Nebraska took the field on Friday for its first practice in preparation for the Franklin Mortgage Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., and it did so without one of its most important players.

After working his way back from a hamstring injury to play in the Huskers’ regular-season finale against Iowa, senior quarterback Tommy Armstrong watched Friday’s practice in sweats, and his status going forward looks to be in serious doubt.

Head coach Mike Riley said until the team learns more about Armstrong’s chances of playing in the bowl game, the plan will be for senior Ryker Fyfe to be the starter vs. Tennessee with sophomore Zack Darlington serving as the No. 2.

“Right now Tommy is not practicing,” Riley said. “We are going forward as if Ryker is going to start. Until we gain any new information, we have to look at it that way. He’s getting the reps, Zack Darlington is getting some turns, and that will be our quarterback situation.

“We are hopeful to gain more information soon on Tommy, but as of today, and you can see he did not practice.”

Now, Riley did not rule Armstrong out by any means, saying the Huskers remain hopeful that the four-year starter will be able to make it back for his final college game.

But the reality for Nebraska right now is that there’s a chance Armstrong might not be able play, leaving Fyfe - who is 1-1 in his career as a starter - to lead the way in the Music City Bowl.

“We’re just hopeful that (Armstrong) gets better, but as you know he had a significant hamstring (injury),” Riley said. “He was able to get through the Iowa game. I thought that was a courageous move for him, but obviously playing at that time, there was a little bit of a setback in the healing.

“So we’re just going to have to see how it goes and get Ryker ready to play.”

- Robin Washut

It’s been two full weeks since Nebraska suffered a 40-10 loss at Iowa to close out the 2016 regular season.

While the blowout defeat certainly left a bitter taste in the Huskers’ mouths and served as a major black eye on a once promising start to the year, Riley said he was pleased with the way his team came back for their first bowl practice on Friday.

“I thought it was good today,” Riley said. “It was a different start than I’d had almost every bowl year just because it’s been a full two weeks and I haven’t seen these guys for a while, so we went actually pretty light today with the varsity.”

Riley said the Huskers went through individual drills and then a special teams period before spending about 30 minutes on Tennessee prep and “general football play.”

After that, the younger and less experienced players stayed around for a short period of practice of their own, something Riley plans to emphasize over the next few weeks.

“We’re going to take advantage of the 16 practices, and we’re going to as we go progress with our game plan, and we’ll do a little bit more interaction with our offense against defense as we go forward,” Riley said.

“Then we’ll continue to work the young guys at the completion of practice to just help with their development. That’s kind of one of the bonus features that we have with being in a bowl game.”

- Robin Washut

Not only has new Nebraska cornerbacks coach Donté Williams impressed on the recruiting trail, he’s already making his presence felt with his new Husker players.

“He seems like a cool dude,” senior linebacker Josh Banderas said. “Brought his cleats out, threw them on in practice and said he didn’t know how to do it any other way.

“If that’s the kind of guy he is, it’s going to be a fun atmosphere around him. I’m just disappointed that I won’t get to be around him longer.”

Williams has earned a reputation for his energetic and fiery coaching style, which is a big reason why the 34 year old is known as one of the best position coaches and recruiters in the country.

Senior safety Nate Gerry said while he doesn’t work directly with Williams, he can tell he’s going to make an immediate impact on the defense.

Along with coaching the cornerbacks, Williams’ responsibilities will include sub-package specialists and pass defense coordination.

- David Eickholt

In the Foster Farms Bowl a year ago, Gerry was ejected for targeting, causing him to miss the second half of the game.

“That was disappointing for me, mainly because my parents paid so much money to go out there and watch me,” Gerry said.

As a senior this year, he’s looking forward to making an impact in his final game as a Husker.

One of the challenges for Nebraska’s defense will be facing a first-team all-conference quarterback in Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs.

This season Dobbs completed 202 passes for 2655 yards and 26 touchdowns at a 63-percent clip, but he’ll face one of his tougher tests of the season in a Blackshirt defense that has picked off 16 passes this year.

Gerry, who boasts four of those interceptions, said he’s excited to challenge of facing Dobbs, who poses both a running and passing threat.

“It’s kind of like playing Tommy,” Gerry said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge.”

Both ProFootballFocus and USA Today listed Gerry as an All-American safety when the outlets released their postseason honors last week.

Gerry noticed the recognition and credited his teammates and coaches for putting him in position to succeed.

“I’m just honored to be able to represent this university,” he said.

- Matt Reynoldson

While most mock drafts have Gerry being selected anywhere from rounds 3-6, it wasn’t until recently that he saw the NFL as a realistic possibility.

“I never thought about anything that had to do with the NFL," Gerry said. "My goal was to help lead this team to be a championship caliber football team.

"I’m thankful and blessed for the invite. I never thought things like this were possible, but with the support with my mom and dad, it is.”

Gerry received All-Big Ten honors for the third straight season, being named a second-team pick by league news media and third-team by coaches.

Gerry ranked second in tackles, and also had four interceptions and eight pass break-ups. He was also named a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award earlier this fall, given to the nation’s top defensive player.

The 2017 Senior Bowl is scheduled for Jan. 28 at 2:30 p.m. ET on the NFL Network.

- David Eickholt

***Nebraska had a laundry list of players sitting out for the first bowl practice. Here are the Huskers who were out with various injuries:

Armstrong, Terrell Newby, Alonzo Moore, Bryan Reimers, Cole Conrad, Marcus Newby, and Michael Rose-Ivey.

***Fyfe was able to practice but still wore a soft cast on his right hand.\

***Riley said Terrell Newby was dealing with a leg injury and is expected to play in the bowl game, while Moore has a nerve injury in his lower leg that forced him to miss the Iowa game. Riley said they’re hopeful Moore will be able to play.

***Riley said Rose-Ivey had a stiff back but should be fine, and added that Dylan Utter was able to go through individuals on Friday but cut the day short as he recovers from a leg injury. Riley said he expects Utter to be fine for the bowl game.

***Riley said Williams fit everything they were looking for in a new assistant coach, both in terms of coaching and also as a recruiter. Riley added that they’re hoping to add a 10th full-time assistant in the spring when the NCAA changes the rule on the number of coaches allowed, and it would be an offensive coach.