Ameer Abdullah Injury: Updates on Nebraska Star's Knee and Return

Ameer Abdullah suffered a knee injury against Purdue. He will return to action against Wisconsin.

Continue for updates.

Saturday, Nov. 15 

Abdullah to Play on Saturday

Steve Beideck of the Omaha World Herald provides a photo of Abdullah suited up to play on Saturday:

"

Ameer is a-go #huskers @OWHbigred pic.twitter.com/LZiX6VEJbo

— Steve Beideck (@stevebeideck) November 15, 2014"

Tuesday, Nov. 11

Abdullah Practices With Brace

Sean Callahan of HuskerOnline.com reported on Ameer Abdullah from practice on Tuesday:

Monday, Nov. 10

Pelini Speaks on Abdullah's Recovery

Bo Pelini spoke about Ameer Abdullah's participation in practice last week and chances of playing vs. Wisconsin:

Tuesday, Nov. 4

Bo Pelini Updates Abdullah's Condition

Bo Pelini spoke about Ameer Abdullah's status following his knee injury, via Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune:

Saturday, Nov. 1

Ameer Abdullah is arguably the most important player on the Nebraska offense, which is why the latest development from the Cornhuskers is concerning.

The senior running back suffered a knee on a fumble recovery against Purdue in the first half. Matt Coatney of Huskers.com provided an update on his status:

ESPN's Brian Bennett revealed the diagnosis:

Nebraska had more from Bo Pelini after the game:

This is worrisome for Nebraska because of how productive Abdullah has been the last couple of years. During the 2013 season, he ran for 1,690 yards and nine touchdowns and added 232 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the passing game. He ran for 1,137 yards and eight touchdowns in 2012 and tallied 178 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air.

He has also been incredibly durable for the Cornhuskers, which is why this injury is somewhat surprising. He played in all 27 games the past two years for Nebraska, which helped him put up those big numbers.

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Abdullah has been an even bigger piece of the offense in 2014. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. is only a sophomore, and though he's improved this season, he's still leaned heavily on Abdullah. The tailback entered Saturday with 1,418 total yards and 19 touchdowns. 

Abdullah also had All-Big Ten aspirations heading into the season, and Ralph D. Brown of Channel 8 ABC believed that Braxton Miller’s injury opened the door for Abdullah to win some impressive hardware:

Remember, Ohio State's Miller won the past two Silver Footballs as the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player, so the award was up for grabs heading into the 2014 campaign. One of Abdullah’s biggest competitors is Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, and he had nothing but positive things to say about Abdullah, via Sam McKewon of Omaha.com.

“He’s so shifty, he’s so quick, he’s explosive and he’s stronger than most people think," Gordon said. "His cuts, they’re so on point. He’s exciting.”

Nebraska, which entered Saturday 7-1 and tied atop the Big Ten West Division, hopes to see some more of those cuts this season after this latest injury.

The Cornhuskers knocked off Georgia in the Gator Bowl last year and had eyes on carrying that momentum into this season. What’s more, they lost in the Big Ten Championship Game in 2012 to Wisconsin and have yet to win a conference title since coming to the league.

To get that proverbial monkey off their back this year, they'll likely need a healthy Abdullah on the field.