Lincoln, Neb. — The Nebraska football team practiced for just over two hours in half pads and helmets Tuesday afternoon in the Hawks Championship Center and Cook Pavilion in preparation for the Foster Farm Bowl Game.
Head Coach Mike Riley, along with offensive and defensive coordinators, spoke to the media following practice.
Riley gave a brief update on the team.
“We just had practice number four in our bowl season,” Riley said. “It’s good stuff. One of the bad thing that’s happened is that Mick Stoltenberg hurt his knee…that’s really unfortunate for us and for Mick, but he’ll be back and ready to go for next season.”
According to Riley, Stoltenberg will not play during the bowl game, and is scheduled to have surgery after the bowl game.
Riley also announced that senior cornerback Jonathon Rose is no longer on the team and will not be playing in the bowl game against UCLA, for violating team rules.
Both coordinators also spoke to the media after practice.
Defensive Coordinator Mark Banker spoke about how he will fill Rose’s void in the secondary.
“Trai Mosley has taken quite a few reps. Boaz [Joseph] has taken quite a few reps. We haven’t had Daniel Davie, he’s been finishing up quite a bit of schoolwork, so we haven’t had him yet, but there’s nobody new in the mix. The one good thing is we’ve had a lot of practice at finding out who the next guy is up in the rotation.”
Banker talked about the challenge UCLA’s offense will bring with a talented freshman quarterback, Josh Rosen, at the helm.
“I think he’s mature beyond his years,” Banker said. “They’ve obviously done a good job of preparing him. I happen to see quite a few of his games…I’ve always enjoyed watching their team, both on offense and on defense. We’ve had a chance to study him. He’s a very accurate passer, he knows where he’s going with the ball…He does a really nice job. He has good command of the offense and a very, very accurate passer.”
Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf discussed his message to his quarterbacks, specifically Tommy Armstrong.
“We just talked about not being able to live with turnovers,” Langsdorf said. “That’s just something that is a huge indicator in a win and a loss, so we have to do a better job of taking care of the ball. I think he (Tommy Armstrong Jr.) knows that. We’ve looked closely at how we carry the ball when we’re running with it and then decision making and who we’re throwing to and if they’re open and the timing of it and the ball placement and all of it. There’s more and more work to do and we just have to keep growing and learn from the mistakes and play better the next week.”
Langsdorf also mentioned how important the offensive line will be in the game against UCLA’s difficult defense.
“Up until the Iowa game, there’s about a three-game stretch where we ran the ball pretty well, protected the quarterback,” Langsdorf said. “I don’t think we ran it as well against Iowa as we needed to, but I think overall that group has really put good work together.
“It’s a difficult defense with how athletic they are (UCLA). They give you a lot of different looks. They jump in and out of a three-four and a four-three front, so there’s mental things we have to be sharp on…and then the speed of the edge…it’s a very good front, they’ve got good speed at linebacker that when you’re trying to get up to that second level of the run game, they can give you some problems because of their speed so we have to do a good job of taking great angles and covering those guys up.”
Langsdorf is excited for the game and the challenge that UCLA will bring.
“This is going to be another physical game, a good opponent. We have some history with us. They’re always very athletic, fast, physical so it will be a great bowl, it will be a nice setting…it will be a good experience for our guys.”
The Huskers play the UCLA Bruins on Dec. 26 in the Foster Farm Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif., at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers. The game is set for 8:15 (CT) and will be televised on ESPN.