11:13 a.m. Nebraska finished its pre-Christmas practice time this morning with a two-hour session inside the Hawks Center. The early workout allowed for many Huskers to travel home.
They plan to reassemble on Thursday and will practice on Christmas Day in Lincoln before an evening flight to San Diego for the Dec. 30 Holiday Bowl against Arizona.
For Larry Asante, Tyrone Fahie, David Harvey, Colton Koehler, Blake Lawrence and Ndamukong Suh, it’s graduation day. Former Husker Octavius McFarlin also received his degree this morning.
“That’s the No. 1 goal when you come to school,” coach Bo Pelini said, “more than wins or losses. We’re proud of them.”
About 85 to 90 Huskers plan to spend the next several days near Lincoln. It’s a group larger than Pelini expected, he said, so NU arranged conditioning activities on Monday and Tuesday for the players nearby to attend.
For the rest of the team, the coach said, he trusts them to “do the right thing” and return with a refreshed attitude.
“They just went through finals, a long season, the Big 12 title game, all those things,” Pelini said. “I just think it’s the right time to give them a little break, freshen up so when they get down to San Diego, they’re hungry and ready to go.
“Our kids are mature. They’re committed to each other. They’re committed to what we’re doing. I think they’re mature enough now. Would I have thought that a year or so ago when I first got here? There’s no way, but I think they’re mature enough, committed enough and focused enough that they’ll handle this the right way and it’ll make a better football team come Dec. 30.”
He described the past five days as a “good week” of practice.
Pelini also addressed the departure of freshman linebacker Chris Williams.
“It wasn’t working out,” Pelini said.
Williams, a touted 2009 signee out of Abilene, Texas, had been slow to recover from a knee injury suffered a year ago. Pelini used the word "violation" in addressing Williams' situation, but the coach did not elaborate.
Others with remaining eligibility could join Williams in leaving Nebraska before the spring semester begins next month, Pelini said
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