Huskers Talk About Showdown with SoonersHuskers Talk About Showdown with Sooners
Football

Huskers Talk About Showdown with Sooners

Nebraska Football

Weekly Press Conference

Nov. 9, 2004

Head Coach Bill Callahan

 

Opening Statement:

“There are a few players I want to announce who were the players of the game against IowaState. First off, on offense, Cory Ross for his contributions again. He just exceeds all of our expectations on a weekly basis. Everything he has done and contributed to the success of our football team is much appreciated and greatly respected. What he has gone through, I’ve mentioned that time and time again, and he continues to excel at a very high level. We didn’t name anybody on the defensive side of the ball as a player of the game. On special teams, again, Adam Ickes shows up again as a player who has performed very well in every capacity and every phase of our special teams. He’s a real solid core player for us and is continuing to get better. He is also continuing to get better as an outside linebacker, so there is real promise for his future here someday as a potential starter as an outside linebacker as well. The scout team players of the week on the offensive side of the ball are Ben Eisenhart, who gave us a great picture this week, as well as Nate Swift, a young wide receiver out of Minnesota who we think has a real upside as a wide receiver in our program. He’s a tall, big, physical guy who has learned the system. He’s getting better, becoming more productive in practice, and he’s the type of guy who will emerge as we move into spring football and next year’s training camp. There’s real hope for his future here at Nebraska.”

 

“As far as the game coming up this week, we’re extremely excited to be a part of this great rivalry. I know I’m excited personally to be involved in such a great historic series. It’s one of those series you follow as a kid on Thanksgiving Day weekend as one of the great rivalries and match-ups in college football. It’s very respected by our staff and me personally. It’s great to be a part of this competition and this rivalry. It will be a lot of fun. I know our players are excited about this game. They’ve indicated that to me on several occasions, as well as last Sunday in visiting with a few of them. It is a big game for us. I’ll say this about Oklahoma: they are one of the most dominating teams in college football right now. Over the last four years, they have been dominant in a lot of areas, and they’re the most complete team I’ve witnessed on film as we study them and prepare for the contest. They’re very, very sound in everything they do structurally. As you begin to watch them, their athleticism, and their depth, and their playmaking ability just shows up time and time again. This will take a great effort by our team, and I feel we’re very capable of doing that. If we play the game we’re capable of playing, anything can happen. That’s what excites us about going down to Oklahoma and playing in this game on Saturday night.”

 

On motivating the team:

“If you can’t get motivated for this one, you can’t get motivated for ? if you’re a football player, you’ve got to love to be in this contest. It’s a great challenge. The ranking of Oklahoma right now at No. 2, that’s significant. They’re fighting for a national championship. Obviously we’re going to go down there and do the best we can. I believe our guys will go down there and fight. I’m very confident in our players that they’ll compete, and they’ll compete hard. They understand the significance of this game and what it means to our goals as a team of trying to stay in this divisional race with the potential of not playing Oklahoma once, but potentially twice. Anything can happen. That’s the great thing about college football. That’s the great thing about sports. We’re getting prepared for this game. It should be a lot of fun.”

 

On Joe Dailey and the offense:

“I believe that had we scored on the last drive and gone into overtime, anything could have happened. I think the storylines would have been much different. We went in there with a mixed philosophy; we were going to run the football, we were going to throw the football, we were going to do what we had to do to win. We certainly did that. I’m pleased at the fact that the passing game did show the ability to bring us from behind and put us in a position to potentially tie the game at the end. That’s the great thing about having a passing game. When you are in a hole like we got ourselves into, you can snap out of it, and it can bring you back pretty quickly and more rapidly than another type of system. I was pleased to see some of those pressure-type situations going on throughout the game and how we responded to them positively and how our guys fought through it. I thought that was a real milestone for us as we’re moving through this transition. Seeing guys continuing to compete when we were down at the deficit we were at in the third quarter and come back to a one-possession game and be in the position to take the game into overtime.”

