• Video: Coach Bo talks to the media after Monday's practice:

SAN DIEGO — The Huskers are ready to play, coach Bo Pelini said after Nebraska's final full session of practice Monday at San Diego State in preparation for the Holiday Bowl, Wednesday night at 7 against Arizona.

NU will conduct a walk-through today at Qualcomm Stadium. The practice Monday lasted about two hours and involved no heavy contact. The Huskers wore sweats in the 65-degree morning weather.

They later visited with military personnel at the Navy and Marine Corps Luncheon.

“It's a reward to come out here and enjoy this experience,” Pelini said. “A lot of these guys haven't been to San Diego. But they know what's ahead of them. They know what the deal is, and they know what they're here for.”

The second-year coach said he's enjoyed the Huskers' visits to SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo. Pelini spent time at the events with his family.

His most enjoyable experience?

“Talking to you guys,” Pelini told the assembled news media after practice, clearly joking.

“It's been a good week,” he said, “anytime you get a chance to come out here and spend time in a different environment, I've enjoyed it. Now it's time to kind of lock down and get ready to go.”

Familiar faces

Former longtime Nebraska assistant coach George Darlington visited NU practice on Monday.

Darlington coached 30 seasons with the Huskers, including the final 17 until 2002 as the defensive backs coach. Since 2003, he has coached at Marshall, Louisiana Tech, Southeast Missouri State and San Diego.

Darlington has also served as defensive coordinator for Team USA. He wore a USA Football jacket on Monday at Nebraska's practice.

He visited for several minutes with Athletic Director Tom Osborne. Darlington coached for Osborne in all of his 25 seasons atop the NU program.

Also making an appearance at NU's practice was former Husker kicker Jordan Congdon, who completed his collegiate career on Saturday for USC in the Trojans' Emerald Bowl win over Boston College. Congdon is a San Diego native.

Rex is ready

Rex Burkhead said he feels rejuvenated after the Huskers' 3½-week break since the Big 12 championship game.

The down time provided the freshman I-back with more time to heal after he fractured the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot in October. Burkhead missed five games but returned to play in the final three.

He said the foot feels better than it did at the Big 12 title game when he rushed 17 times for 22 yards against Texas on Dec. 5.

He traveled home to Plano, Texas, before Christmas and returned to Lincoln on Dec. 24 to fly with the team to San Diego.

Burkhead has rushed for 257 yards this season. He said he's enjoyed San Diego. It's his second trip to California. Burkhead visited Stanford last year on a recruiting trip.

Holt eyes some action

Menelik Holt is hopeful that he'll get a chance to play in front of a hometown crowd Wednesday, even though he's been practicing in the secondary receiver rotation.

Every once in a while, he'll step in for reps with the first-team, but Holt figures he'll start the Holiday Bowl on the sideline.

Holt has played sparingly since he lost his top receiver job midway through the season. But the senior will end his career in San Diego, where he established himself as a standout prospect for St. Augustine High School.

Holt plans to have plenty of family and friends in attendance. How much will they see of him? He doesn't know at this point. That's up to coach Ted Gilmore, he said.

“Coach is working a lot of us in,” Holt said. “He still throws me in whenever. Coach Gilmore's one of those guys who puts people in whenever. I think I'll be able to play.”

Future not here yet

Secondary coach Marvin Sanders doesn't plan to go out of his way to insert the inexperienced safeties that Nebraska's defense will rely on next year.

Sanders is treating Wednesday's Holiday Bowl like any other game.

Young safeties — like P.J. Smith, Austin Cassidy and Courtney Osborne — have made substantial improvements during bowl preparation, Sanders said. He's not afraid to play those guys.

But seniors Larry Asante and Matt O'Hanlon, two All-Big 12 safeties, have been pretty successful all year. So Sanders prefers to wait before he starts thinking about the future.

“It's just like a normal game for us,” Sanders said. “We'll play the game and kind of let the tempo dictate how we play it.”

— Mitch Sherman and Jon Nyatawa