Still no word on Meier

There still is no definite word on quarterback Kerry Meier’s availability, and it’s likely nothing will be made public before Saturday’s game.

Meier, who suffered an undisclosed injury at Toledo and missed last week’s game against South Florida, is continuing to be monitored as he makes his way back into the rotation on the practice field.

“He’s feeling a lot better,” KU coach Mark Mangino said Wednesday. “He really is. We still just don’t know. Is he ready to play today? No, but we don’t play today. Could he be ready by Saturday? Yes, he could be. But we just don’t know.”

Mangino said the staff likely would know Friday who will play. He balked when asked directly if Meier’s the guy if healthy, but then entertained the question briefly.

“If he feels good and there’s no chance of any further problems and he can function, that possibility exists,” Mangino said. “But we just don’t know.”

Holt will play

Mangino confirmed linebacker James Holt – out since preseason because of a foot injury – would be on the field against NU.

“You’ll see Holt in some limited work this Saturday,” Mangino said.

Free safety Darrell Stuckey, meanwhile, out due to an ankle injury since preseason, will not play against Nebraska.

Bears add Rideau

Former Kansas University wide receiver Brandon Rideau was added this week to the practice squad of the Chicago Bears.

Rideau joined the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent rookie in 2005. He split his rookie year between Cleveland’s practice squad and active roster, but did not appear in a regular-season game.

Rideau was waived by the Browns on Aug. 28.

Bring out the noise

Kansas moved practice to Memorial Stadium, in part to use the venue’s elaborate sound system. An irritating replica of crowd noise was played during practice, with an occasional Nebraska fight song mixed in. In addition, the video board flashed “Go Big Red” continuously throughout practice.

“It was very interesting. Real loud,” linebacker Eric Washington said. “Hopefully they’ll be a little louder than that. We’ve got a pretty nice system up there, though.”

“Our grass practice fields are wearing down a little bit,” Mangino said, “so we’ll probably start coming here a little more.”