 

On the Oklahoma defense:

“They’re not underrated. You don’t hold a No. 2 ranking in the country by being underrated on defense by any stretch. They’re very athletic. What they’ve done over the years is they’ve formulated a great system from when Bob was at Florida. They’ve implemented the same type of philosophy ? very aggressive. They mix up their fronts and coverages. They have great athletes across the board and guys who can change the complexion of the game at any time. (Dan) Cody, as Jay (Norvell) was talking about, is one of the premiere players in college football. You have to have an eye on him, but as you get your plan together, you have to know exactly where he is. He can be anywhere, and they utilize him in that fashion. That’s going to be a challenge. Then you put so much focus on one player, and I don’t want to be disrespectful to their other players because they’re all great players, and they have a tremendous front that feeds off of each other. They have good inside players. They’re physical. They run with great speed. Their closure to the ball is the best I’ve seen. They play the pass well, and despite the past couple of weeks, they’ve played some pretty good teams. As I assess them as a team, the championship teams have the ability to come back from behind in the fourth quarter, which they’ve shown the ability to do. That’s the great mark of a champion ? have that ability to come back from behind when you’re down and take the lead when it counts. They’ve certainly proven that, and that’s why this will make for a great competition and a great challenge for us as a team.”

 

On the hype going into the game against Oklahoma:

“It’s out there. It is what it is. I approach each game as the opponent being a faceless object anyhow. I can’t control that aspect of what people think or point spreads or anything like that. All we can do is inspire our players, motivate them to the best of our ability, and try to draw out of them their very best. We have not displayed that collectively. We’ve done it in spurts, we’ve done it individually, we’ve done it positionally. We haven’t done it collectively, so this will be a great opportunity for us as a team to go down there and generate that collective effort and passion that we need to win.”

 

On Defensive Line Coach John Blake:

“John’s done a tremendous job in the short time we’ve been here. His reputation precedes him back when he was with the Dallas Cowboys. I knew John, and he did a tremendous job with their front four in their two Super Bowl quests. Oddly enough, I was the offensive line coach with the Philadelphia Eagles when he was the defensive line coach with the Cowboys, so we butted heads. He did a tremendous job. People I know speak very highly of John, and I’m sure he’d like to win this no matter what for all of us. But the game isn’t about coaches and who went where, who’s mad at who or anything like that, it’s about the players. The most important thing is that we keep the focus on the players and trying to go down and compete and have the best game possible for them. That’s why we’re in this business. I think the dynamics of coaching changes and transitions when they occur, it’s going to happen. It’s a natural evolution in coaching. You’re going to bump heads with guys you competed against. Years down the line, they’re at other schools when you’re at one place or another, and it’s natural. Guys are going to change jobs. The nature of coaching is going to change. Situations are going to change as well. I think that adds to the flavor of the game, but I don’t put much stock into it.”

 

On Blake’s recruiting:

“John has done a great job from the aspect of injecting his personality and his passion into recruiting and personnel. I think he wholeheartedly understands the magnitude and importance of recruiting at the college level and how you build your program with good people and good players. That’s been his focus, and that’s been his love. When you have that passion from one aspect of your career, it just shows itself in so many ways. I think his experience as a head coach, his experience as a professional coach, just allows him to understand the dynamics of this a little bit better.”

 

On his role as a coach to motivate players:

“Coaching is a test every week, and coaching is a challenge every week. Regardless of who you’re playing, you’re continually being challenged by the variables out there, by the competition, by the landscape. That’s the great thing about coaching. That’s why there are so many people out there who would love to coach or who think they’re a coach. It’s a great profession if you enjoy those types of challenges, enjoy inspiring players to play at a higher level, and challenging your team to play together more and play for one another. Those things don’t ever change. As a coach, as a leader, you’re always trying to rally your troops to play harder, to play better, and to improve on a game-to-game basis. I said this weeks ago ? I look at our team in terms of how we’re improving. I see some improvement in areas, and other areas we have to work on to get better. In terms of inspiring and motivating and trying to draw out their best, I don’t think that ever stops. It certainly doesn’t for me.”

