Huskers Discuss Big Game at Iowa State

Nebraska Football

Weekly Press Conference

Nov. 2, 2004

Head Coach Bill Callahan

 

Opening Statement:

The players of the game from the Mizzou game ? on defense, Barrett Ruud. I just want to extend our congratulations to Barrett for being the Big 12 Player of the Week on defense. He is certainly deserving of that in every respect. He did an outstanding job in every capacity as a leader and as a player, and obviously we just want to see him keep going in the way he’s going. Offensively, Cory Ross. On special teams, Andrew Shanle. The defensive scout team player of the week was Zach Miller. He provided our defense with an excellent picture, and the offensive scout team player of the week was Trevor Neeman, a young defensive lineman. He fills in and does an excellent job in providing a real profile of a defensive rush and also what a linebacker does on defense throughout the week.

 

Last week’s game was a good game for us. It was a needed win, a must win for us. We look at this week no differently. We’re going to have to muster up all the emotion and energy again as we get on the road and play a competitive team. I look at IowaState as a team that’s ascending in every respect. If you look at their last three games and you look at the way they performed, they have really taken on a new identity. I look at their defense, and they’re giving the opponent an average of only 13 points per game. They’ve had 11 turnovers in the last three games, so they’re very opportunistic. There’s a lot of confidence brewing up there. I know Coach McCarney will have them all riled up for Saturday, make no doubt about that.

 

On Barrett Ruud:

I would personally nominate him for All-American. The All-America list was transmitted to me by fax last week through the American Football Coaches Association, and his name was on it. I’m sure he’ll be given thorough consideration.

 

On Ruud’s potential for the National Football League:

It’s not for me to say. I don’t have that luxury anymore. But I think he’ll be an excellent player, just looking at everything he has done from a college standpoint. The productivity really stands out, the instinctiveness, his ability to diagnose, run and react, and make the plays he’s capable of making in the open field. He’s a young guy. He’ll continue to get better. He’ll obviously be under more tutelage and have more repetition as he goes through the rigors of an NFL season. So I see there’s tremendous upside in his regard. Now, where they take him and where he goes, I have no idea, but I’m just happy about the fact that he’s on our team and doing what he’s doing for us.

 

On taking emotion into upcoming games:

We’re going to need more emotion on the road. We’ll need to manufacture that by any means ? through communication, dialogue, through the on-the-field repetition, through the constant encouragement of our coaches, and the positive approach we’ve been taking with our players. Let’s face it ? every now and then, as a coach, you have to tweak your team. You have to tweak your ballclub and how you elect to do that, you have to do it very delicately. There’s a very fine line. I think our players appreciate some of the transition we went through last week, some of the changes we’ve made. And I’ll be quite honest with you, I learned quite a bit about myself as a coach. Just from a small thing of not having a group of guys being on the field for pre-game, I can admit to that. I made a mistake. That’s part of the growing process. To think that you don’t make a mistake as a coach or a player, that’s ludicrous. We’re all going to have those trials and tribulations, but I think the big thing is that you learn from it. As a head coach, I certainly learned from that experience, and we’re trying to do what’s in the best interest of our team. Certainly those guys were deserving of being on the field, and it was to no disrespect. I explained that to our team last Tuesday, and I think it provided us with a boost in morale and everybody being on the same page. We certainly didn’t want to split the team. I’m glad to see those guys took it in the fashion they did, and they took it in a mature way and responded favorably. They were excited to be back on the field again.

 

On his approach with the defensive staff:

I think every week, win or lose, you look at your team and see where you can improve. We want to improve in every facet of our relationship with players, how we conduct ourselves on the field, our approach to the game. All those things change every week. We have new challenges, new scenarios, new problems. As a staff, we sit down in the early hours of the morning and discuss all those things that can help us improve. The approach we take, what we do in order to win, we really try to highlight those areas we have to delve into. We really emphasize those with our team and with our players. It’s different for everybody. As a head coach, with your staff, you have to be able to give them the freedom to do what they do best, but tying everybody together in the same direction is the key. I thought our guys did a heck of a job last week. To rebound and rally from a tough loss is to their credit. Our players and staff, I thought, performed very well as they came off that tough loss to KansasState. They responded very well during the course of the week. They were very wide open and receptive to some of the things we changed and implemented, so I feel really good about that.

