Tuesday Press Conference Quotes

Nebraska Coach Frank Solich
Opening Comments
"The start of the week has gotten off very good in terms of the way we have practiced and our attitude and enthusiasm. That has been typical of this ball club. We keep talking about the same thing, about what they are all about and their chemistry. It will be important to keep practicing the way we have been practicing and to get what we can out of each day. This group has been that type of team, and I think you are going to give it your best shot when you are that kind of group. We are getting ready to play a very physical football game against Iowa State, as I am sure Barney has mentioned to you. From the offensive standpoint, they do a lot of blitzing. When you have a team that does a lot of blitzing, it can lead to turnovers. I think we are trying to work hard on not getting caught and turning the ball over, then having our defense on the field and not being able to get any points on the board or have field position. When you look at them, they have very good skilled people. Their receivers are excellent on the offensive side of it. They will have a young quarterback. They have the capability of playing good football, and they are very well coached. It should be a great game, and we are looking forward to it."

On revenge factor of last year:
"Revenge is not a word we consider using in any way, shape or form. Last year is behind us, and we have moved forward. That has been the great thing about working with these guys, they are extremely enthusiastic. They don’t want anything in terms of negativity in front of them. They are incredibly supportive of one another. They understand that to win you have to prepare each week and take them one game at a time. We have our players convinced of that, but there are people outside the program that we are having a hard time convincing of that. That is the way it is, and I think everyone is starting to realize what it is taking to be a great team in the Big 12. It has to show up each week by playing great football, taking care of the ball, eliminating mistakes and seeing what happens."

On the team possibly looking ahead to Texas:
"I’m not worried at all about where their focus is. Their focus is getting ready to play their next opponent, and that is Iowa State. They have good players, and they are very well coached. With that in mind, we will play our best ball game and hope that is enough to get it done."

On Iowa State’s Stevie Hicks:
"I have not had an opportunity to see Stevie. He has been at Iowa State, and he has been banged up. He did get a chance to play some in the last ball game. He had 11 carries for 60-something yards, so he did have a good afternoon. Coming out of high school, he was an excellent player. He has good size and excellent quickness. He was very productive in high school and figures to be very productive at Iowa State."

On biggest concern playing Iowa State:
"They are like anybody else who is battling to make it work game by game. They have had to overcome a lot of different injuries early. They have found a way to do that and play on top of their game. Their last half played against Oklahoma they played very well, and it was played very physical. They did what they had to do to move the football and to put some points on the board. They have a great attitude, and they will step on the field ready to go. They do have some guys who are getting healed up. Their young guys have gained experience. They have a good group of mature, older players who have won a lot of football games for them, and I am sure they are moving forward. Sometimes, that is not always the case with a team who has a losing record at mid-season. They are moving forward with their football team, and they will be ready to go. We just need to meet the challenge."

On the importance of this home game before a long road stretch:
"Every game will be critical now that we are into the Big 12. It is obvious when you look at the Big 12 North Division, it is an open race. Every time you line up, you are lining up against someone who could beat you. Every game is critical. We will need to have a football team that remains focused, and we will need to stay injury free as much as possible as we go through the rest of this season. That can all happen, but in order to make it happen you can’t worry about playing at home or playing on the road. You cannot worry about who your opponent is. You have to worry about playing on top of your game and playing the very best game you can every Saturday. That gives you your best chance."

On the harm in revenge:
"When you start thinking about revenge in my mind, you start thinking about something in the past. It is what we have tried to steer away from in this program, and it has been that way since I was an assistant in ’79. We have never looked at operating from the past. We do what we can in the present to make it work in the future. Revenge has never entered into it."

On circumstances of last week’s game:
"Going into it, I knew we had to be more balanced on the offensive side of it than what we have been, and I am not so sure that will play out yet to be true, as we play the rest of our schedule. You can have all the wants and desires, but the bottom line until you line up and start playing the game to see how it is unfolding that is what happens. Your game plan may not come true in terms of numbers of tosses versus the number of runs. The bottom line is we have been able to move the ball well enough at times, and we have been able to have good field position. Our defense has been playing good football. So at times, it doesn’t make sense to put the ball up for grabs regardless of whether you are talking about a long throw or short throw or just trying to be more balanced. We are just trying to win each football game. Sometimes that will be dictated by us running the ball, running the ball and running the ball. Other times it will mean throwing the ball."

On the need to be more efficient as NU heads deeper into the Big 12 schedule:
"I don’t know if we have to be more efficient, but we may need to put the ball in the air more. Our passing percentage is not all that bad, and we have made some big plays in the passing game. In this last game, the secondary was not forcing us to throw the ball that much, so we continued to run. Against Missouri, our ground game was very effective and every time our ground game is effective, then we are going to keep running. We are kind of like Texas Tech. Any time their passing game is effective they are going to keep passing."

