Burkhead injury gives other I-backs opportunities

Nebraska I-back Rex Burkhead is out indefinitely after suffering a foot injury during practice Monday afternoon, coach Bo Pelini said Tuesday.

Neither Pelini nor running back coach Tim Beck said they knew the severity of the injury or how long Burkhead would have to sit out.

"I don't know if it's a crack, a sprain - to be honest with you, I just know he's out," Beck said.

Burkhead suffered a bit of a freak injury at the end of the practice. He caught a screen pass and ran for a touchdown on the play but went down after crossing the goal line.

"My back was turned on that, and he never came back to the huddle," Beck said. "I thought he'd just rolled his ankle on something. Next thing I knew, he was hobbling off the field."

Burkhead quickly emerged as NU's No. 2 back behind Roy Helu Jr., following the dismissal of Quentin Castille in late August. The true freshman showed a strong balance of speed and toughness in the role, rushing for 118 yards and a touchdown and catching eight passes for 68 yards and another score in five games.

He also returned punts and kickoffs for NU and took over as the team's top punt returner in the second half of last week's win against Missouri after Niles Paul struggled handling punts in the rain.

Following Tuesday's practice, offensive coordinator Shawn Watson downplayed the effect Burkhead's absence will have on NU's offense and said there's no time to dwell on the loss.

"It's life, you move forward," Watson said. "We don't panic about stuff like that around here. We have a next guy. That's why we have more than two guys on scholarship. We're in good shape."

The next guy for NU has yet to be determined, though, and this week's practices will serve as an open audition between five I-backs who have combined for six carries this season.

Lester Ward was deemed the Huskers' third-string back entering the season, but Beck said the four rushers behind him have closed that gap.

"The other guys have picked up their games," Beck said. "They know the offense better and understand things better now. I felt it was only fair to open it up and let them all compete for the job."

Battling with Ward for the spot are Marcus Mendoza, Austin Jones, Collins Okafor and Dontrayevous Robinson. All five rotated in equally with the first-string offense during Tuesday's practice.

Ward, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound redshirt freshman, has one carry for eight yards on the year and admitted it has been frustrating to watch games from the sidelines.

"It's very tough, especially when you don't really consider yourself as a third-string running back," he said. "But it's one of those things where you keep your head up and keep moving forward and go for it."