 

On the staff’s approach with players:

I think in coaching, you’re always going to look at yourself and see how people respond, especially with a new group of players. I’m no different. You’re going to have to push different buttons on different people, and you’re going to keep continuing to try those buttons and see what works. I don’t know what’s going to hit this week, but we’re going to keep trying. We’re going to keep trying to push the envelope to get our players to play with the same emotion and enthusiasm that they did on Saturday. Everything is our there for us. All of our goals are out there for us to achieve. The challenges are out there. There’s an opportunity to win a championship here in the North division, and to maintain that lead and take advantage of it, that’s our accountability. We’re all accountable to generate our own emotion and enthusiasm, especially with the significance of this game coming up.

 

On Cory Ross in practice this week:

We’re very smart about how we go about that process. If an athlete who we think is special ? like a guy like Cory Ross ? is capable of playing on Saturday, he’ll play, barring that he’s in condition and he does everything he needs to do to prepare himself mentally and physically for a game. If we back him down and limit his repetitions, then so be it. As long as he’s getting the mental repetitions on the field or in the meeting room, and he stays alive with the game plan, I’m all for that. Then we integrate him into the practice as we move along throughout the week. We’re smart about what reps we give him, when we give them to him, and what phase. We’re not going to throw him in the nine-on-seven against the first defense, obviously, so we’re going to be very selective in what runs we’ll practice him with. I think the management of an injured player, to us, we have been very sensitive to that. We want a guy to be in position Saturday, and we’ll do everything we can from a rehabilitation aspect to get that player ready to go physically. I think Doak (Ostergard) and Dave Kennedy, they do an outstanding job of getting players like Cory ready for a big game. I think [Cory] has pretty good muscle memory as far as the plays are concerned, so we just monitor where the health of his injury is, and we’ve become a little bit smarter about it.

 

On Brandon Jackson:

I think we’re fortunate that we have depth and we have good players. Not only Brandon Jackson, but David Horne and Tierre Green as well. They provide the type of repetition and the type of competition that you need at that position. So when a guy like Cory Ross is on the shelf or is trying to come back from a rehabilitation status, those guys pick up the slack. They pick up the workload quite a bit throughout the course of a practice. That does stress those guys, so we have to be careful about how we utilize the committee, so to speak, so we don’t overuse a number of players when practicing and a certain player is down. So we may have to call up a guy like Kade Pittman to provide us with another running back at that spot to balance out the reps.

 

On the loss of Matt Herian:

He’s a premiere player. He’s been a marquee player here since his arrival, and he continues to emerge in so many respects. It will be tough. I think Coach (Jay) Norvell indicated that everybody needs to pick it up, but I’m very confident in Dusty Keiser. I’m very confident in Josh Mueller. I’m very confident in J.B. Phillips. So those players have played a lot, with the exception of Mueller. I look back at last week as we were utilizing the three tight ends in our opening formation and our opening series of the game. We’re going to continue to do that, continue to utilize those ends in what we call our tiger package, which is two tight ends, two wide [receivers], and one back. We’ll continue to do that. I have tremendous confidence that they’ll all step up.

 

On the passing game against Missouri:

That contest ? I’m not going to sugarcoat this ? the numbers weren’t there. Let’s face it. In the third down situations, we were 0-for-8 passing. We’re not happy about that. We’re disappointed. But Joe Dailey continues to work hard at becoming the quarterback we want him to be. To no fault of his, he is trying his best in so many respects, and I stand behind him. There were some throws where our timing wasn’t there. He’s continuing to mature in that respect of his timing. We missed some throws, and we had some open receivers, and then there were some routes that were shut down where he didn’t have an outlet. Those routes were covered, and he had to scramble. The passing game ? it can get hot, it can get cold at any moment. Right now, we’re not very hot. The last two games, we all understand where the third down importance lies. I’ve been speaking about that for the last three weeks in terms of third down football. We’ll continue to emphasize it again. As a coach, we have to come up with a better plan for third down so he’s successful and we’re all successful. That will be the crucial barometer in this game, I believe, is third down football like it has been. I think the important number throughout this conversation is the zero turnovers. Joe not turning over the ball is just as important, if not more important, than some of the mis-throws that he had. I see that as a real step in maturity. He made some decisions to abort the ball, and obviously not risking interception, so I see a real positiveness in that. As we grow, hopefully we can turn some of those incompletes into completes, and it will be a different ballgame for us.