 

On the most memorable Nebraska-Oklahoma game he has watched:

“The 1971 game with Johnny Rogers’ punt return ? that one sticks out over and over in my mind. I remember watching that game as a kid. It impacted me a long time ago when Bob Devaney was here, and I can remember watching that game in my youth. That was one of the great things about Thanksgiving Day weekend ? that you could sit down and watch that rivalry and really get a feel. At that time, I don’t think there were that many games during the early 1970s that were being televised, so that was a game of importance in the Big Eight Conference at that time. As I sat down and watched it, I always enjoyed watching the great players year after year. It was a lot of fun to sit down and watch those competitions.”

 

On changes on special teams:

“We’re looking at that hard. We’re going to continue looking at a lot of things in our game. One of the things we have to do is shore up our PAT field goal protection. We have to eliminate the leakage and penetration we’re getting at the point of attack internally. We need to shut that down and eliminate that one aspect of error. I’d like to see us do a little bit better job in our return games, especially our kickoff return. I’d like to see us generate a little bit more yardage. Our coverage can get better. So all those things, again, will be emphasized and worked on heavily this week.”

 

On the punt return game:

“We do have a solid punt return game. We have a very solid punt return game. We continue to work on that. Everyone has to do their job, whether it’s the hold up on the gunners, the return, or it’s the pressure we’re applying on the punter ? all those things come into play.”

 

On making changes week-to-week:

“We always look at competition. We’re looking for the best players to put on the field, and that’s what we’ve done.”

 

On motivating players:

“I feel really positive and confident in terms of ability of leading and inspiring and motivating. You have to pull a lot of tricks out of your hat as a coach, and a lot of things you don’t see behind the scenes sometimes are taking place. I am very confident in that.”

 

Kevin Cosgrove, Defensive Coordinator

On stopping the Oklahoma offense:

“I think it’s obvious that this is a very good football team. When we talk about the big three?the quarterback, the running back and the wide receiver?they have that and then some. Their offensive line is outstanding. I don’t think there’s any question that this is the best football team we will face this year.”

 

On the importance of playing with emotion this week:

“As always, it’s really big. Let’s hope we can match their emotion, because it’s going to take everything we have.”

 

On this year’s Oklahoma team vs. last year’s version:

“I didn’t know about them last year. I didn’t watch much of them last year, except what you saw on TV. They’re just a very good football team. The tailback (Adrian Peterson) is a special guy. He gives them that added dimension that they didn’t really have last year. Not that they couldn’t run the football, but he’s a great player.”

 

On getting the players focused for the matchup:

“I want them getting focused on our practices, and what we’re doing and need to do to execute on Saturday. That’s my number-one concern, making sure we have everything tied down, because execution will give you a chance. That’s what we have to do this week?we have to stay focused on everything we need to do.”

 

On trying to make Oklahoma’s offense one-dimensional:

“You have to defend everything well with them, because they can run as well as they throw and throw as well as they can run. This is a very good football team.”

 

On Oklahoma quarterback Jason White:

“He knows the offense. He knows exactly where he’s going with the ball, and if that’s not open, he knows where he’s going with his second read. He knows when to get out of bad stuff and into good stuff. He does not make mistakes. He’s an experienced quarterback. He’s been around a long time.”

 

On bouncing back from last week’s loss:

“You have to put what happened behind you last Saturday. You have to look forward to this week. If you can’t get fired up for this game -- this is a big game. I expect our kids will.”

 

On Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson:

“I’ve been around one truly great one, (former Wisconsin running back) Ron Dayne, as a freshman. This guy is different. He’s faster than Ron and he has more shake than Ron did when he was a freshman. He’s a special player.”

 

On Peterson compared to former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett:

“This kid’s much better (than Clarett). Clarett’s not even in the (same) category.”

