Huskers Readying for Red Raiders

Lincoln - The Nebraska football team opened its on-field preparations for its Saturday showdown with No. 15 Texas Tech with a two-and-a-half practice on the FieldTurf at Memorial Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

The Huskers (4-0) will square off with the Red Raiders (4-0) on Saturday in Lincoln, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by TBS.

Earlier Tuesday, Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan welcomed members of the media to Memorial Stadium for the Huskers' weekly football luncheon. After Tuesday's practice, Nebraska Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove and Offensive Coordinator Jay Norvell met with members of the media to discuss Saturday's game with the Red Raiders.

Nebraska will continue its preparations with practice on Wednesday afternoon.

Nebraska Football
Post-Practice Media Gathering
Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2005
Texas Tech Game Week

Nebraska Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove
On Nebraska's focus this week heading into Saturday's game with Texas Tech
"We're just trying to improve every week and every day in our base fundamentals against the run and in coverage, and improve our tackling and trying to overall get better."

On Texas Tech's offense
"They are just unusual. Their line splits are different. It is the first time I have ever seen splits like that. Their passing game is really unique considering all the mesh routes they do in down and distances. Yet they can incorporate the run when they want to because they have an outstanding back. If you get too caught up in defending the pass they'll run the ball on you. We definitely have our work cut out for us this week."

On lessons learned from last season's loss at Texas Tech
"The speed of the game.  They have a fast football team. They are a fast football team and they execute very well."

On Texas Tech's offensive line
"I think they are a good line and I think their splits help them too by spreading people out. It is tough to get a pass rush on the quarterback and he has a lot of time to throw the football. The sacks they have given up, I'm sure there may have been a small bust or something like that, but they do a great job of protecting."

On defensive end Barry Turner
"Any time you play a team that throws the ball, with the outstanding pass rusher that he is, he is going to be a factor. He'll be really good in both areas, but right now he is a pass-rush specialist. But he could play the run if we needed him to."

On the Nebraska offense helping the defense by staying on the field and moving the football
"Any time you play these games where there is a lot of balls in the there, it is our job as a defense to get off the field. They do a great job of moving the chains. We have to do a great job on third down and not giving them an extra set of down and distance. If we do that and our offense can control the ball, then that's the way you'd like to play a game like that. We know we have our work cut out for us because they move the ball better than anybody.  I don't care who they play, they move the ball."

On comparing Texas Tech's offense to other offenses he has seen in his career
"As far as the passing game I can (compare it to other offenses I have seen), but not the splits with their lines. This year and last year is the first year I have ever seen anything like that."

On Texas Tech's wide receivers
"They've got some big-time receivers - big receivers, receivers with speed. We have our work cut out for us. We've got to do a good job in our coverages and we have to put pressure on the quarterback."

On Texas Tech's ability to move the ball
"They are going to move the ball. They move the ball on everybody. The thing we have to do is play great red zone defense. If you are able to have success against a team like this that is what you have to do. They spread the ball out. Look at catches by the receivers. They are all over the place. They are balanced and do a good job of spreading them out."

Nebraska Offensive Coordinator Jay Norvell
On Nebraska's success in the red zone
“Our red-zone offense is good when we execute it, just like our first-down offense. We just have to hone it down a little better, make some plays there, knock people off the ball and we’ll get some more touchdowns.

 

“We have plenty of confidence in the red zone. There is no area that we don’t really feel we can execute in. We just have to do a little bit better job of getting a block, a little bit better job of running the ball down there, and making more plays as receivers down there. If we do that in a critical time, like we did Saturday, and we’ll be fine.”

On I-back Cody Glenn playing against Iowa State
“We played with the flow of the game, and Cory (Ross) was having a good game. He was hot. That’s something you don’t really mess with, when a player is playing hot. We’d like to play Cody (Glenn), we’d like to play a lot of our young guys, but sometimes a game doesn’t dictate that. We’re not just going to run certain plays to get a guy in the game. So we went with the flow of what we were doing, and Cory was in a flow, so we kept him in there.

“They are young backs. They are learning. They are learning to pass protect, run, block and they’re learning to fit in the passing game. It’s not just something where they can be one-dimensional players. I’m not saying that they are, it’s just that in the flow of the game you have to be able to trust guys in all areas, and Cory Ross has done it. He’s done it in big games, he’s performed and produced. When we’re trying to win an important football game, those are the kind of guys you ride. You ride the guys who got you there. (Marlon Lucky and Glenn) are going to play a lot of football. I know everybody’s anxious to see them play, and they are going to get a chance to see them play. But we are going to do what we think is right for the team, and on Saturday that was play Cory.

“I just think that you play guys who are going to help you win, and when we feel like they can help us do that, we’ll put them in the game. I’d like to play a lot of our quarterbacks, but you don’t just play them. It isn’t practice, it’s a game and we’re trying to win. They have to get experience in practice, and when they are called upon in a game to help their teammates, they have to do that. They’ll get their opportunity when it comes.”

On the Texas Tech offense
“They run a lot of similar concepts we run, really. (Head Coach Mike Leach) is an old BYU guy. It’s all the same thing. He just prefers to do it out of four-wide (formations). They have done a great job, an excellent job of execution. They have a system that they believe in, and they have refined it over the years. You have to give them credit for what they’ve done. But that system comes from BYU, which has a lot of West Coast properties. Name it whatever you want, but that’s where it came from.

On the importance of time of possession for Nebraska against Texas Tech 

“It’s a little bit overrated. It’s what you do with the ball when you have it. If you’re productive, you move the ball and you score points, that’s more important than time of possession. We would like to keep the ball. You can fall in a trap with this team and try and run it all of the time, not be as productive and not score as many points. So it’s a little bit of an overrated stat. The most important thing is you have to be productive and when you get the ball you have to score.”

On wide receiver Nate Swift

“Nate’s a young player. He’s a redshirt freshman. He’s a guy who had an injury (shoulder) in training camp that set him back for a few weeks. He’s a young guy trying to find his way, and he’s been practicing really hard. A lot of that hard work showed on Saturday. He really executed. We were in more three- and four-wide receiver sets, so he got more of an opportunity to play.”

On big plays generated by the offense against Iowa State
“We had nine big plays, and you have to have explosive plays. However we have to get them offensively, we’ll try to do it. Whether that means running the ball, throwing the ball, we need to get more explosive plays and chunks so we can get down there in scoring position. We’ll just keep finding ways to do that. Some days it will be by running, some days it will be by passing, but we’ll try to find that formula and stick with it.”

On Texas Tech's defense
“They are awfully good. They have experienced players. They are really athletic. They have very long players, I mean they are tall, rangy guys. They play very good pass defense. They read pass routes well. Because of what they do offensively, I think their defense thrives on that and plays well against those kind of sets. They will be a challenge. It’s a well-thought-out defense, and we have a lot of work on our hands this weekend.”

On Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
“Zac is always the same. He is very confident, but he is very quiet and very focused. He understands it’s all about the preparation. When he studies hard, watches tape, practices hard and is with his teammates, he knows he has an opportunity to play well. He earned that on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday?it doesn’t happen on game day. He had a great week of preparation last week, and he’s going to have to do the same thing this week.”