 

On special teams:

I think special teams is the key in any football game ? creating field position, creating opportunities, setting up scores, or scoring by any means from the defensive or offensive side of special team is where we are. That’s what we believe in. It is key. We spend more time on special teams, I think, than anybody in the country. Through our meeting times, through our pre-practice and practice times, post-practice times, we’re constantly cognizant of the value of special teams. It’s certainly paid off. That’s attributed to Bill Busch. I believe Bill Busch has done a fine job in every respect of producing the type of special teams we can all be proud of. I know we hit a bump in the road earlier in the year in our kickoff coverage, but I think we rectified that, and we’ve moved along. Now we’re starting to score in certain areas. Of course, you see Brandon Jackson, and he’s one move away from scoring on the kickoff return. I see our kickoff returning improving. I see our punt rush, our punt block improving. I see all those phases, even our PAT field goal with Sandro (DeAngelis) kicking the key field goal early in the game against the wind, that was certainly uplifting off that first series. I look at what Sam Koch has done, creating the long field and had five punts inside the 20. He had a spectacular day. When you get that type of play out of your specialists, you get that type of play out of your core unit and your core special teams player, that builds a momentum. That builds an excitement and an enthusiasm within special teams, and your team feeds off it. Your offensive and defensive guys see the value of special teams and where it lies in a game. They feed off that energy.

 

On the status of Michael Keenan:

Right now he is no longer on the team. I was very hopeful that he would return to the team, but at this juncture, he has not indicated that he will return.

 

On traditions at Nebraska and Adam Ickes:

I appreciate the value of small-town players from in-state here who people rally around and get enthusiastic about. I really do. I really respect that. And for a guy like Ickes and ?Shans’ (Andrew Shanle) to come up with the plays they did in front of their home state people, that sends a lot of positive vibes. There’s a pride, no question about it, that’s involved here. We can build on that. Hopefully we can get a few more walk-ons out there to step up and come to Nebraska because of play like that.

 

On the messages of Jared Tomich and Charlie McBride:

Charlie spoke to the Blackshirts on Friday afternoon, and I think that’s a private message in that respect with him and the team. Then Jared Tomich spoke to the team Friday evening from his own playing experiences and his own positive thoughts while he was here as a player. I think the value of that is that these are Nebraska guys. They’ve been through the ropes. They understand the ups and downs as well as anybody. The importance of pulling together and playing for one another, I think therein lies a message. I think they got it, I really do.

 

On IowaState Coach Dan McCarney:

I have a tremendous amount of respect for Dan. He and I were both line coaches at the University of Wisconsin for five years, and we went our own separate ways in 1995. I’ve followed Dan, I constantly talk with Dan, and the job he has done has been excellent across the board. There’s nobody I respect more than Mac. Everything you see about what he’s done is first class. He’s a fiery coach. He’s a motivational guy. He’ll have his team ready to play. When you work alongside someone for five years in the trenches, you really get a feel for someone’s passion for football. You get a feel for where they are as a coach. He’s outstanding in every respect ? from a leadership aspect, from the ability to inspire and motivate his players; his preparation is impeccable, and he’s a complete package. We all know what we’re getting into going up to Ames this week, and I know he’ll have his troops ready. They’ll rally very strongly around his message this week. We’re excited as well for the challenge, so it should a heck of a game.

 

On emerging leaders on the team:

I think every year and each week, your team takes on a new personality of different people stepping up and taking on critical roles. If it’s from an emotional leadership standpoint, so be it. I just felt that we had a lot of juice from a lot of different players. Barrett Ruud and Chad Sievers and Stew Bradley ? I thought our linebacker core really came alive not only physically, but verbally. That showed itself on the field on Saturday. I thought our defensive line played with a lot of emotion and had a lot of emotion in the locker room prior to the game, and that’s great to see. It changes week in and week out. You’re going to have players who step up and carry that emotional burden, carry that task, and lead a team when times get tough, whether it’s in the locker room or on the field. We’re hopeful that we can generate and duplicate the same time of enthusiasm and emotion this week.

