Lincoln – The Nebraska football team marked its fourth and final practice in preparation for its first game with a two-hour session in full pads under another sunny afternoon in Memorial Stadium.

Head Coach Bill Callahan’s comments reflected the team’s in-depth preparation as well as its desire to get the first game underway.

“We are ready,” Callahan said. “There’s no way to prepare for every single thing that might come at you defensively, and we’ve done everything we possibly can. So really we’re just ready to get out there and play the game.

“We always start with the first 25 minutes dedicated to special teams, and we just gauge how they look and go from there. Today we also worked on some red zone and third-down situations, and everyone looked really sharp, so it was a good practice.”

Callahan was additionally confident and hopeful that second-string quarterback Joe Ganz would get to play a series in the team’s home opener.

“I definitely hope he gets (to play a series),” Callahan said. “He’s really worked hard and prepared himself, and I think he’ll do a great job if we can get him out there.”

Fans are strongly encouraged to be in their seats by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday to catch an exciting pre-game show. With thousands of new season ticket holders arriving at Memorial Stadium, fans are also encouraged to arrive earlier than normal.

Gates to Memorial Stadium will be opened at 12:30 p.m., two hours before kickoff, as opposed to the usual 90 minutes, to accommodate the large group. The Husker Nation Pavilion will additionally be opened early on Saturday. Gates will open at 11 a.m.

The Huskers will hold a team walk-through in memorial Stadium Friday afternoon before opening the season against Louisiana Tech Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CST.