The Walk Through

It's 19 degrees here and kind of windy. It's not warm is my point.

QBs have been on and off the field. Jake Rudock wore shorts. C.J. Beathard wore those warm spandex thingies.

Nebraska WR Kenny Bell is probably out. He was deemed questionable late this week. He suffered a head injury against Minnesota last week. DE Randy Gregory has been ill the last few weeks, but he's expected to play today.

LB Pat Angerer just said on pregame radio: 'Football is great. You get to fight with your friends. It's great.'

12 hours of typing have begun. I'll be updating throughout the pregame.

I can hear the wind whip onto the mic that Angerer is talking into. He just said the first person to great him in the Colts lockerroom was Peyton Manning and he was wearing only a jockstrap.

— Freshman guard Sean Welsh is in line for the start again today. I think he's won the right guard job over Jordan Walsh.

What's the O-line going to look like next year? Let's give that a shot.

C — Austin Blythe: Makes sense, right? He goes back to center, because next season Iowa will have a pair of experienced guards.

RG — Welsh began the season as the starter, was hurt at Maryland and fell out for a couple of games. He basically was replaced by Walsh and now he's turned the tables, at least it looks like that.

LG — Ike Boettger: This is my first upset. I think the redshirt sophomore (6-6, 276) could very well end up at LT, too, but he's been playing guard the last few weeks in practice (at least three or maybe four). The high end thought, if he retains decent quickness and athleticism, is that he has an Eric Steinbach body. He was a 6-7, 280 pounder with superior leg strength. I don't know where Boettger comes in that regard. Kirk Ferentz has said he's a candidate for tackle, so don't shut that door.

RT — Ryan Ward or Cole Croston: I'm not sure how this shakes out. Ward has worn No. 40 and has played No. 3 TE in three-tight end goal-line sets. So, he's seen the field. He was a four-star coming out of suburban Chicago. He'll be a junior next year (6-5, 290). I think his athleticism is what's being measured. He hasn't seen time in the regular O-line rotation at all this season. I'm not going to automatically cross off Croston because he's a walk-on. He's been a project since he walked onto the camps as a 235-pounder. He's still lean, but the 6-5, 270-pounder will have the winter to inch toward 290. Good athlete.

LT — Boone Myers: Myers has been working left tackle at practice since about the same time Boettger switched inside. He's a former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship during camp in August. He played TE and DE at Webster City and ran the field with a good combo of size and speed. He's 6-5 and listed at 285. I think he and Boettger compete here and the one who doesn't win (notice, I didn't say 'loser') probably playing left guard.

Just a little spitballing. The specialists are out now.

— Bowls? I knew you'd ask.

It all will be decided Dec. 7, when the bowls will submit a 1-2-3 ranking of their preferences. Schools will in turn rank their preferred destinations. And then the Big Ten will make the match, based on creating desirable matchups (no rematches) and other parameters.

Iowa is likely locked into the Big Ten's middle tier of bowls, which includes Music City/TaxSlayer, Foster Farms (San Fransisco) or Pinstripe (New York City), though Iowa could also still be in the running for the Holiday Bowl in San Diego with a victory today.

The only bowl here is the Citrus Bowl. I'm not sure either team today is a serious contender for that bowl. The scout is, just FYI, from Lincoln. Coincidence?

— UNL wide receiver Kenny Bell is dressed today. Looks like he's a go. He suffered a head injury in the first half of last week's game. He has 37 catches for 664 yards and three TDs.

That gives UNL a healthy roster of playmakers in WRs Jordan Westerkamp (39 catches for 653 yards and four TDs), De'Mornay Pierson-El (B1G's best punt returner) and, of course, RB Ameer Abdullah (1,417 yards, 18 TDs).

Abdullah has been slowed with a knee injury. He's not 100 percent, but he's still pretty darn good.

— Dolph just said he told ABC analyst Matt Millen that he was no Jack Ham. Ed Podolak immediately asked if Dolph had a running start when he said that.

— Look for more frosh RBs Akrum Wadley and Jonathan Parker, according to radio that was from Ferentz.

These two have virtually disappeared from the playbook the last two weeks. Parker also has lost the kick return job to Jordan Canzeri. At one point this year, Parker led the league in kick return yards.

— Looks like Boettger is again wearing No. 99, as he did last week. The former TE now OL replaced junior Henry Krieger-Coble, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Illinois. Beottger played a handful of snaps at that No. 2 blocking TE spot last week.

— Bell is in uniform, but DE Randy Gregory is not in uniform and not warming up. Looks like he's out. He is the Huskers best pass rusher. It's widely believed the junior will make the jump to the NFL draft, but nothing has been announced there. It doesn't look as though he will play today.

— Huskers OL today is Alex Lewis, Jake Cotton, Ryan Reeves, Mike Moudy and Givens Price. Reeves and Price replaced injured Mark Pelini and Zach Sterup, respectively.

— Safety Corey Cooper out. Wearing a foot brace.

— Iowa No. 2 O-line from right to left: Croston, Walsh, Eric Simmons, Beottger and Meyers. No. 2 DL: Wil Rathjen, Jaleel Johnson, Faith Ekakitie and Melvin Spears.

OK, 18 minutes to kick. Senior parents are lining up to great their senior sons one last time in Kinnick. If my daughter were on the Iowa football team, I'd be down there. She's not. She's 5-2.

BTW, the wind is gusting between 12 and 15 mph out of the south.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com