Nebraska has been dealing with a rash of injuries on the offensive side of the ball during the 2023 season. The running back position has been impacted as heavily as any Husker unit.
Gabe Ervin Jr. and Rahmir Johson are both done for the year after suffering injuries earlier in the season. Ervin dislocated his hip and Johnson dislocated his shoulder.
Ervin started the first two games for the Huskers and totaled 196 yards on 38 carries. He has 95 carries for 414 yards and three touchdowns for his career.
Johnson had 12 carries on the season for 65 yards, including a 44-yard run against Northern Illinois before his season ended. He’s amassed 739 yards in five seasons on 172 carries with six touchdowns.
The position has seen a three-man rotation of Emmett Johnson, Anthony Grant and Josh Fleeks. The leading rusher for Nebraska is quarterback Heinrich Haarberg, who has 424 rushing yards on the year.
Matt Rhule told the media that it’s still a work in progress.
“It’s one of those deals where Emmett (Johnson) can kind of do everything for us and Emmett had some good plays for us. Anthony (Grant) held on to the ball, Anthony had a great run on a run. Josh Fleeks is a guy we want to continue to get in the game so I think all three of those guys are going to continue to play and I’d like to have more plays. I’d like to have more tailback runs so hopefully we can continue to get those guys more involved but it’ll be all three of those guys pending a good week of practice and pending ball security.”
Nebraska will take the field again on Saturday when the Huskers welcome Purdue to Memorial Stadium. Find a gallery of Nebraska’s running backs below.