Nebraska lost star back Ameer Abdullah in the first quarter of Saturday's win against Purdue.
The senior injured his knee while attempting to recover a fumble. He did not return to the game — that's the bad news.
The good news is that an MRI revealed a mild strain of the MCL and Nebraska coach Bo Pelini is hopeful Abdullah can return Nov. 15 when his team plays at Wisconsin.
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"We're optimistic," Pelini said after the game. Nebraska does not play this upcoming week, giving Abdullah time to recover.
Abdullah injured his knee while recovering a Tommy Armstrong Jr. fumble with 8:47 left in the first quarter. The play occured with Nebraska facing fourth down from Purdue's 1-yard line. Abdullah recovered the ball at the 2.
Nebraska (7-1) was leading 7-0 when Abdullah left the game. The Homewood, Ala., native has 1,249 yard rushing through eight games with 17 touchdowns.