels like the Huskers have the lead for Johnigan, Price and Washington.

Nebraska volleyball hits the road

The Huskers will have two matches on the road this week, starting tonight in Ann Arbor against Michigan. The Wolverines are 13-8 overall and 4-6 in the Big Ten. Their RPI is 46.

Michigan is a team that needs some impressive wins to reach the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row. Knocking off the No. 1 would certainly help.

Michigan is a strong hitting team, ranking 23rd in kills per set and 20th in assists per set. Ella Demetrician is a player to watch. She leads the Big Ten in kills with 319 and is third in kills per set with 4.14.

Nebraska volleyball has the best hitting-percentage defense in college volleyball. The Huskers also have the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, Andi Jackson. This was the third week in a row a Husker won the award.

Harper Murray is from Ann Arbor. Her late father played football for Michigan, so it will be an emotional day for the Nebraska volleyball superstar, who is coming on strong during conference play. In eight matches during the month of October, Murray has totaled 95 kills at a clip of 4.13 per set while hitting .330. The Huskers are tied with Pitt for the best hitting percentage in college volleyball at .332.

On Saturday, Nebraska will play at No. 25 Michigan State. The Spartans are 17-3 overall and 7-3 in the Big Ten.

It’s the best start ever for Michigan State volleyball. Alanna Bankston notched 24 kills last week for the Spartans. Madi Andrews, a freshman, is another who had 12 kills in a win over Maryland.

Nebraska will play Michigan at 5:30 on Friday night. The Michigan State match is set for 3:30 p.m. Both will be streamed on BTN+.

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