Mickey meets the media: Thompson on track to return – and more 48 hours before Wisconsin test
ByBRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON 111 minutes ago
Barring Casey Thompson waking up Friday morning feeling far worse, he's on track to make his return to the field for the Huskers on Saturday.
Mickey Joseph reiterated that hope following a spirited Thursday practice before his team takes on Wisconsin in the final Nebraska home game of 2022.
"A lot of energy at practice today. Thought the team came in and prepared today. They were well prepared today by the coaches and they came out and executed well in practice. So I'm very pleased with what I saw today," Joseph said.
More from Mickey on Thompson and other items.
HOW'D CASEY LOOK?
"Threw the ball well today. Threw the ball well."
Is there anything else you need to see from him before Saturday to feel good about playing him?
"Just hope he wakes up tomorrow feeling the same way. Hope he wakes up feeling good. But the last three days are good enough for me to see."
CAN HE PICK UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF WITH THE FULL OFFENSE AFTER THE LAYOFF OR DO YOU NARROW THINGS?
"Remember now, Casey has played a lot of football. It's not his first rodeo. He's played a lot of football so we can pick up where he left off at."
HAS THIS BEEN THE GAME YOU'VE BEEN TARGETING FOR A RETURN FOR HIM OR DID IT JUST FALL FALL THAT WAY?
"It was a matter of him feeling better and making sure that he can play at a high level. We didn't target this game. It was on how Casey felt."
SO HE'LL PLAY SATURDAY?
"Yes. Unless he wakes up tomorrow and he says, 'My whole elbow is numb.' OK? Yeah, he's going to play. I try to be honest with you guys. Because people, say, hey, they don't know if Casey's playing. Well, they're going to find out after the first snap. They're going to find out when he's warming up. So it's no secret. It's football. I'm not mad at you, I'm just mad at everybody that thinks it's a secret. Keep it a secret like they're going to prepare any differently. There haven't been any changes to play calling. That guy's a smart guy over there. He's going to see that, hey, they haven't been changing the play calling so I'm going to prepare the same way. And I would do the same."
WHAT'S IT DO FOR THE FULL OFFENSIVE UNIT JUST HAVING HIM BACK ON THE FIELD?
"Well, it gives you a lot of confidence right now with the offensive guys that he's back. Now we can push the ball down the field if we need to and he's also going to make sure we get in the right plays. He's going to be able to line the running back up. He's your starting quarterback. ... We've been playing with our second guy and our third guy the last couple weeks."
SOME YOUNGER GUYS ARE STEPPING UP ON DEFENSE BESIDES HAUSMANN – HARTZOG AND WRIGHT. HOW DOES THAT ENCOURAGE YOU?
"Yes, Hartzog and Javin Wright, I'm really impressed with those guys. Wright played 24 plays last week and he was solid. And Malcolm has just been solid this whole year. He's a kid that he just stays in the fight. He stays in the fight. He doesn't blink. You catch a ball on him, he stays in the fight and continues to give you every thing that he has."
WISCONSIN'S DEFENSE HAS MAYBE DROPPED A BIT FROM RECENT YEARS, BUT WHAT STANDS OUT ABOUT THAT TEST?
"I think they're a solid defense. I think they're a top 20 defense in some categories. They're a team that doesn't make mistakes. They're a team that's good inside with their interior guys and I think No. 19 (Nick Herbig) is a really good pass rusher and really good football player. So I think they have a solid, solid defense. We've got to execute to move the ball on these people."
HOWEVER IT SHAKES OUT, ON YOUR RADIO SHOW LAST NIGHT IT WAS OBVIOUS YOU HAVE A LOT OF SUPPORT. HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO STOCK OF THAT OR WHAT'S THAT MEAN TO YOU?
"You appreciate the support, and I'm sure Turd is going to do the best thing for the university. I always appreciate the support and my thing is I'm trying to help these kids move along and try to win the game and not focus on that (outside talk), because it's not about me. But you're happy that you have the support you have through the state."
YOU TALKED ABOUT BEING A LEADER OF YOUNG MEN. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MOST IMPORTANT TRAITS TO HAVE SUCCESS WITH THAT?
"That you tell them the truth. That you tell them the truth. Some coaches don't do that. They beat them with a pen. They let them get three or four things (wrong), and then they say, 'OK, now I'm going to kick you off because you did this and that...' No, you don't operate with kids like that. You don't operate with adults like that. That's bad people that do that, that beat you with a pen. When you make a mistake, (I'll) tell you that you made a mistake. When they make a mistake, I tell them the truth and they know that I care about them."
HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY?
"Since I came out of the womb. Ask my mom and my dad."
HAS WISCONSIN MADE MAJOR CHANGES UNDER JIM LEONHARD?
"No, they're the same. Some different players, but they're the same scheme-wise on both sides. They haven't changed."
IT'S BEEN A DISAPPOINTING LAST FEW WEEKS WITH WINS/LOSSES. IS THERE SOME MICKEY MAGIC DOWN THE STRETCH?
"I don't think it's any magic. It's about them coming out and playing 60 minutes, and that's what we ask them to do. We talked about it this morning that we have to put a 60-minute game together in all three phases. Let's try to do that. I think if we do that we're going to be able to get in here and compete and help us to win the game. But we've got to put 60 minutes together in all three phases."
WIND CHILL MIGHT BE IN THE TEENS SATURDAY. READY TO PLAY IN THE COLD?
"Yeah. I mean, we can't change the weather. We went out and practiced in it Tuesday and Wednesday so we're ready. We put them out there in the cold ... We always do special teams outside. They did some team periods outside. So they'll be prepared for it. This team really doesn't let the cold bother them. They didn't blink at Michigan when it started snowing and got a little chilly. They didn't blink. They kept on playing."
HOW MUCH DO YOU KEEP EMPHASIZING HOW LONG IT'S BEEN SINCE NEBRASKA BEAT WISCONSIN?
"They see it every morning – 2012. 2012. It's been since 2012. You just got to let that register with them. You've just got to let them know this is what's been going on. It sits in their mind and they think about it."