 

On the question of leadership needing to emerge earlier:

I couldn’t tell you because I haven’t been here. This is my first year, and when you install a new system and you’re implementing new philosophies, maybe something gets lost in the mix. I look at everything with a fine tooth comb in terms of what we’re doing on a weekly basis. Again, we try to tweak it as much as we can, and we try to improve every aspect of our organization. That’s our challenge. That’s our challenge as coaches and whether you’re here or anywhere, you’re always looking for the right answer or for the right button to push to get your team motivated to win.

 

On anticipating a field position-dominated game at IowaState:

If you look at the weather conditions of last week, and you look at the 30 mile per hour gusty winds that appeared out there, I wasn’t real happy when I woke up that morning. We expect the same going up to Ames. I have preliminary reports already telling me it’s going to be a 25-30 mile per hour wind gust-type game. We’re going to have to get ready for the adverse conditions. And like I said, every week you have new challenges. We’re playing on grass instead of turf, or we’re playing a team with a two-game winning streak and is on a Sunday mode that’s generating a lot of momentum right now. We’ll see.

 

Nebraska Football Weekly Press Conference

Nebraska vs. Iowa State Game Week

Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2004

 

Kevin Cosgrove, Defensive Coordinator

On if he expects a defensive struggle against Iowa State:

“Naturally, we feel that we have to play good on defense every week, so that really doesn’t matter. We have to continue to get better defensively and make sure we take care of our side of the ball.”

 

On stepping up their leadership before the Missouri game:

“I don’t think there’s any question that helps. As coaches, we have to lead. But when the players step up, it adds to the emotion, and everybody feeds off of it. Players play and coaches coach. It’s nice when you have that happen.”

 

“We’ve been talking about it. Somebody needs to step up. Somebody needs to ignite this team. We had several guys do that, Chad (Sievers) probably being one of the lead dogs.”

 

“I think there were a lot of guys that took it upon themselves to help in that matter.”

 

On whether the coaches handled the players differently last week:

“No, I’m always going to coach hard. The difference is the execution was better, so not as much needs to be said.”

 

On if the dynamic between the coaches and players has improved:

“Hopefully, it improves every day and every week. I think we have a great working relationship. Anytime situations happen like they happened the last couple of weeks, everybody searches. Everybody tries to get closer and help build a team. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

 

On Benard Thomas:

“He played very well. Benard (Thomas) has played well for most of the year. He just had an exceptional game this past week, but he’s doing a lot of good things and always has.”

 

On Donald DeFrand:

“(Cortney Grixby) went down a little bit. He’s fine now. And Kellen Huston was cramping up, so Donald (DeFrand) came in and performed well, as he always does when he goes in there.”

 

On the health status of Cortney Grixby:

“I don’t know exactly (what happened.)  He just got dinged up a little, but he’s fine right now.”

 

On the key to playing well on the road:

“We have to build on our performance from last week. We look to have that swagger back, and we have to make sure we keep it, whether we play at home or on the road. We played well on the road early in the year, and we have to get that back.”

 

On Iowa State’s offense being ranked last in the Big 12 Conference:

“I think they’re better than that. I think they have a lot of weapons on offense. They’re quarterback is a special player. He has a lot of ability. They have some big receivers that can go up and catch the ball, a big running back who will fight for the tough yards, and they have a very good scheme to try to keep you off-balance. They’ll get in all of the groupings?one back and four wides, two backs and three wides, two tight ends with a back, and one tight end with three wides. So they’ll give you every grouping you could imagine.”

 

On Iowa State wide receiver Todd Blythe:

“In the red zone, they like to try and get him the ball because of his size. They’ll throw it up in the air and let him go up and get it. He’s had a lot of success.”

 

 

Jay Norvell, Offensive Coordinator

Opening Statement:

“We’re excited about the victory last weekend. It’s put us in a position to play some important games here, and our guys are really excited to go on the road at Iowa State. We did some really positive things in the running game, we capitalized in the red zone, we had some opportunities which was a positive, and we’re still trying to shore up some things in the passing game. I think we’re anxious to go back to work on that.”

On the factor of the wind on NU’s passing game last weekend:

“No factor at all. Both teams were throwing in to the wind. It’s only a factor at some points in the game with some of your decision-making, but it’s not really a factor at all. We’ll just keep throwing into it when we have to, and throw with it when it’s behind us.”

