Notes from Northwestern practice: September 3

-Special teams got a lot of practice today, both at the beginning of practice for about 20 minutes and another drill in the middle of practice. The Wildcats only netted about 27 yards per punt against Cal, so I guess the extra practice is warranted.

-On that note, Chris Gradone was still the main punter, despite averaging only 30 yards per punt on Saturday against Cal. Coach Pat Fitzgerald said it was just an off day for the junior. Apparently he punted into the wind a few times and also had three bad snaps. Anyways, he looked better in practice today, hitting multiple 40-yard punts.

-Wide receiver Cam Dickerson has had a slight case of the dropsies lately, but he had some nice catches today, including a great grab as he was falling backwards in the back of the endzone in 7v7 drills.

-QB Trevor Siemian, on the other hand, was not as sharp in the 7v7 drills, missing his receivers several times. Accuracy was definitely part of the problem against Cal. He looked much better in 11v11 though, particularly on a downfield pass to Kyle Prater that would have been a touchdown.

-There did not appear to be any changes to the starting lineup, but Fitz mentioned after practice that a lot of players, particularly veterans, got a bit of a wake-up call against the Golden Bears. He said another performance like Saturday's first half would definitely prompt some changes next week.

-The Cats went classic with the music today, including a round of "Whip It."

-Finally, the most pressing thing on everyone's mind: wristbandgate. Check the update here.