Huskers Hit the Practice Field for Start of Fall Camp
Lincoln-A day after welcoming over 6,500 fans into Memorial Stadium for Fan Day, the Nebraska football team took the practice field for the first time, as they geared up for the start of the 2011 campaign. The Huskers practiced in only helmets as they must meet the mandatory adjustment period set by the NCAA. NU worked out for two hours on the Ed and Joyann Gass practice field northeast of Memorial Stadium Saturday morning.
Head Coach Bo Pelini addressed the media after his squad's opening practice. Pelini said that it was a typical first day and that guys were excited to be on the field again.
"It was pretty good," Pelini said of practice. "I thought the tempo was really good. Effort was great, guys were flying around. I think they were excited to be out there. We got a lot done. Typical first day, you have a lot of good things; I saw a lot of good things out there. I saw a lot of mental mistakes and things we need to get cleaned up, but I thought for our first day it was a pretty good day for us."
One of the main topics covered in Pelini's session with the media was the status of freshman quarterback Bubba Starling. Starling was selected fifth overall by the Kansas City Royals in June's Major League Baseball Draft and must decide between football and baseball by the Aug. 15 MLB signing deadline. The freshman quarterback is not on the current 105-man roster, but Pelini noted that he and Starling's family have been in constant communication on the best way to handle the situation.
"We'll see how that plays out," Pelini said. "The situation is normal, but obviously he has a lot at risk so we communicated with the family and decided the best way to go about it and we're all on the same page."
"This was a plan we've had for a while now. It's no surprise to me or them. We're all on the same page as far as how we're going about this."
Another true freshman making headlines after Saturday's practice was Jamal Turner. Turner took some snaps at the quarterback position for some of practice, but Pelini pointed out that Turner is a receiver first and quarterback second.
"Jamal is obviously a multi-talented guy," Pelini said. "He's receiver first, but we're working him some at quarterback. Kind of the same plan we had with him during the spring."
On the injury front, Pelini listed senior offensive tackle Marcel Jones and day-to-day, while freshman lineman Givens Price will miss an extended period of time with a leg injury.
The Huskers will return to the practice field for their second practice of fall camp on Sunday. Check back to Huskers.com for updates on the Nebraska football team, as they prepare for their season opener on Sept. 3 against Tennessee at Chattanooga.
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