HuskerSteve_CO

while the article was written for the Utah Free Press, keep in mind that the author of the article, Richard Okelberry, grew up in Omaha, NE

The only time we'll see Tyler Gabbert here in Linoln, is when Missou comes to town. Just saying.

That is a valid point, but we also lose both starting safeties and beyond that not a lot of depth nor experience. Looking at the depth chart next year we have: Hagg (who has played a hybrid cb/saf role) P.J. Smith (played against OU when Asante got hurt - but not a lot of experience otherwise) Courtney Osborne (really good at hosting recruits) Dijon Washington (true freshmen) Adding an experienced and healthy Thenarse to the mix can only help. I'd keep him off of special teams to try and keep him healthy.

Thanks! Of course participation % is only one of the variables when the NCAA considers the Medical petition. Before I add to the Thenarse situation, a couple of case examples to illustrate my point - that it is more than participation % alone: Case 1 - TechTech player has a season ending injury in the first game of the season, and petitions the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility. Petition was denied. Athlete had used his Redshirt for non-medical reasons in his Freshmen year, played the next 4 years, and was hurt in his final year. 6th year was denied becasue of how he used his Redshirt and the subsequent 4 years of competition. Case 2 - OU QB has a season ending injury in the 3rd game of the year, and petitions the NCAA for a 6th year. Petition approved. While he also used his Redshirt in his Freshmen year, he had season ending injuries in both his Junior and Senior seasons (both in the first half of the seasons), and the NCAA took this into consideration when they approved the 6th year. Some may remember he actually had one of those season ending injuries in a game aginst us. NCAA athletes are granted 5 years to have 4 years of competition. Basically the 5 to play 4 rule. So, now in regards to Thenarse and how the variables actually may play into his favor. Thenarse will be petitioning the NCAA for a 5th year of eligibility. Ricky did not use his Redshirt, and played 4 in 4. I think that specfic variable will add to the strength of his arguement.

I think Green starts: - if Green struggles early Lee has proven (ok 1 game) that he can come off the bench and manage the game - if they start Lee, and he struggles, I'm not sure Green can come off the bench and rally the team. Since neither QB has outdistanced themself from the other QB, I personally like Lee off the bench better than Green should the game come to that.

The athletic med staff will fill out the paperwork after the season, and yes he will get it, no problem football is 20% of the games or rounded up, so 4 games. He played in 3 and was out for the season, no question he will be in a husker uni next year Numbers are close, but not quite. The NCAA a few years ago increased the participation rate to 30% of a teams regularly scheduled contests. So, with a 12 game football schedule then that would compute to 3.6 games. According to the participation reports, Thenarse participated in 4 games. The good news is as part of the Medical Hardship rule, any fractional games (i.e. 3.6) are rounded up, in this case, the 3.6 would be rounded up to 4. So, relative to that part of the rule, he has not exceeded the maximum number of allowable games. Because he has already exhausted his eligibility, he cannot petition for an extra year until after the season is over. If he was an underclassmen, he could petition now.