Huskers Prepare for Golden Gophers

Lincoln, NE - The Nebraska football team practiced for just under two hours in helmets and half pads Wednesday afternoon in preparation for Saturday’s game with Minnesota. Both the defense and offense started with stretching and individual drills in the Hawks Championship Center. The offense moved to Memorial Stadium while the defense practiced on the Ed and Joyanne Gass Practice Fields.

Head coach Mike Riley updated the media on the progress of senior quarterback Tommy Armstrong, who was injured at Ohio State and is currently in concussion protocol.

“Tommy has progressed normally through the protocol to this point. As you probably gather from similar injuries in the past, it’s day to day until he is finally cleared. He is not finally cleared. He will be doing football-related activities tomorrow.” Coach Riley said. “If he goes through that all day tomorrow and does some stuff which probably means he can throw the ball around a little bit and maybe even do some pass skeleton. I’ve got to check on that for sure but I think we can get that far. As long that he is in no situation where he has any contact. That’s the kind of stuff he’ll be doing…Then we’ll see, if that passes and everything goes good, then he would be available for the game.”

Offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf spoke to the media about the Huskers preparation for Saturday’s home game.

“He’s [Tommy Armstrong] not getting the practice reps, but the mental reps are what we are looking for there. That’s been a big part of this week” said Coach Langsdorf. “Making sure we’re ready if we have them, and we’re ready if we don’t. Just making sure are covering all our bases.”

Coach Langsdorf commented on Ryker Fyfe’s progression over the week.

“He’s had a really good week. He gets rid of the ball quick, throws accurately. I think he does a nice job. [He] has good footwork, and he plays it at a fast pace which is good to see. He’s looked good all year, he just hasn’t had a lot of the game reps.”

Langsdorf also commented on sophomore wide-receiver Zach Darlington, who has been working at quarterback to provide more depth at the position.

“He’s good with whatever been doing. He’s a smart kid, and we’ve got a package of plays for him.” Langsdorf also mentioned “He was a really good player in high school and just having him there there’s definitely a comfort level. He just hasn’t had a lot of work with us for a while.”

Langsdorf mentioned Jerald Foster’s comeback, as the guard returned to practice this week after missing the entire season following an injury in fall camp.

“I think he’s admitted that he’s got to knock some rust off, get in shape. He’s been a pleasant surprise and he’s looked good. We’ll just keep evaluating it tomorrow. It seems like he’s coming right back in the mix without any hang ups.”

Tickets remain for Nebraska’s 2016 home finale and Senior Day against Maryland on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Memorial Stadium.  The majority of the tickets are from the visiting team allotment and are available for $65 each at Huskers.com/tickets or by calling 1-800-8-BIG RED.  Game time for the Maryland contest will be announced following Saturday's game and will be either 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. CT.