On how well Oklahoma State is playing:
"I am glad to see how well we are playing right now. Oklahoma State is playing well, but you know what so are we. You don’t get opportunities to line up again and play the game over. We would like to play one quarter over again, but that is all in the past. You don’t talk about it. You just continue to move on. We are glad that we are positioned where we are positioned right now; it gives a chance to accomplish some of the goals we have right now. There are a lot of people in line to accomplish those same goals."

On being first in turnovers forced and turnover margin:
"I don’t think there is any question that is the biggest stat there is when you start to look at wins and losses year after year with other teams. Turnover margin is critical. It was an excellent offensive football team that we played last week, but they had eight turnovers, which is very uncharacteristic of what they are all about. It took away any possibility they had to win the game. The same things occurred for us at Missouri. Turnovers are critical. If you have a defensive team that has excellent team speed and mixes things up a little bit, you are going to create turnovers. We have not been handed these turnovers, but our defense has created these turnovers. Also, it plays into how you play offensively. You are getting a lot of chances so you don’t need to take a lot of chances. If you weren’t getting as many opportunities, and if the ball wasn’t being turned over as much as it was, you would probably need to take more chances and you would probably end up throwing the ball."

On any new ways to motivate the team:
"Our players are very easily motivated. The guys we have in our system, they love the game of football. They want to play it, and they want to play it well. All we have to do as coaches is give them a chance to play it well. That is what we are all about trying to do. There are moments in the schedule where you try to throw things in front of them that you think will help. If you don’t have a team that is inspired to begin with, then you have problems."

On the 2003 team reminding him of any teams from the past:
"If you look at championship years, you don’t win games on talent alone, but there has to be great chemistry. That is the trademark of Nebraska football. I think both Tom Osborne and Bob Devaney had the ability to develop that chemistry. You do it with great work ethic and believing in one another. Those guys were able to help develop that within their teams. I think that we have senior leadership. If you look at the ?95 team and the other championship years, you are talking about teams with great senior leadership, as well as play-makers. Our leadership has been outstanding from our seniors."

On Iowa State Coach Dan McCarney:
"I sure do have a lot of respect for him and what he has done over the years. It’s difficult to take a program like he did and make it work year after year like he did. He has shown great improvement through his time there. They are having a little bit of a setback there with the early start, but there is a lot to the season yet. He is a great motivator and a guy who will have his team ready to play week after week. I am sure the attitude and chemistry there is excellent. That all stems from the head coach and assistant coaches, and I think they do a great job of that."

On Jammal Lord’s improved decision-making:
"I think it has improved a great deal. You know last year was his first year of playing within our system. The year previous he had very few reps. He was a very inexperienced quarterback coming into last year. We put an awful lot on him not only in terms of operating as a normal quarterback, but we ran him. He held up physically and mentally. He did it when there was a lot of pressure on him and sometimes, very little support outside of the football community of our players and program. That is not easy to overcome, and I think his progress has been very good. You look at his decision-making, and I think he has progressed there very well. He has shown improvement and great heart. There are few other quarterbacks around who are able to do what he does in terms of running the football, but there are very few around this country who can be as strong a runner from the quarterback position at the end of the game as you are at the beginning of the game. There are a lot of quarterbacks, who once they start to get beat down, start scrambling or start to take hits, sometimes they are not the same quarterbacks in the second half or at the end of game. Jammal has the ability to take those hits and give those hits. I admire that in him, and sometimes what appears to be poor decision-making on the quarterback’s part is an accumulation of things dumped in the quarterback’s lap. I like the way he is playing right now. Our team likes the way he is playing right now. I think we are giving the right amount of work to Joe (Dailey) right now. If he had to come in and play for us right now, I think he could do that. He will be able to come in and play. We will continue to give him work as we go through the season. Certainly, if Jammal continues to play well and stays healthy and if we keep giving Joe the same amount of work, Joe will be an experienced quarterback next year. No way will this be a wasted year for Joe and this program. In fact, if you look at it, it is just the opposite."

On Lord being physically tougher than former quarterbacks:
"We have been fortunate in the toughness of the quarterbacks in the system that we have had. From Eric (Crouch) to Scott (Frost) to Tommie (Frazier), you could just go down the list. We have been extremely fortunate on that end of it, and I think Jammal fits in extremely well."

On Josh Bullocks’ performance:
"I like our secondary as a whole. It is a very young. You look at both safety spots and you are looking at two young players in both of those spots. Of course, Fabian (Washington) is a true sophomore. There is a lot of youth in the secondary, and I think that will certainly help us as we get into next season and after. Josh has had a really great year. There was a point in time where he probably didn’t tackle as well. There were a couple of games that didn’t play out where his true abilities were showing in that area, but this last game he tackled extremely well. No one covers the field like he does when the ball is in the air. He has great anticipation before the ball is even in the air."