Nebraska Defensive Coordinator John Butler Pre-Pinstripe Bowl Quotes

On the play of the secondary this season
“I think, obviously, they could have played better, especially towards the end of the year. I think as our film started to get out there in terms of what we were doing, how we were playing, there was an awareness of maybe how we were attacked last year compared to this year. Some of the things we did well obviously, we took the ball away and had some significant takeaways. Three touchdowns I think is a big deal. Anytime you score once on defense let alone three times I think is big. Towards the end of the year, I think the last half, we gave up more explosive plays than I would’ve liked. For the six years I was in Buffalo, we were in the top three every year in not allowing that. I think that’s a key formula for winning. I think we ended this year giving up 30 total and 28 last year which put us 27th in the country. Not horrible but not in the top 25. Obviously, we could’ve done better but I think that is the case every year.”

On how his relationship with Coach Rhule has improved since the fall
“Obviously the last time I talked to you guys I was fairly new on the job. We kind of outlined how that happened so quickly. Here we are a couple months later in a much different role. Obviously, I am excited about the opportunity to continue my relationship working with Matt. Working with these players, who I think I developed a very good connection with. Working with those guys, not only just the DBs, but all the defensive guys. Working with them on a daily basis trying to develop that relationship. And continuing to develop and build upon the unbelievable history and tradition of the University of Nebraska and the Blackshirts. And understanding that this is a tremendous honor. I know this was a highly coveted job. I know Matt went through his process and I am thankful that at the end of the day he has given me the opportunity to lead this group of guys and do anything I can to put a great product on the field on defense.”

On how he thought the defense handled pressure situations and what he would change
“I would take that Indiana game and flush it down the toilet. I think in many, many different ways because it was such an outlier when you look at our whole season. There were some games where we had an elite performance on third down. Look at the Iowa game. They were 0-for-10. You look at some other games where that maybe wasn’t the case. At the end of the day, as a defensive coach, your job is to get stops. You’re going to get stops on third down. We did a study recently, a recap of the season. I think we were in the 30s as far as our third down percentage and stops, which is good enough, but I think we can improve that with how we attack the protections and get a better understanding of what we’re doing coverage-wise. Another thing that is a huge thing about defense is continuity. If you’re changing what you’re doing every year, there’s a process of learning what we’re trying to do. I think the beauty of it is, moving forward, those coverage principles aren’t going to change. They’re just going to get more reps and more exposure to them. I think at the end of the day that will allow us to execute them.”