Quick hits-Injury updates

[HBK4life]

Wide receivers coach Keith Williams said his group will be as healthy as it’s been all season for Saturday’s game. Nebraska’s top three targets – seniors Jordan Westerkamp, Brandon Reilly and Alonzo Moore – have all battled injuries throughout the year, but all should be full go for Maryland.

“I think this is probably the healthiest we’ve been since when (Reilly) first came back. I was actually thinking about that this morning,” Williams said. “You can see the difference in practice as far as flow goes for me. In terms of how you rotate through the practice rotation. When everybody’s healthy, I don’t have to talk much.”
Offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said Cole Conrad, Corey Whittaker, and Michael Decker have all taken snaps at center this week. Cavanaugh said Decker has to be ready because Dillon Utter is day to day as he tries to get up to speed for Saturday.

Westerkamp expects a ton of family at the game. He’s not sure of the number, but he’s been asking teammates for any extra tickets.



Running backs coach Reggie Davis said sophomore I back Devine Ozigbo should be healthy Saturday.

“As far as I know, he’s good to go,” Davis said.

Ozigbo sat out last week’s win over Minnesota. Davis didn’t disclose Ozigbo’s injury.
Wednesday’s post-practice media availability was filled with injury updates from nearly every offensive group. Much of the news was positive, though a couple positions, including quarterback, are still up in the air:

Nebraska head coach Mike Riley said Wednesday that Tommy Armstrong did some light throwing at practice, but added that it’s too ambitious to say he’ll play Saturday against Maryland.

“But,” Riley said, “we’re still hopeful.”

 

[HBK4life]

Wide receivers coach Keith Williams said his group will be as healthy as it’s been all season for Saturday’s game. Nebraska’s top three targets – seniors Jordan Westerkamp, Brandon Reilly and Alonzo Moore – have all battled injuries throughout the year, but all should be full go for Maryland.

“I think this is probably the healthiest we’ve been since when (Reilly) first came back. I was actually thinking about that this morning,” Williams said. “You can see the difference in practice as far as flow goes for me. In terms of how you rotate through the practice rotation. When everybody’s healthy, I don’t have to talk much.”
Offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said Cole Conrad, Corey Whittaker, and Michael Decker have all taken snaps at center this week. Cavanaugh said Decker has to be ready because Dillon Utter is day to day as he tries to get up to speed for Saturday.

Westerkamp expects a ton of family at the game. He’s not sure of the number, but he’s been asking teammates for any extra tickets.



Running backs coach Reggie Davis said sophomore I back Devine Ozigbo should be healthy Saturday.

“As far as I know, he’s good to go,” Davis said.

Ozigbo sat out last week’s win over Minnesota. Davis didn’t disclose Ozigbo’s injury.
Wednesday’s post-practice media availability was filled with injury updates from nearly every offensive group. Much of the news was positive, though a couple positions, including quarterback, are still up in the air:

Nebraska head coach Mike Riley said Wednesday that Tommy Armstrong did some light throwing at practice, but added that it’s too ambitious to say he’ll play Saturday against Maryland.

“But,” Riley said, “we’re still hopeful.”

Nebraska offensive players and assistants met with the media on Wednesday to discuss Maryland and senior day.

Here’s what they had to say:

— Mike Cavanaugh said Jerald Foster’s return was a big lift for the offensive line and the offense in general. The longtime line coach said he’s never had a player return like that and was impressed with what he saw from Foster on film from the game. It wasn’t perfect, but Cavanaugh said he was pleased and encouraged by the lineman’s performance.

— The highest grades in Nebraska’s win over Minnesota came on the right side of the line where Cole Conrad manned tackle and Tanner Farmer manned the right guard. Nick Gates also put in a strong performance according to Cavanaugh.

— Dylan Utter’s status is in doubt for Saturday. Michael Decker is slated to play in his absence and Cavanaugh said he believes the lineman is ready to go mentally. The Huskers also worked out Corey Whitaker and Cole Conrad some at center. It’s all hands on deck at this point.

— Reggie Davis feels like Terrell Newby has done a good job keeping himself fresh throughout the season. He attributed it to Newby’s willingness to take coaching and how he’s trained himself to eat better and to stay in a routine.

