Huskers Discuss Upcoming Clash with Cyclones

Lincoln - Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan met with the media at Memorial Stadium on Tuesday to discuss the Huskers' upcoming Big 12 Conference opener with Iowa State.  Nebraska (3-0) will clash with the Cyclones (3-0) on Saturday, Oct. 1, at Memorial Stadium in a game televised regionally by ABC.  Kickoff is set for 2:36 p.m. A complete transcript of Coach Callahan's media session follows, along with quotes from several Nebraska players.

Nebraska Football
Coach Bill Callahan
Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, Sept. 27
(IowaState Game Week)

On the game against Iowa State in 2004
"A lot of things stick out (about Iowa State). We went back and looked at all three phases strongly, and the kicking game especially. They have a dynamic return system. They can set the table for their offense. When you talk about the battle for field position on special teams that really enters into the equation. They’ve got versatile depth, a versatile return game. Their scheme is versatile. They can come up the sideline to your right, they can adjust and come sideline left. They’ve got a lot of things in their arsenal and they do a good job in that regard."

On Nebraska’s offense against Iowa State in 2004
"I just think again you go back and watch the film and look for what you can improve and what you can do better and you work to that end in practice. And we’ve talked to the players, obviously, when we implement our attack we talked about certain situations that we need to take advantage of. We certainly didn’t play our best. We’re quite capable of playing better."

On the Nebraska running backs
"It’s an interesting group. You’ve got Cody Glenn who’s a big physical presence himself, and he’s a nice complement to the fact that we have Cory Ross. Cory’s been tremendous considering certain figures that I’ve heard. He’s doing everything that he needed to establish himself as a top running back in this division particularly. He’s got a lot of elusiveness, he’ll make you miss and he’s got the ability to go the distance. And he’s again complemented by a guy like Brandon Jackson, who’s capable of running the ball physically inside and protecting the passer. Or you look at Marlon Lucky who has big possibilities. It’s hard to get them all in there. It’s hard to find enough places for all of them."

On Iowa State’s defense
"The only way I can describe their defense is that they have a variety in their package. They play an excellent base front. They’ve got their safeties actively involved in their running game and actively involved in their pressure game. So they can get you from a lot of different angles. They’re well-coached and tremendously coached in what they are trying to get done. They’re fundamentally sound up front and have guys that get the job done."

On Nebraska’s offensive struggles
"Let’s face it, we want to be a balanced football team. There are times when we’ve achieved that balance. We’ve had some good balance on some particular drives, but we haven’t sustained that. There needs to be success in both halves to put points on the board. That’s where we’re headed in developing a precision offense."

On developing the program
"There have been so many personnel changes. I think that with continuity and consistency that will come. Our players have a very good understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish. Our mental errors need to be minimized. I chart where we’re at by the mistakes and errors and if our errors are down, normally it tells you that you’re players are well-rehearsed and have a knowledge of what you’re doing. From that aspect, I’m pleased. Now we just need to focus on making timely plays and eliminating individual breakdowns that occur during the course of the game."

On how long developing the program will take
"The only thing I know from a personnel perspective is that each system different. Everybody and each coach and every program has a way of implementing their own philosophy and schemes. So to give you a time table, I’d have to be patient. And I’ve been patient, but now it’s time to rev it up. I’m very well-oriented to high standards, and we all are working to that end. Our players are in a good frame of mind. We’re anxious to get going this weekend and it’s going to be a great game."

On the offensive playbook
"I think the media has made way too much out of this whole so-called eight-pound playbook. You have to have a reference of what you want to get accomplished with your offensive and defensive package. I don’t think that our offense is any bigger than anyone else’s. We’re talking about a game-plan notebook and a game-plan preparation. Who has a game-plan book that’s less than an inch or less than a pound? All this talk about too much volume, I don’t think any team in America is without that much volume. We just get it down to specifics of what we need to do in certain situations. But it’s shrunk down and consolidated for each game depending on what we need to do. It’s not the core book, but a version of it and I just want everyone to know that."

On matching up with Iowa State wide receiver Todd Blythe and split-end Jon Davis
"It’s going to be a tough match-up with those two. We’re not going to sit in standard coverage. Iowa State is smart enough to figure that out. They’re going to spread us out. They’re going to get into four-wide and try to spread the field and create as many match-ups and mismatches as possible. Of course we’re going to have to counter. They’re an interesting offense. They’re going to keep you off balance."

On cornerback Zackary Bowman's status
"He’s just come off an injury. He practiced last week and he ran a little bit yesterday and he’ll practice again today, so we’ll have a better idea if he’ll play."

On playing Iowa State early in the season
"I don’t think it matters when we play. In a divisional game you have to be ready to play at any time. You’ve got to be ready whoever it is, whenever it is, whatever weather it is. This is a key divisional game. They’re the 23rd-ranked team in the country and they certainly deserve that ranking. They’ve won nine out of the last 10 games. They’re on a roll. They pulled out a win against Army late in the game. That’s what winning teams do. They can get behind and come back from behind and generate that momentum. That’s the type of team they are. If you look at them in their previous games, they’ve done an excellent job at crunch time of coming back from behind. They’re always in it at the end. They’re a good football team."

On Nebraska’s psyche after opening the season 3-0
"I’m always concerned about our team morale and our attitude especially. I think about it all the time. Every day as a coach you coach attitude. You’ve got to coach attitude every single day. You can’t take it for granted. Not one bit. When coaches meet, we talk about our kids, where they’re at, how we’re doing. We look at everything. That’s never taken for granted. Like I said, it’s 0-0 right now. This is the (Big 12) North Division and everyone is 0-0 and that’s just how it is."

On encouraging his players
"I’m positive with them every day. I’m very positive and encouraging of what we’re trying to get accomplished. To a point, we’re directly honest where we tell them we’ve got some deficiencies where we’ve got to improve. Our kids respond well. They get out and practice hard when you tell them things and go out and give their best efforts. This is not a team where they turn the other cheek and go do what they want to do. These kids are prideful kids. And that’s the thing that I’ve enjoyed about being at Nebraska and working with this crew. They care about the game and they truly love it. They prepare hard and they know where they need to be. They’re trying to live up to tradition."

On getting receivers open in man-to-man coverage
"When they put a guy in your path, when they put a defensive guy man-to-man right over you, I don’t know that you can’t just stick to a specific route. You’ve got to escape off the line of scrimmage. You’ve got to beat them on the run. Those first five yards are really crucial no matter what the route is, but if they’re going to play man-to-man like Pittsburgh did and be up in your face, then you’ve got to have the ability to get off the line of scrimmage."

On not having Matt Herian
"I think our current setting has done an excellent job. I look at J.B. Phillips who has really shown his ability to function there. He’s a guy that maybe we haven’t gone to near enough. He’s a guy that maybe we need to throw the ball to more. And of course Clayton Seivers is just a young guy. He’s continually emerging and is a fine blocker. I’d like to see him more. It’s unfortunate that Matt Herian isn’t with us, but I report that he is continually getting better."

On not getting recruits from Iowa
"Well, we’re going to go out and try to get the best players we can no matter where they’re at. Locally is better. That would be a real plus if we could go out and get the best players from Iowa. If we don’t it doesn’t mean that we’ll withdraw our efforts. We recruit Iowa hard. We’re always on the lookout for great players. For the fans out there in western Iowa, we appreciate their support and we’re doing everything we can to get everybody an opportunity. That’s why we have summer camps and that’s why we have Junior Day and things of that nature. We want to get more exposure to some of those young men in places like Iowa so they can get out here and see our program and see what we have to offer."