Lincoln – The Nebraska football team wrapped up preparations for UCLA on Thursday by holding a 90-minute practice on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields outside of the Hawks Championship Center.

Head Coach Bo Pelini talked to the media afterwards and expressed pleasure with his team’s performance this week.

“We had a good practice to finish up our week,” Pelini said. “We still have some things to clean up tomorrow and the mental part of it comes into play.”

Pelini added that it was “business as usual” and said the defense is continuing to progress.

“I think all the guys are getting better,” Pelini said. “They are understanding. They are learning a new opponent and the challenges that come with a game plan. It’s going to be fun to see how our guys react. It will be a heckuva challenge for us.”

Pelini also talked about junior linebacker Zaire Anderson’s play last weekend against Southern Miss.

“I thought Zaire played pretty (well) in the game,” Pelini said. “He had a couple good series. With Zaire, it’s going to come down to if he is prepared enough to understand what we are trying to do defensively. I think he’s working hard at it. I think he’s improving. He can be a factor for us.”

The Huskers and Bruins kick off at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday and will be televised to a national audience on ABC.