The Huskies have been playing mock games in their practices to ready themselves for the season opener against UNLV on Saturday.

The mock games, which run similarly to an actual game, are non-contact, and players don’t wear any pads. Though the games don’t last the same duration they do in the regular season, they help players with positionings.

The Huskies opened practice Saturday with warm ups on the field before kickoff, followed by a first half of non-contact action. The team returned to the locker room for halftime as they would for a typical game, taking a 10 minute intermission before play resumed.

The second half consisted of play from both the starters and backups, as the team marched up and down the field on both sides.

No passes were thrown and running plays halted usually after a few yards. Field goals were still kicked at the end of every drive, and the team also practiced punts and punt returns.

Following the game, the team met at midfield for a final speech by head coach Rod Carey, who recapped the team’s final summer practice performance.

“All those workouts, early mornings and all that different stuff we were doing — I think they did a really good job this summer of getting themselves in position,” Carey said.

The team has showed improvement throughout the summer and continues to do so heading into the season opener, Carey said.

“And now it’s game week, so I know they’re ready to hit somebody else,” Carey said. “You gotta switch out of camp mode now. Game week mode is different. You have to feel that urgency.”

There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position heading into last season, as the Huskies didn’t have a sure starter until a few games in. This time around, there’s a lot less concern because the team has its guy to start the year, Carey said.

“Anytime you know who your quarterback is going into fall camp you’re way ahead. His progression has been good.”

Expectations remain high for the team after an 11-win 2014 season Carey shot down any speculation of his squad being too comfortable or complacent in 2015.

“That’s a question that everyone will ask that’s not involved in the day to day,” Carey said. “There’s so much going on day to day. If you don’t pay attention to process — great thing about this game — it keeps you humble. So you gotta keep paying attention to that process. This camp, like every camp, has had its highs and its lows.”

Fans can expect the Huskies to “play hard” this season, Carey said.