Part of concussion protocol includes going through a day of on-field activity without any aftereffects. That is why Riley and Langsdorf won't know for sure if their starting QB is cleared until how they see he reacts to Thursday's practice.

"As you have probably gathered from similar injuries in the past, it's always day-to-day until he's finally cleared," Riley said. "And he is not finally cleared."

Caution would be expected given the scene last week.

After suffering the second-quarter injury, Armstrong was down on the field for about 15 minutes. He was carted off the field and taken by an ambulance to a nearby hospital. But by the third quarter, he had returned to join his team on the sidelines, raising the idea of whether he might be back this week.

"I think he wants to be back for sure. I'd bet badly," Riley said. "Tommy likes to play football. He's a focal-point guy on the team. I think one of the main attributes that he has is that he loves to play and compete, doesn't want to miss anything.

"But on a deal like this, he's not in charge and neither am I. Someone else will tell us. We just follow the biology and the protocol and see what we can get."

Reach the writer at 402-473-7439 or bchristopherson@journalstar.com. On Twitter @HuskerExtraBC.

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