Lincoln – The Nebraska football team finished up preparations for Illinois by practicing for two hours on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields and inside the Hawks Championship Center on Thursday.

Head Coach Bo Pelini spoke to the media after practice, and said the team got a lot of good work done this week and addressed the quarterback situation.

“We’ll start Tommy (Armstrong),” Pelini said. “Ron (Kellogg III) will be ready to go and Taylor (Martinez) will not play.”

Pelini said that whether Armstrong and Kellogg will split reps depends on how the game goes. Pelini added that Martinez is making progress but won’t put him on the field until he is 100 percent. Martinez hasn’t played since the turf toe injury he suffered on Sept. 14 against UCLA.

“(Both quarterbacks) had a good week,” Pelini said. “They are feeling good. I think their confidence just grows. They’ve been getting a lot of reps. No matter who the quarterback is, the key is playing good around them. I think our guys understand that and we’re ready to do that.”

Pelini also talked about the MIKE linebacker position and said David Santos will “probably” get the start.

“(Santos) had a good couple weeks,” Pelini said. “He’s had a good last few days. I have to check out today’s film but that’s where we are leaning.”

Pelini added that he thought today’s communication in practice was the best it has been since the Huskers started fall camp.

“I didn’t feel good after yesterday’s practice but I felt really good after today’s practice,” Pelini said. “With our guys, it’s a consistency issue and it’s a focus issue. It’s a discipline approach of playing the way you need to play.”

Nebraska’s Homecoming game against the Fighting Illini kicks off at 11 a.m. at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. ESPNU will carry the TV coverage.