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Tuesday notebook: Westerkamp staying positive after injury
***Quarterback Tommy Armstrong, running back Tre Bryant and linebacker Marcus Newby all sat out of Tuesday’s practice with injuries.
***Wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp spoke to media for the first time since his season-ending injury a little more than two weeks ago. Westerkamp said that while he was obviously disappointed and frustrated to have to miss his final bowl game, his recovery is still right on schedule and he plans on being ready to begin training for the NFL Draft in a couple months.
***Defensive backs coach Brian Stewart said Tennessee’s wide receivers would be a completely different animal from what Nebraska’s secondary has seen so far this season just in terms of size, speed and athleticism. “You watch them come out for warmups, and they’re thoroughbreds.”
***Stewart said he expects the Volunteers to go after freshman cornerback Lamar Jackson early and often, as Jackson is expected to play quite a bit in the bowl in NU’s nickel and dime packages.
***Stewart said this month of bowl practices has been really beneficial for the defensive backs, especially the younger guys. One player Stewart said he was really excited about was freshman cornerback DiCaprio Bootle.
***Linebackers coach Trent Bray said one of the more impressive traits of Mike Riley is how he’s always been able to get his teams ready and focused for bowl games. He said Riley’s 7-2 record in bowl games was all you needed to know about how good of a bowl coach Riley is.
***Bray said senior linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey is now weighing somewhere between 210-220 pounds. Bray said Rose-Ivey’s ideal playing weight is around 225, but the problem last year was he weighed a little too much, which resulted in several muscle injuries.
***Stewart said he’s coached in Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans and Friday’s Music City Bowl, about six times during his time coaching in the NFL. Stewart coached in games there with the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and San Diego Chargers.
***Nebraska started off practice with special teams work, and the main returners on the kickoff return team were Mikale Wilbon, Brandon Reilly and Terrell Newby. Nebraska will likely have a new No. 1 returner for the bowl game since Bryant is doubtful to play.
***A scout from the Tennessee Titans was in attendance for Tuesday’s practice.
***Former Husker all-conference and NFL quarterback Gerry Gdowski watched Tuesday’s practice as well. Gdowski is currently the quarterbacks coach/recruiting coordinator at Vanderbilt.
***Defensive coordinator Mark Banker praised defensive line coach John Parrella, saying he’s been a great addition to the staff because of credibility both as a NFL player and as a former walk-on who earned a Blackshirt.
***Jackson said he was excited about the challenge vs. Tennessee’s receivers, saying this game was a great opportunity for him to show what he can do on the national stage against a high-profile opponent.
***Some local Nashville media asked senior linebacker Josh Banderas how much he thinks about the bowl game being a battle between the Big Ten and SEC and a chance for conference bragging rights. Banderas wasn’t biting, saying he hasn’t thought about that at all and is only focused on winning the game for Nebraska.
***Senior defensive tackle Kevin Maurice said he and several defensive teammates watched the Dallas Cowboys game on Monday night to cheer on former teammates Maliek Collins and Randy Gregory. Maurice said it’s fun to watch Collins and Vincent Valentine (New England Patriots) have success in the NFL, and while he hasn’t spoken with Gregory for a while, he’s been rooting for Randy.
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