It’s looking more and more likely that Nebraska’s starting quarterback will be available for Week 12. Whether he starts seems to be another matter entirely.
In the second quarter of last Saturday’s embarrassing beatdown at the hands of Minnesota, Tanner Lee suffered a head injury that knocked him out of the game and left him in concussion protocol ever since. With No. 10 Penn State looming this Saturday, all signs are pointing toward Lee being cleared.
“He’s actually going through the protocol and if he does not have a setback as of today -- if everything checks out OK after this practice, heading into tomorrow’s walkthrough -- he will be cleared to play,” Mike Riley said according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
The embattled head coach stopped short of declaring the redshirt junior would be the starter if cleared, saying that’s something "[w]e’re going to talk about” prior to kickoff. If Lee doesn’t get the start, those duties would fall to redshirt freshman Patrick O’Brien.
Only two quarterbacks at the FBS level have thrown more interceptions this season than Lee’s 13. On the other hand, his 2,539 yards passing are more than all but three other Big Ten quarterbacks.
Nebraska needs to win its last two games, at No. 10 Penn State and at home against 6-4 Iowa in the Black Friday regular-season finale, to become bowl-eligible.