Lincoln – The Nebraska football team held another two-hour practice in half pads inside Memorial Stadium Tuesday, as the squad continued to prepare for Friday’s regular-season finale against Big 12 North rival Colorado.

Head Coach Callahan addressed the situation of offensive tackle Matt Slauson, who is still recovering from an injury suffered in the win against Texas A&M. Callahan said the Huskers have more than one player capable of filling the spot if needed.

“Carl Nicks will be able to step in there,” Callahan said. “He’s had an excellent week of practice. He’s played and (Lydon) Murtha has played. We hope they’re ready to roll.”

Callahan praised Nicks for the recent progress the junior college transfer has made in practice with picking up the Huskers’ blocking system.

“He has worked hard. He has really improved. I’m proud of his progress. I think he’s going to be a good football player. He’s everything we look for in an offensive tackle—he’s quick, he has speed, he has quick feet and long leverage. He’s just had two weeks of excellent practice. If he plays we’d be excited about seeing him.

“It takes a junior college player a couple of years—or a good year—to get acclimated. Seemingly, the light has gone on for him the last few weeks. It’s all clicked in for him, and you can see it on film. There’s an expression we use as coaches that you can feel a guy on film as you watch him move and watch him block and do things within the system. You can feel his presence on film, which is a pretty powerful statement for a player like that.”

Callahan also spoke about the advantages afforded by the I-back-by-committee that the squad has utilized this season in keeping the members of the group fresh at this point in the season.

“We always seem to think that the exchange of reps allows those players to stay fresh. It allows them to be featured in their strengths.

“I don’t know if they are ever fresh,” Callahan jokingly added. “They get hit every game. You have to think about that for a second and appreciate what they go through in preparation and during a game. They get hit pretty physical in this particular conference and this division. It’s all how they respond, how they bounce back and recover. I think (running backs coach) Randy (Jordan) does a great job of educating them how to take care of their bodies. That means getting extra rehabilitation and extra treatment, warming up properly—even the little things that are going to allow your body to handle the rigors of a week-to-week schedule.”