— Devine Ozigbo is all the way back. Davis didn’t want to say what was ailing the running back in recent weeks, just that Ozigbo is expected to play on Saturday and the staff is confident he’s past the injuries that have slowed him down since October.
— Davis also said he’s happy with what he’s seen from Tre Bryant this season. The freshman hasn’t had a ton of opportunities but he’s done good work when given the chance. Davis said Bryant’s always had a good attitude about things and he’s had an easy transition from being a high school feature back.

— Wide receivers coach Keith Williams said after Wednesday's practice that he felt senior Jordan Westerkamp was an NFL-type wide receiver. He said Westerkamp's ability to catch the ball is what sets him above other wide receivers.

— Westerkamp's parents have always been fixtures at Nebraska games. They've been to every one of his games at Nebraska. He said this week that with Senior Day, he's expecting an especially large contingent in Lincoln, and has been hitting up teammates for any extra tickets.

— Head coach Mike Riley said Wednesday that Tommy Armstrong did some light throwing during practice on Wednesday and that Armstrong was still questionable.

 

[HBK4life]

Nebraska offensive players and assistants met with the media on Wednesday to discuss Maryland and senior day.

Here’s what they had to say:

— Mike Cavanaugh said Jerald Foster’s return was a big lift for the offensive line and the offense in general. The longtime line coach said he’s never had a player return like that and was impressed with what he saw from Foster on film from the game. It wasn’t perfect, but Cavanaugh said he was pleased and encouraged by the lineman’s performance.

— The highest grades in Nebraska’s win over Minnesota came on the right side of the line where Cole Conrad manned tackle and Tanner Farmer manned the right guard. Nick Gates also put in a strong performance according to Cavanaugh.

— Dylan Utter’s status is in doubt for Saturday. Michael Decker is slated to play in his absence and Cavanaugh said he believes the lineman is ready to go mentally. The Huskers also worked out Corey Whitaker and Cole Conrad some at center. It’s all hands on deck at this point.

— Reggie Davis feels like Terrell Newby has done a good job keeping himself fresh throughout the season. He attributed it to Newby’s willingness to take coaching and how he’s trained himself to eat better and to stay in a routine.

— Devine Ozigbo is all the way back. Davis didn’t want to say what was ailing the running back in recent weeks, just that Ozigbo is expected to play on Saturday and the staff is confident he’s past the injuries that have slowed him down since October.
— Davis also said he’s happy with what he’s seen from Tre Bryant this season. The freshman hasn’t had a ton of opportunities but he’s done good work when given the chance. Davis said Bryant’s always had a good attitude about things and he’s had an easy transition from being a high school feature back.

— Wide receivers coach Keith Williams said after Wednesday's practice that he felt senior Jordan Westerkamp was an NFL-type wide receiver. He said Westerkamp's ability to catch the ball is what sets him above other wide receivers.

— Westerkamp's parents have always been fixtures at Nebraska games. They've been to every one of his games at Nebraska. He said this week that with Senior Day, he's expecting an especially large contingent in Lincoln, and has been hitting up teammates for any extra tickets.

— Head coach Mike Riley said Wednesday that Tommy Armstrong did some light throwing during practice on Wednesday and that Armstrong was still questionable.

Quick hits
***Head coach Mike Riley gave the latest update on quarterback Tommy Armstrong following Wednesday’s practice. Riley said Armstrong did not suit up in pads but was able to do some light throwing. At this point Riley said it was “probably too ambitious” to think Armstrong was going to play on Saturday vs. Maryland, “but I’m still hopeful.”

"He dressed out a little bit today - didn't put the pads on, but he did some light throwing," Riley said. "It is still probably too ambitious to say he's going to play, but we're still hopeful. We're going to look at it the next couple days. You guys know how the drill went last week. He was able to do some stuff on Thursday, but we'll see if he can get back tomorrow."

***Armstrong said he’d never had a hamstring injury before in his career, so he’s just going through the steps of his rehab and hoping for the best this week.

***Ryker Fyfe said he’s preparing to start just like he did last week and, like everyone else, will just have to wait and see what happens with Armstrong. Offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf said there wasn’t much of a change to the game plan whether Armstrong or Fyfe starts, and that Fyfe was more than capable of getting the job done.