 

On if his familiarity with Iowa State Head Coach Dan McCarney will help NU this weekend:

“Only in that we will know what type of competitor he is. Coach (Bill Callahan), Kevin (Cosgrove) and I all worked with Dan for a long time and have known him for a long time. He was one of my favorite coaches when I was in school, so I’ve seen this guy compete for a long time. He is a tremendous competitor, and his teams reflect his competitiveness. The program has been built on a physical mentality and it all comes from his style. We understand where they all come from and the way they’ll be coached, and it will help us prepare our team.”

 

On Joe Dailey’s progression at quarterback this season:

“He’s made a lot of strides in a lot of areas. We had a long talk today and the last couple days. (Quarterback) is kind of like a pitcher. Sometimes you don’t get the ball over the plate, and there really is no secret to it. You bear down and you try to rip it over the plate, and that’s what Joe’s going to do. He’s going to bear down and he’s going to try to rip it. Pretty soon, you just start throwing strikes. That’s the way it is. There’s no easy solution to it. He understands that and he’s excited about it. This is a great opportunity. He’s in a position where not many kids are in college football, to play in a game like this weekend with the implications it has. It’s a great opportunity. He was bouncing around today like a little kid, and we all are, offensively. It’s a great opportunity to get to play on the road. All of the emotion we had last weekend at homecoming, with the help of the ’94 team, the fans, homecoming and everything. One of the things we talk with our players about, we have to generate that within ourselves. We have to bring that energy from each other. They’re excited about that and how they pulled for each other last weekend. We played as a team and we played off of each others’ strengths, offense, defense and special teams. We can definitely build on that. Offensively, we have to fight, scratch and claw to do whatever we can to get a first down and get the ball in the end zone when we have the opportunity. That’s where our kids’ minds are.”

 

On the status of Cory Ross’ injured foot:

“He’ll be ready. He’s proven that already. He’s about through some setbacks, and he knows what he has to do to prepare to get himself ready for Saturday. He’ll do whatever is in his power to do that. There’s not a player on our offense, and probably on our team, that’s sacrificed more to get on the field Saturday. He’s done that over and over again, and I’m proud of him for that.”

 

On the affect of Matt Herian’s injury to the receiving corps:

“I don’t think you replace Matt (Herian) with one guy. Everybody has to step up and do a little bit more, whether its our wide receivers, our backs as receivers, or Dusty (Keiser) or J.B. (Phillips). I just don’t think you replace Matt Herian with one player. It will be everybody picking up their play a little bit and doing a little bit more in the passing game. We have some good tight ends that had an excellent role last weekend. We used J.B. and Dusty, and we had plans to use them regardless of that situation. Their roles change a little bit, and everybody else’s roles will probably pick up a bit. We’ll have to step up that way.”

 

On the effects of the injury to Matt Herian on Ross Pilkington’s effectiveness:

“Ross (Pilkington) is a guy we’ve called on to be a solid playmaker for us. He’s had some midseason things that have set him back a bit, injury-wise, but he’s working hard and he’ll practice. He’ll work hard to get in position to help us make plays this weekend. I don’t think his role will change because of Matt Herian.”

 

On playing on the grass turf this weekend:

“We haven’t played on the grass since (Pittsburgh). We’ll just have to work on our footing. That was kind of unusual because we played in a flood plain, right there on the river. It was a little slicker than normal grass. I don’t foresee it being a problem this week, depending on the weather. But that will be up to Coach (Callahan), if we do (practice on grass this week).”

 

On the Iowa State defense:

“Like every week, protecting the football is so important. They’ve won two big games, and turnovers have had the biggest factor in the last two wins they’ve had. Our guys have a great challenge of protecting the ball, moving it and taking advantage of every opportunity in the game, and that’s a big challenge. They’ve forced some turnovers, they had a couple big ones against Kansas, and it really turned the game. We have to really fight not to make those critical errors on the road. It’s so important that you handle the ball well when you are on the road. So that will be very important.”

 

On NU’s third-down efficiency problems:

“It’s a real concern. We need to be able to sustain drives, keep our defense off of the field, and we need to be able to execute much better on third down than we have. The last couple weeks, it’s been way below par, and our guys understand that. The emphasis will continue, we’re studying closely and finding ways that we can do a better job on third down. We’re going to have to try to improve that these next three games, where it will be so critical.”