 

On previous games he has coached a perceived underdog:

“In the early years (at Wisconsin) when we played against a team like Ohio State, we had tremendous success?Ohio State, Penn State?those big games. Everybody plays at the top of their game when they play in those big games. It’s going to come down to how you execute. You have to make it a four-quarter game and see what happens at the end of the game. But you can’t let it get away from you early.”

 

On the progression of the transition from last year’s defense to this year’s defense:

“Again, we’re doing a lot of similar things, but we have changed a little bit. We’ve had three different changes in three years, and transition is very hard, as we’ve stated many times. We’re trying to do what they do best and also give them the chance to have some success.”

 

On Oklahoma’s talent compared to the rest of the Big 12:

“Of the teams I’ve seen to date, they’re much better.”

 

Jay Norvell, Offensive Coordinator

Opening Statement:

“We were very disappointed about the game last week, offensively. We felt like we did a really good job. I was really proud of our kids the way they came back in the second half, and answered the challenge. At the end of the game we just didn’t make enough plays. We have got to do a better job as coaches to help get them in positions to make those plays. We get another opportunity this week versus a very quality opponent. We have a lot of respect for Oklahoma. They have a lot of playmakers that are well coached. It will be a challenging atmosphere, but it’s one our kids look forward to. We are anxious to prepare for them this week.”

 

On Oklahoma’s defense:

“I think (Dan) Cody is a super player. He reminds us of a guy that played at Oakland (Raiders), (defensive end) Tyler Brayton, who played college ball at Colorado. He is a relentless guy that rushes the passer. He is a really good player. I think he is a guy that has given people problems, and we are going to have to do a good job on him. It will be a real challenge. Their linebackers are quick and aggressive. Their secondary is in the right spots most of the time, and reacts well. They are going to be an excellent challenge for our guys. As we talk to our players each week, we focus on our opponents’ schemes, but really it is about our own execution. We feel like if we go out and execute, we should have success with whoever we are playing. So that is where our focus will be, on our own execution.”

 

On playing a perfect game to beat Oklahoma:

“I don’t think it takes a perfect game. We are going to have to play very well. They are a very good football team. When you play a team that is as talented and well coached as they are, you have to be at your ?A’ game. We are going to have to make plays, and play with great effort. We are going to have to match their intensity playing at home in front of their home crowd at night. There are a lot of factors, and we are going to have to do better than we have on the road. We haven’t played very well on the road. We are going to have to step up, and bring that energy and that emotion for one another and to be able to match the execution that they have. Those are all of the challenges this week.”

 

On his relationship to Bob Stoops:

“If you are fortunate to be involved in coaching for any length in time you are going to play against a lot of your friends. I played against one last weekend, (Iowa State Head Coach) Dan McCarney. I played against Bobby Elliot at Kansas State who was an Iowa guy, and Coach (Bill) Snyder, who was also an Iowa guy. Bobby is a friend, I played with him, he was a teammate, classmate, and (Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator) Chuck Long was a teammate and classmate, and a good friend of mine. That doesn’t change, but on Saturday you can’t find that friendship. We want to beat them just like we want to beat everyone else. I am sure they feel the same way. This is not something unusual. We play people we know and people we have friendships with all the time. It is just another occurrence of that.”

 

On the consequence of Bo Pelini knowing this team:

“I don’t think it has any consequence on the game. The game is going to be played between the lines with the players on the field. The guys that make plays will win.  “

 

On Terrence Nunn:

“Terrence (Nunn) is a young guy, and he has made some progress. He has fought through some adversity mid-year, and he is starting to come out a little bit. At this point in the year he has had so many practice reps, and he has worked hard through it. He is starting to come out and finish strong, and that is what we want from those young guys. A young freshman like him with so many new experiences, he is starting to play a lot in games now and make key plays. We just want to keep giving him those opportunities to make plays and have him step up and make those kinds of plays that we thought he could when we recruited him. He is really coming on and we are proud of him. He still has a lot of work to do still, but at the same time we are pleased with his progress so far.”