***Riley also said he “anticipates” that center Dylan Utter, who sat out for a second straight practice Wednesday with an ankle injury, will play vs. Maryland. Riley said he thinks Utter will return to practice on Thursday and should be good to go.

***If Utter is to miss any time, the No. 2 center is Michael Decker and the No. 3 is Cole Conrad. Offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said he too expects Utter to play, but added Decker has to be ready to go this week just in case.

***Jerald Foster played every snap at left guard against Minnesota, as Sam Hahn - who had started every game this season before that - didn’t see the field at all on offense. Cavanaugh said he’d never seen a player come back from an injury like the torn MCL Foster suffered in fall camp and not only play that same season, but play as well as he did on Saturday.

***Receivers coach Keith Williams said this might be the healthiest his wide receiver group has been since the beginning of the season. Senior Brandon Reilly (hamstring) has been able to fully practice the past two days and looks good to go for Maryland.

***Williams said there’s a chance that he’ll look back on his current group of seniors and as one of the best - if not the best - he’s ever coached in his career.

***Running backs coach Reggie Davis said Devine Ozigbo is ready to go this week, but he wouldn’t go into detail as to what exactly has been holding Ozigbo back the past few weeks. It was originally believed that Ozigbo was dealing with an ankle injury.

 

[HBK4life]

Quick hits
***Head coach Mike Riley gave the latest update on quarterback Tommy Armstrong following Wednesday’s practice. Riley said Armstrong did not suit up in pads but was able to do some light throwing. At this point Riley said it was “probably too ambitious” to think Armstrong was going to play on Saturday vs. Maryland, “but I’m still hopeful.”

"He dressed out a little bit today - didn't put the pads on, but he did some light throwing," Riley said. "It is still probably too ambitious to say he's going to play, but we're still hopeful. We're going to look at it the next couple days. You guys know how the drill went last week. He was able to do some stuff on Thursday, but we'll see if he can get back tomorrow."

***Armstrong said he’d never had a hamstring injury before in his career, so he’s just going through the steps of his rehab and hoping for the best this week.

***Ryker Fyfe said he’s preparing to start just like he did last week and, like everyone else, will just have to wait and see what happens with Armstrong. Offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf said there wasn’t much of a change to the game plan whether Armstrong or Fyfe starts, and that Fyfe was more than capable of getting the job done.

***Riley also said he “anticipates” that center Dylan Utter, who sat out for a second straight practice Wednesday with an ankle injury, will play vs. Maryland. Riley said he thinks Utter will return to practice on Thursday and should be good to go.

***If Utter is to miss any time, the No. 2 center is Michael Decker and the No. 3 is Cole Conrad. Offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh said he too expects Utter to play, but added Decker has to be ready to go this week just in case.

***Jerald Foster played every snap at left guard against Minnesota, as Sam Hahn - who had started every game this season before that - didn’t see the field at all on offense. Cavanaugh said he’d never seen a player come back from an injury like the torn MCL Foster suffered in fall camp and not only play that same season, but play as well as he did on Saturday.

***Receivers coach Keith Williams said this might be the healthiest his wide receiver group has been since the beginning of the season. Senior Brandon Reilly (hamstring) has been able to fully practice the past two days and looks good to go for Maryland.

***Williams said there’s a chance that he’ll look back on his current group of seniors and as one of the best - if not the best - he’s ever coached in his career.

***Running backs coach Reggie Davis said Devine Ozigbo is ready to go this week, but he wouldn’t go into detail as to what exactly has been holding Ozigbo back the past few weeks. It was originally believed that Ozigbo was dealing with an ankle injury.

Defense relishing recent success against the run
One of the biggest feathers in Nebraska’s cap following its win over Minnesota last week was how the Blackshirts were able to completely shut down the Golden Gophers’ running game.

Minnesota came in as one of the most productive rushing teams in the Big Ten, averaging over 200 yards per game. But the Gophers managed just 85 yards on the night, marking the first time they had been held under 100 rushing yards all season.

“After the game we were told (Minnesota running back Rodney Smith) was averaging 100 yards for four straight games, they were averaging over 200 some rushing yards,” senior defensive tackle Kevin Maurice said.