 

On if the coaching staff will pick spots to play Cory Ross:

“When he’s prepared to play, we play him. We haven’t adjusted our thought processes on Saturdays. He’s come ready to play and he’s done a good job.”

 

Nebraska Player Quotes

Quarterback Joe Dailey

On Coach Norvell’s theory of a quarterback being similar to a pitcher:

That deals with the concept that when things get hard for a pitcher, they go back to doing the things they do best, and that’s throwing a fastball.  That is exactly what he wants me to do, go back to my very basic fundamentals.

 

On being in a slump:

No, it’s just more about succeeding.  Every week Coach Callahan puts us in a position to succeed.  Sometimes I turn out, playing better than others do, and sometimes others turn out, and play better than I do.  Cory Ross is a great example.  In Pittsburgh things were not working out for him.  The following week we came back home, and Cory had a big game.  Week to week each one of us is successful.  It is just a matter of both of us clicking on the same day.

 

On Cory Ross’ injury:

Cory is a tough guy.  He understands that he has to do what he has to do to in order to play and contribute to the team.  I spend a lot of time with him.  He is not very functional after a game, but as the week progresses he is able to walk around and participate in practice a little more.  It is just a week to week thing he battles, but he always turns it up playing and that is important.

 

On Cory Ross’ pain:

He is in a lot of pain. After a game he does not do too much moving. 

 

On losing Matt Herian:

It is tough to lose anybody, but especially Matt.  Matt contributes a lot.  This year he focused on his blocking skills.  He has worked his way up in that part of the game.  He has gotten better in his passing game too.  To lose someone who is tall is crucial, but at the same time, we got people who can replace him.  I am fully confident in J.B. Phillips, and Dusty Keiser.  We have everyone we need.  It is just a matter of time before those guys show their potential.  Losing Matt is a tremendous loss, but we have to move on.

 

On eliminating plays from passing game now that Matt Herian is out:

We don’t really change anything.  The only thing that does change is that we have different people coming in and out of the game more often than we did when Matt was a part of it.

 

On playing against IowaState Offensive Coordinator Barney Cotton:

Initially there will be a little bit of excitement because we are used to seeing Barney Cotton on our sideline.  Last year was brief, and we didn’t have enough time to get acclimated, and introduced to everyone.  So I don’t think it will be that awkward.  Coach Cotton’s big thing was “blue collar guy,” that is exactly what he was.  I will always remember that.

                            

On being efficient:

The way I have looked at it, I have progressed.  I could play a horrible game, and as long as I don’t throw the ball away, we are going to win the football game.  We have got all the talent you need to win a football game.  Cory Ross, Brandon Jackson, Tierre Green, David Horne, if you get the ball in anyone of their hands, then anything is possible.

 

On throwing only one interception in last three games:

I think it is a matter of seeing things a little better.  I think when you’ve seen different looks from different scenarios you try to make judgments whether if I throw this ball, am I taking a big chance.  Playing percentages is a big part of my game now, and I think that is what has helped me in being successful in the turnover ratio.

 

On the magnitude of the ISU game:

It is important that we win.  Every game is important.  We have four to five games left, and it is important for us to win this game because they are next on the schedule.  For everyone we play we are circled in red every year.  We are the team that everyone wants to beat.  We have got to go out there against these guys and play big.  That is exactly what our plans are this week.

 

I-Back Cory Ross

On his injury:

It’s just hard to explain. It’s like you have to go through it to know what it’s like. It’s weird.

 

On his upcoming week of practice:

It’s probably going to be like the last couple of weeks ? working out with Coach Kennedy in the weight room. I’ll probably sit out today and see how I feel tomorrow. I’ll try to get back by Thursday or Friday.

 

On his work with Strength Coach Dave Kennedy:

Coach Kennedy does a great job keeping us in shape. I’m in there on the stair-stepper. The stair-stepper is probably the worst thing you can do. I’d rather get out there in practice and run on a bad toe than be doing that, but it keeps you ready, keeps you right.

 

On Matt Herian:

It’s a big blow to our team, and everybody knows that. We have some guys who I think we are pretty confident in ? Dusty Keiser and a couple of tight ends who have done a great job in the blocking game and also have great hands.