 

On the adversity Nunn has faced:

“Every freshman experiences adversity when you are away from home and things seem to mount up on you. Every freshman seems to hit a low about mid-season. (I-back) Brandon Jackson did the same thing, but those kids have been pretty consistent in the way they have worked, and with their contribution on the field. We are proud of those young guys.”

 

On Cory Ross’ health:

“It is not going to get much better until he gets some time to rest. He will just work through it. He is a tough guy and he wants to play. He takes a little setback on game day, but he bounces back, so hopefully he can continue to do that, and be there for us on Saturday.”

 

On the pressure to play well:

“I think every game we have to play well to win. This is just like another game to us. It is an important game because of the opponent, and because of what we are trying to get done in the conference race. Last week’s game was important too. We approached that game like it was the most important game on our schedule. This week, this is the most important game on our schedule because it is the game we are playing this week. We approach them all the same way. They are all important for our record and the goals we are trying to reach.”

 

On the Nebraska/Oklahoma rivalry:

“I think it is a great rivalry. I think it is a special game. I don’t think we are going to have to do a whole lot to get our guys ready to play this week, as far as the emotional part of the game. It is the type of game that as you get a chance to coach and you get a chance to play, that you dream about playing in. It is important to the school, and the fans. Just like last week, that game was also very important to us.”

 

Quarterback Joe Dailey

On Oklahoma’s secondary:

“They’re big, physical guys. They have good agility and good footwork. They play the game pretty aggressively. You have to be precise and not second guess yourself (when you play against) these type of players. These athletes, they have good instinct and once they break and make a decision, they’re there very quickly. You have to be very precise with your decisions.”

 

On Oklahoma’s Dan Cody and the OU defensive line:

“They’ve got great defensive linemen, all of them. He’s just another guy on the team that we have to stop. I’m not going to focus on him more than anyone in particular. I’m just going to focus on what type of defensive coverage they’re playing and make my decisions. Those guys don’t really factor into it in a three-step game.”

 

On the Nebraska/Oklahoma rivalry:

“Last time we played them, I know we beat them, and I’m sure that is going to be in the back of their minds. To be honest with you, I don’t know too much in-depth wise. It’s always been a big game between the two schools, but other than that I haven’t really looked too far into it.”

 

On what a win on Saturday would mean:

“It would prove that we can play ball and that nothing’s changed. It would put us one step further to where we want to be nationally and personally and would put us in a better position bowl-berth wise. We’re not out there just to beat Oklahoma, we’re out there to beat everyone on our schedule. For other schools in our conference, maybe that’s their main goal is beating Oklahoma, but our main goal has nothing to do with beating one team?it has to do with beating everybody on our schedule.”

 

On being a 29-point underdog on Saturday:

“It’s a very biased opinion, and it doesn’t really mean much.”

 

On true freshman receiver Terrence Nunn:

“He’s progressing. It’s a different game for him. Not everyone that comes in from high school is able to adjust very quickly. You have a few exceptions?the guy at USC and one at Wisconsin. He’s starting to learn the game a lot better and he’s starting to understand coverages, which is going to make it a lot easier for him.”

 

On running back Cory Ross playing through pain:

“I don’t think Cory thinks too much about it during the game. I think it’s more after the game he experiences a lot of it. All of that adrenaline rushing during the game, you don’t really feel too much pain. It’s afterwards when everything is done that you start to feel the pain. Cory makes mention of it on the bus a lot of times, how much it hurts, but other than that, during the game Cory really doesn’t feel (the pain).”

 

On Ross approaching the 1,000-yard rushing mark:

“He’s been here three years already, and this is his first opportunity to get a chance to be a big-time player and contribute. I know he’s looking forward to playing this game and winning it. Other than that, I’m not sure if he really could care about the record?it’s probably there, but it really doesn’t mean much to him.”

