Nebraska finishes practice on a short week ahead of Iowa game on Blackshirt Friday

Lincoln, Neb. --  The Nebraska (8-3, 5-2 B1G Legends)  football team continued its week of preparation for the Black Friday showdown with Iowa (7-4, 4-3 B1G Legends) practicing for just more than 90 minutes on Wednesday afternoon inside the Hawks Championship Center.

Nebraska coach
Bo Pelini is
57-23 in
sixth season.

Nebraska head coach Bo Pelini met with media members after practice, noting that the team has had a good short week of practice leading into Friday’s match up with the Hawkeyes. 

“We finished up the week well, I think our kids are looking forward to the game. I know we have a lot of friends and family in town, so it is going to be their job to keep that in perspective, enjoy their families but get ready to play football,” Pelini said. “We are looking forward to it. As far as injuries and who is starting, most of that will be a game-time decision.”

With Nebraska playing on Blackshirt Friday every year since Pelini has been here, Pelini noted that he isn’t going to change anything up in his short week of preparation for Friday’s showdown in the HyVee Heroes game.

“Exactly the same formula, obviously you have to compact it a little bit more,” Pelini said. “Obviously, I have been through that a number of times in college and in the pros. I like the schedule we have built there and understand in a short week you can still get your work done.”

Nebraska third-string,
walk-on QB
Ron Kellogg III,
a 6-1, 220 senior
from Omaha Westside.

Nebraska will start their third different quarterback this season against Iowa on Friday. Ron Kellogg III, a senior walk-on, is scheduled to replace redshirt freshman Tommy Armstrong, who left the Penn State game early, due to injury. He finished the game last week against Penn State, a 23-20 overtime victory in Happy Valley. Also, he threw the Hail Mary pass to beat Northwestern on November 2nd, in relief for Armstrong in that game.

“I’m not as fast as some people would want me to be, but I don’t care as long as I’m getting a first down or positive yards. That’s a-okay in my book,” Kellogg said. “Even after the hit against Penn State, I’m still probably going to run the football. I know everyone was scared, including my mom, but that’s not going to deter me from seeking success for the offense. I know how to slide, but I broke my ankle sliding so I don’t slide like that anymore. I slide head-first now. I might have to change that up, too.”

As the quarterback who replaced a still injured Armstrong, who remains doubtful to play against Iowa Friday on Senior Day, Kellogg knows his composure is paramount. “I’m not saying I won’t have any emotions,” he said. “I’ve seen some of the toughest people, like Alfonzo Dennard and Lavonte David, say that weren’t going to cry and then they come back into the locker room crying. I’m going to try to be composed and set all of the emotions aside because we still have a game we have to play. We want to get our ninth win, so I’ll try my best to compose myself.”

Kellogg said he “felt like I got in a car accident” at Penn State. “With the treatment from the training staff, I feel just fine now,” he added. “It’s like I didn’t even play on Saturday, so I’m all good for Friday.” Kellogg said he’ll remember and cherish Friday’s Senior Day for a lifetime. “I’ll brag about it to my kids,” he said. “Other than that, it just shows that whether you’re a walk-on or scholarship guy, if you work hard and put forth the time and effort to understand the schemes on offense or defense, it’s up to you whether you want to play or not. I easily could have taken a different route and either left or quit playing football, but it’s something I love to do and have a passion for … there are a lot of memories, whether I played or not, that I’ll take with me.”

Nebraska will have 23 seniors participate in their final game at Memorial Stadium on Friday. The 23-man senior class has helped Nebraska to 47 wins over the past five seasons.

Taking a step away from football, earlier on Wednesday, members of the Husker football team took time out of their schedule to visit Lincoln area hospitals. Members of team visited Bryan LGH Hospital, St. Elizabeth’s Regional Medical Center, Madonna Rehabilitation Center and the Nebraska Heart Institute. The football team has visited area hospitals on the day before Thanksgiving each of the past several years.

Nebraska will hit the practice field again on Thursday for a short walk through.. The Huskers will host Iowa in the third annual HyVee Heroes game on Friday at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.