Dane Todd

Nebraska Football Weekly Press Conference
Monday, Nov. 20, 2006
Memorial Stadium - Lincoln, Neb.
Pre-Colorado Game

Dane Todd
Senior, Fullback

On the Nebraska-Colorado series

“It’s always a big game. It’s always at the end of the season and it always determines who’s going where for bowl games and who is playing who for championship games. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s another game. If we try to place too much emphasis on it then I feel like we’ll falter on our preparation and we won’t be as mentally and physically sharp as we normally are for games.”

On running out of the tunnel the last time at Memorial Stadium 

“I’d be lying if I said I’m not going to notice that it’s the last time, but I’m going to try and place as little emphasis on it as I can to make sure that I’m prepared for the game. I’d much rather go out and play very well in the game than be all caught up emotionally in it being the last time.”

On Colorado's intensity 

“We expect everybody’s best effort every single week and so we prepare in practice as though we’re going to get the other team’s best shot. I feel like we’re prepared for any intensity Colorado brings to the game and we’re going to do what we can to match it.”

On gaining insight from former CU coaches and current Husker assistant coaches Shawn Watson and Ted Gilmore 

“We focus on us. We’re not worried about what Colorado does or what any other football team does because we can’t control that other team. We can only control ourselves. It doesn’t really matter what you know about their personnel. It is how they run their plays and how they run their defense that matters.”

On Colorado's run defense 

“They’re a very physical, downhill football team. It’s obvious when you watch the film that they’re very good at stopping the run. They read the plays really well. So we’re going to have to find a way to get some running plays off on them. It’ll be a tough order to do.”

On Nebraska's senior leadership 

“We’re the last class to experience everything that’s happened here. We’ve been through the kind of changes that haven’t been seen at Nebraska for 30 years or more. I feel like we’re pretty steady in our mannerisms and in our emotions. I hope that the younger guys realize that at some point you just have to come to work and get the job done.”

On quarterback Zac Taylor's contribution to the program 

“Zac is a great leader. He’s a great quarterback. He’s a great person to have not only in the huddle, but also in the locker room. He treats everybody with respect. When he talks, people listen. We’re willing to follow him in whatever he does because he makes great decisions. I’d be lying if I said that I thought we could be here without Zac.”

On improving the Huskers' performance in the second half 

“We just have to come out and play football. We have to come out and execute better in the second half. We have to be able to play the whole game. We haven’t played a complete game yet of good football. We just have to focus on how to make that happen.”

On weatherning tough times in his career 

“I signed a letter that said I was going to play football for Nebraska, and I’ve resigned that letter every year. It doesn’t say who I’m going to play for or what I’m going to play or what kind of system I’m going to play in. It says I’m going to be here committed to Nebraska. That’s how I’ve approached it regardless of who is coaching or what the coaching was, I was going to take it and do what I could with it.”

On what he'll miss most about playing in Memorial Stadium 

“The fans are unbelievable here. It’s so comfortable. You get so comfortable knowing that you have all these people pulling for you and hoping that you do well. It’s really powerful to experience.”