 

On the vertical passing game:

“We have great speed with certain personnel in the game. That’s what they do, they run deep and they run past people. I definitely am going to throw it as far as I have to down the football field for them to catch it. It’s just a matter of putting it where they can catch it. If you watch Iowa State, those guys were being underthrown and their receivers were just going up and making plays. I was putting it out there for them to run underneath it and score. I think we have the right personnel in order to accomplish those things, it’s just a matter of getting our timing down and being consistent with it.”

 

On throwing the deep ball:

“You never want to guess, you just want to put it out there. You don’t want to leave any doubt in your mind. You just want to throw it out there, and if they make it, they make it, and if they don’t, they don’t. You don’t want to underthrow it and have it picked off and say ?man, I knew I should have overthrown it.’”

 

On the team’s mood after last Saturday:

“We put ourselves in a position to seal the deal and after the game obviously, we took ourselves out of the top seat. But we’re still in it, that’s the funny thing about it. I don’t know how it’s possible, but it’s possible. We’re just grateful enough for that opportunity to still be there.”

 

On the team’s mindset right now:

“It’s just a matter of getting back to very basic essentials of playing football with the team. Just being around each other and being happy, and not worrying about what’s going on outside of us. To be honest with you, in the end, all that matters is what we’ve shared this year and all the hard work that we’ve put in.”

 

On being fired up for this weekend’s game:

“The way we look at it, we have two games left on the schedule and there’s the possibility of three, we are looking at that. This is a two-game season right now and the way we look at it, we have to go undefeated the rest of the season. Coach knows what inspires us and what it takes for us to be successful. He knows that if we don’t come out super energized on Saturday, it’s going to be an embarrassment and that’s exactly what we don’t want and I know that’s exactly what he doesn’t want. Therefore, he’s anticipating our emotion and energy to be sky high.”

 

Cornerback Fabian Washington

On Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson compared to former Ohio State freshman Maurice Clarett:

“Adrian Peterson right now, he’s playing on another planet. He’s gone against a lot of good defenses and pretty much did what he wanted to do against them. I think he’s much better than Maurice Clarrett. He runs the ball very hard and he runs with a lot confidence. He gets the job done every game. There’s not a game where he doesn’t get the job done. He’s definitely one of the better backs in the country.”

 

On what the defense needs to do well this weekend:

“We have to tackle. If we don’t tackle, we have no chance.”

 

On playing a complete game defensively:

“There are not too many teams (like Oklahoma) in the country that has everything on offense?a running back, a quarterback and good receivers. You can’t make this team one-dimensional, because they’ll beat you with that one dimension. You just have to go out there defensively and be prepared for anything that they’re going to give you.”

 

On facing former NU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini:

“It’s not going to be hard. We know that we play for Coach Cosgrove now, and that’s what we’re going to go out and do.”

 

On covering Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Clayton:

“It’s going to be a tough challenge. He’s one of the premiere receivers in the country. You have to basically come with your ?A’ game, and if you don’t, he’ll beat you to sleep.”

 

On how Adrian Peterson has improved OU’s offense:

“That’s in any system. If you have a running back that can take the pressure off the quarterback, the quarterback plays that much better and that much more confident because he knows he doesn’t have to go out and make all the plays, he has a running back that he can hand the ball off to 30 times a game.”

 

On playing with energy on the road:

“We know that’s something we definitely have to do. Last week, it took us being down by 17 to get some momentum to try to play that game. We know this week there’s no way you can go down by 17 and think you’re going to have a chance to come back. From that first gun, we have to go out and play ball.”

 

On what a win on Saturday would mean:

“It would be a good win, just because it’s the next game that would put us right back into the bowl picture and that’s definitely something we want to do this year is go to a bowl.”

 

On being an underdog this weekend:

“It’s tough, but that’s stuff you have to deal with when you play this sport. Being the underdog, you really don’t have anything to lose, so we can go out and just play.”