“It definitely feels good from that standpoint to know that you have a team under their average and a guy that was hot under his average. It’s not just (the defensive line), it’s the ‘backers and the secondary coming up and filling up as well.”

The performance was the latest in a number of strong outings Nebraska’s defense has put on in stopping the run. Through 10 games, the Huskers have held seven opponents to less than 140 yards, including 31 by Fresno State and 24 by Purdue.

On the year opponents are averaging 141.7 rushing yards per game, good for fifth in the Big Ten.

“It just kind of showed who we are,” Banderas said. “We stumbled a little bit and we were able to come back and show what we are made of and what we can do when we put it on the field. Coach (Mike) Riley has been saying it - we haven’t played our best game together as an overall team.

“So we are waiting to put that together so hopefully we can put it all together. Hopefully in these next two, three games we can get it going and really prove what our 2016-2017 Nebraska team is all about.”

- Robin Washut

 

[HBK4life]

Defense relishing recent success against the run
One of the biggest feathers in Nebraska’s cap following its win over Minnesota last week was how the Blackshirts were able to completely shut down the Golden Gophers’ running game.

Minnesota came in as one of the most productive rushing teams in the Big Ten, averaging over 200 yards per game. But the Gophers managed just 85 yards on the night, marking the first time they had been held under 100 rushing yards all season.

“After the game we were told (Minnesota running back Rodney Smith) was averaging 100 yards for four straight games, they were averaging over 200 some rushing yards,” senior defensive tackle Kevin Maurice said.

“It definitely feels good from that standpoint to know that you have a team under their average and a guy that was hot under his average. It’s not just (the defensive line), it’s the ‘backers and the secondary coming up and filling up as well.”

The performance was the latest in a number of strong outings Nebraska’s defense has put on in stopping the run. Through 10 games, the Huskers have held seven opponents to less than 140 yards, including 31 by Fresno State and 24 by Purdue.

On the year opponents are averaging 141.7 rushing yards per game, good for fifth in the Big Ten.

“It just kind of showed who we are,” Banderas said. “We stumbled a little bit and we were able to come back and show what we are made of and what we can do when we put it on the field. Coach (Mike) Riley has been saying it - we haven’t played our best game together as an overall team.

“So we are waiting to put that together so hopefully we can put it all together. Hopefully in these next two, three games we can get it going and really prove what our 2016-2017 Nebraska team is all about.”

- Robin Washut

Gerry explains origin of 'White Snake' nickname
If you’ve ever wondered why Gerry wears a black, sleeveless t-shirt with a picture of a white cobra under his pads during games and practices, it goes back to an inside joke that has now taken on a life of its own.

A while back Gerry noticed a guy on Twitter constantly tweeting at him and calling him “White Snake”. Gerry laughed it off, and even showed the tweets to some of his Nebraska teammates.

It didn’t take for the rest of the Huskers to embrace the nickname themselves, and it’s stuck ever since.

In fact, Gerry said one of Jordan Westerkamp’s cousins went as far as to order a bunch of custom t-shirts reading “White Snake” in red lettering with a drawing of a cobra underneath and gave them to several members of Gerry’s family and friends.

“My mom wasn’t a big fan of it at first, but a bunch of the guys on the team kept seeing it and kept on calling me ‘White Snake'. ‘Snake-ing’ interceptions or whatever you wanna do," Gerry said. "It kind of snuck on and I’m kind of riding with it, honestly.

“I kind of like it, and I guess a lot of other guys like it. My mom is just now riding into it. I was surprised when I saw her walking in (the t-shirt). She was the last person I expected to see wear that shirt, but she loves me so she’ll do about anything.”

Banderas said he’s reluctantly accepted Gerry’s new moniker. In fact, he was the one who bought the original white cobra shirt that Gerry wears every time he’s on the field.

“He’s still Nate to me,” Banderas said. “I’ll throw him that ‘White Snake’ every now and again… That’s who he is. That’s my buddy. He’s something, and there’s no one like him. Love him to death, but he’ll always be Nate to me.”

- Robin Washut

Even Nathan Gerry's mom has embraced her son's new "White Snake" nickname.

