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Key Northwestern cornerback will miss bowl game vs. Vols with ‘jersey finger’
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Josh Dobbs and the Vols were getting prepared to face one of the most fearsome cornerback tandems in the Big Ten, but half of it will be missing.
Northwestern will be without a key cornerback in the Outback Bowl against Tennessee. Senior Nick VanHoose will miss the game with a finger tendon injury in his right hand commonly known as “Jersey Finger,” Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald and VanHoose told Inside NU on Wednesday.
VanHoose’s recovery timetable is six to eight weeks. He sustained the injury in practice on Sunday.
“I’m pretty sure it got caught in a jersey, and just snapped off,” VanHoose said of the finger tendon.
VanHoose had a good final season with the Wildcats. He had three interceptions, one of which he returned 72 yards for a touchdown against Nebraska, and 12 pass breakups. He also recorded 41 total tackles, tied with Matt Harris for the most on the team, and forced one fumble.
VanHoose and Harris combined for seven of the team’s 12 interceptions on the season along with 24 pass breakups, each posting 12, tied for 3rd-most in the Big Ten.
Tennessee and Northwestern will kick off at noon ET on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla., on ESPN2.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
