Lincoln, Neb.- The Nebraska football team wrapped up another 2015 Fall Camp practice Thursday night as the Huskers practiced outside on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields for about two and a half hours. NU practiced in full pads again, as the Huskers continue to prepare for their Sept. 5 season opener against BYU.

Nebraska defensive coordinator Mark Banker met with media following practice, mentioning that the Blackshirts looked much better during Thursday’s practice than in previous practices so far during camp.

“I thought our overall pursuit to the ball was better, I thought our positioning on tackling was better,” Banker said. “When you first start live, you can do all the drills you want but now you have moving targets that are not just running straight lines.

Banker went on to talk about how much he loves ‘live’ practice, when the Huskers are in full contact.

“I love live practices—you can’t do them all the time but I don’t think there is any substitute for them. It brings the juices flowing a bit higher to the top.”

Emerging on defense so far during fall camp has been junior linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey. The Kansas City native has been a vocal leader for the Blackshirts, and has been making really impressive plays during scrimmages.

“Michael really came alive for us probably right after spring break, he became more familiar with the concepts on defense. That and he was over any hesitation with his injury—I think he is in a good place mentally and physically,” Banker said. “He is definitely one of our leaders in our group.”

Check back at Huskers.com Saturday night for practice coverage.

Practice Notes

• Senior wide receiver Sam Burtch and sophomore cornerback Chris Jones each had a knee procedure done and hope to be back for the start of the season.
• Freshman running back Jordan Stevenson sat out practice Thursday night with an ankle injury. Riley said that the injury does not to appear to be serious and he should not miss an extended period of time.
• Givens Price has moved from the offensive line to defensive tackle.
  • “We are excited about that, we talked about it for a day or two and he wanted to do it. I think he can certainly help us—he is smart and he has the perfect size for what we need in there and he is athletic,” Riley said.
• Riley confirmed that there will be five NU players suspended for the Huskers season opening game against BYU.