 

[HBK4life]

Gerry explains origin of 'White Snake' nickname
If you’ve ever wondered why Gerry wears a black, sleeveless t-shirt with a picture of a white cobra under his pads during games and practices, it goes back to an inside joke that has now taken on a life of its own.

A while back Gerry noticed a guy on Twitter constantly tweeting at him and calling him “White Snake”. Gerry laughed it off, and even showed the tweets to some of his Nebraska teammates.

It didn’t take for the rest of the Huskers to embrace the nickname themselves, and it’s stuck ever since.

In fact, Gerry said one of Jordan Westerkamp’s cousins went as far as to order a bunch of custom t-shirts reading “White Snake” in red lettering with a drawing of a cobra underneath and gave them to several members of Gerry’s family and friends.

“My mom wasn’t a big fan of it at first, but a bunch of the guys on the team kept seeing it and kept on calling me ‘White Snake'. ‘Snake-ing’ interceptions or whatever you wanna do," Gerry said. "It kind of snuck on and I’m kind of riding with it, honestly.

“I kind of like it, and I guess a lot of other guys like it. My mom is just now riding into it. I was surprised when I saw her walking in (the t-shirt). She was the last person I expected to see wear that shirt, but she loves me so she’ll do about anything.”

Banderas said he’s reluctantly accepted Gerry’s new moniker. In fact, he was the one who bought the original white cobra shirt that Gerry wears every time he’s on the field.

“He’s still Nate to me,” Banderas said. “I’ll throw him that ‘White Snake’ every now and again… That’s who he is. That’s my buddy. He’s something, and there’s no one like him. Love him to death, but he’ll always be Nate to me.”

- Robin Washut

Even Nathan Gerry's mom has embraced her son's new "White Snake" nickname.

Banderas closing out up-and-down career on high note
Josh Banderas’ career at Nebraska has been full of highs and lows since the day he first set foot on campus.

After starting as a true freshman to open the 2013 season and then being benched for the second half of the year, to several frustrating injury setbacks and a regrettable off-the-field incident, things certainly haven’t always gone quite as the senior linebacker had hoped.

At the same time, Banderas’ senior season has played out about as well as he could’ve imagined.

The Lincoln native currently leads the team with 71 tackles (33 solo) to go along with five tackles for loss. He’s posted at least eight total tackles in each of the past five games, including three double-digit efforts against Indiana (11), Purdue (13) and Minnesota (11).

Banderas now boasts 210 tackles in his career, good for 30th in NU history.

“I think just because he’s a very hard-working kid that cares a tremendous amount about his team, the pride that he has in the way that he plays,” linebackers coach Trent Bray said of why Banderas has taken his game to the next level this season.

“I think all of that has just really elevated his game and he has done anything he can to help us. Whether it’s to run down on kickoffs or start at middle linebacker, that’s just kind of who he is. He’s going to do whatever it takes and works extremely hard to do it.”

Senior wide receiver Brandon Reilly, who has been a teammate of Banderas’ since they were in eighth grade playing youth football, said he’s always known it was only a matter of time before Banderas reached his full potential at Nebraska.

“I have known it all along,” Reilly said. “He struggled for a little while there, and I am like, ‘Guys, just wait. Bando is an animal.’ I think these last few weeks it has really shown.

"He has been through a lot. I know growing up in football, he got hurt every year for about 13 years straight I think. So hopefully he keeps staying healthy this year. It is fun to watch him, and I am sure I will be watching him more in the future, too.”

- Robin Washut

 

[marteau]

Nate's wife-wow--i thot that was his girlfriend!

 

[Husker.Wed.]

I wonder when Utter got injured?

 

[GretnaShawn]

I wonder when Utter got injured?

Got hurt last game. I'm pretty he is out with hurt feelings after last weeks performance.

 

[kaz36]

I wonder when Utter got injured?

Probably when he got trucked by the DB.

 

[inWV]

No need to slag Utter. I am more enthused by Conrad's strong play. Could be we return four solid juniors to the Oline next year. If Zig is ready to play, that will help us big time if TA is a no-go. If RF is at QB, things will go easier if we are ahead of schedule on downs. Maryland has an awful run D. Get a game plan together to attack their weak points and hammer away at it. Do not let up. Protect the ball and chew clock. Let Tommy's hamstring have another week to heal up.