Nebraska's Playoff Hopes Rest on Ameer Abdullah's Health

The road to the College Football Playoffs isn't an easy one for Nebraska. It's only been made more difficult with I-back Ameer Abdullah's injury.

Against Purdue, Abdullah suffered a "mild MCL sprain." The injury came in the first quarter as the senior tried to recover a loose ball near the goal line. Bo Pelini confirmed Abdullah's injury during the postgame press conference, adding that he'd already had an MRI and the staff was "optimistic."

However, even Pelini knows he can't make guarantees about Abdullah's status against Wisconsin. "We feel really good about where he is. I'm optimistic about that, yeah," Pelini said. "But I can't say for sure, and I don't know that."

With a positive but uncertain diagnosis, it's now about whether or not the No. 15-ranked Huskers can stay in contention for the playoffs without Abdullah. If nothing else, it's going to be a major challenge.

Abdullah has become the X-factor of the Nebraska offense in 2014. Whether the team wants to admit that out loud, the lack of Abdullah on the field does show. After all, the numbers the I-back has put up so far this season are impressive.

Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
180	1,249	6.9	57	17

Pelini, however, believes it doesn't all fall on Abdullah's shoulders. "I mean if it did, then we're not mentally tough enough to get done what we need to get done," Pelini said. "Heck, Ameer's a great player, but he's not Superman."

And he's right. Abdullah isn't Superman, but he has been a major asset to the Nebraska offense. Without him, things just don't seem to work as well. That doesn't mean the offense shuts down without him.

"I don't think it affected our other guys," Pelini said. "If anything, it should make them want to rise up and play that much harder and rally around each other when a great player goes out."

In his absence, Imani Cross and Terrell Newby did step up. Cross had 66 yards and two touchdowns on 20 attempts. Newby, on the other hand, had 42 yards and one touchdown on nine attempts.

And, of course, the Huskers ultimately won 35-14. But it was still a performance Pelini called sloppy. "That's about it," he said when assessing the offense.

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

Was that because Abdullah was out? Quarterback Tommy Armstrong was clear that the offense approached Purdue the same, with or without Abdullah.

"The game plan never changed," Armstrong said. "We have athletes all over the field. Unfortunately he went down, but we had guys that stepped up. That's their job. They play every game like they're a starter and they did a great job."

Yet, the offense was still sloppy, as Pelini pointed out multiple times. Even Armstrong noted that the offense was struggling with communication, which was creating issues. Can the fact that Abdullah was on the sidelines be a primary reason the offense had those struggles?

"You know, let's not read too much into this," Pelini said. "At the end of the day, we were sloppy at times. We did some good things. We've got to keep improving. That's what the next two weeks is about for us."

Ultimately, Abdullah needs to get healthy. That is the first priority for the senior. With the bye week up next, it allows Abdullah to heal and the offense to get back on track.

It's hard to say a team is based around one player. For Nebraska, at least on the offensive side of the ball, Abdullah is a major component of the team. When he's in the game, his impact is noticeable.

Even when Abdullah is healthy but limited by an opposing defense, it's clear the Huskers struggle. The two games prior to Purdue in which that happened were against McNeese State and Michigan State. While the Huskers only lost to the Spartans, both teams recognized the important of Abdullah and held him to 54 and 45 yards, respectively.

Armstrong was clear that Nebraska's performance against Purdue would not fly against a team like Wisconsin or Iowa. He and his teammates know that's something they'll have to get sorted out during the bye week.

"We all understand what's at stake," Cross said. "That's the Big Ten Championship."

It's also the playoffs. For the Huskers to keep the hopes alive for both, Abdullah will need to get healthy. If he does not, November could end up being a much rockier road for Nebraska than previously expected.

All quotes were obtained firsthand, unless otherwise noted.