 

On when his own injury happened:

It was in the Baylor game. It was on a play. It was weird. It’s like a hyper extended toe, that’s what they called it. I was probably just getting tackled when it happened.

 

On one toe slowing him down:

Like Coach said, I’d be in pain Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, it would get better.

 

On the level of pain in his injury:

It’s actually weird; it’s like I don’t feel it. It’s numb. I get a shot in the toe, and it’s numb. It’s just flat-out numb. Afterwards is probably the worst pain.

 

On getting a shot in the toe and how it affects his running:

That’s probably the worst place to get a shot. Probably the first series, it’s a little weird because I can barely feel my foot. Then afterwards, I’m just getting used to it. The feet do whatever the eye sees.

 

On seeing former Nebraska coach Barney Cotton on the opposing side at IowaState:

It’ll be fun. It’ll be different. It’ll probably be just as exciting when I’m looking across and seeing (Oklahoma) coach Bo Pelini over there. It’s weird ? he knows you, and you know him. It’s like when I played against Texas, and my high school coach was across from me. It’s fun, and you want to be able to show your ability, and afterward have fun and talk to them.

 

On the approach to the IowaState game:

We just have to be focused ? way more focused than usual. It’s a big game, and we have to treat it like a big game. Every game is a big game, and we have to go down there and play great on the road.

 

On the work of the offensive line:

Whatever the offensive line gives me, they do a great job. My yards are a complement of what they do. Jake Andersen, Brandon Koch, Seppo (Evwaraye), all those guys ? they come in and they rotate so much. All the guys are doing a great job.

 

On the last trip to Ames:

That was a whole bunch of errors. When you look back at that game, a whole lot of things happened. We turned the ball over a whole lot in that game. That’s one of the things we practice on in every game and every practice this year. We don’t turn the ball over and win games.

 

Offensive Lineman Jake Andersen

On former coach Barney Cotton:

He’s a really good coach, and he’s got a big thing with being a blue collar guy. ?Bringing your lunch bucket’ is something he’d say. We know he’s going to have those guys right, and they’re going to be ready to play. He’s a good coach, and no matter what’s going on over there, he’s going to have everybody ready to come out and play and try to win.

 

On emotional preparation for the IowaState game:

We just have to realize what playing with that kind of emotion did for us [in the Missouri game]. We played pretty well, and this game this week is just as big as it was last week. If we don’t win this game, we won’t get to some of our goals. We have to take it one week at a time, and no matter who we’re playing or where we’re playing, we’re going to have to have great emotion. IowaState is a good football team, and we’re going to have to come out and play real well.

 

On the injury of Cory Ross:

Cory’s a tough kid, and he’s going to play through those things. We know that no matter who’s back there getting the ball, they’re going to run hard, whether it’s Cory (Ross) or Brandon (Jackson) or Tierre (Green) or David (Horne). They’re going to run the ball hard. It’s good blocking for guys like that because when we make the holes, they’re going to hit them hard. I don’t think it’s going to affect the running game at all.

 

On his teammates stepping into leadership roles:

It’s winding down, and so far things hadn’t gone our way this season. We knew things had to go our way last week. Some of the seniors realized that and started to bring up a little more emotion. We realized this is coming to an end for us, and we want to leave with the best taste in our mouths as we can. For a lot of guys, this is our last season together, and we want to go out and win a championship.

 

On the environment of IowaState:

It’s a tough place to play. The fans get pretty rowdy, and we’re going to have to come out and play well.

 

On team morale being affected by not everyone participating in pre-game:

A lot of guys felt like they got left out. I think some of the guys felt a little second-class, which wasn’t what it was about at all. It was just trying to get the guys who were going to play more warmed up properly. I think what they liked was that Coach (Callahan) realized they were feeling that way, and he made a change. He wants everybody to be happy. He doesn’t want to do anything that would upset anybody. I’m glad that he caught wind of it and made the change. That shows what kind of a coach he is.

 

On Callahan’s decision for changing pre-game warm-ups:

Everybody’s going to be wrong from time to time. You can judge a person by their character if they’re willing to admit they’re wrong. Coach is a man of great character, and I really respect how he was able to change something that people were feeling he did wrong.

 

On team chemistry:

I think everybody feels real strong together and real confident. When we do play together, we can beat anybody. We need to keep playing together and keep playing our game.