Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan

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

Head Coach Bill Callahan
Opening statement
“Just excited about the game this Friday against Colorado. I know our players are, and they’ve worked extremely hard in the bye week, and I look forward to a good, competitive Colorado team coming in here Friday afternoon.”

On whether the bye week helps the team prepare
“I think it has in a lot of ways. We practiced three good days last week, and of course we started our preparation for Colorado yesterday, so the volume was increased, the tempo was high energy, so it was a good and a really solid practice. The thing I liked about it was that we had the entire day to spend with the players, so we weren’t rushed in our preparation like we normally are in a normal weekday. So we had ample time to get in all of our installation without being distracted. The kids do go to school, so in our meetings we have a lot of guys going in and out, so it was good to see all of them there the whole time, getting the game plan down collectively, and we had a really good practice yesterday.”

On offensive coordinator Jay Norvell interviewing for the head coaching position at Iowa State
“All I can tell you is that Jay informed me he was going to go down and interview at IowaState, and I allowed him to do that last Thursday. Aside from that, all I can tell you is that he’s interviewed, and I wish him the best of luck. There’s no question in my mind he’s an intelligent coach with experience, and he’s got a burning desire to lead. He’s done a great job with our players, and he’s done a great job his entire career preparing himself for an opportunity like this one. We wish him all the luck in the world.

“I think whatever is best for Jay and his family, I’m supportive of that. I hope he stays, but he’s been a great addition to any staff he was great at the Oakland Raiders, and he was great for us at Wisconsin.”

On whether Colorado will bring a different plan to the game in hopes of an upset
“You like to say that, because it sounds good, and that’s what people will say, but I think they’re going to come in here and do what they do. I don’t’ think they’re going to get radical in terms of changing everything they’ve done for the last 12 weeks in a row. I expect them to come in here highly competitive. If you watch what they’ve done in the last few weeks, and you look at the numbers, within the conference play, and you look at some of the key categories of their play, I think it lends itself to a really competitive situation and a competitive team coming in here. They’re running the ball effectively, and as a defense they really come after you. They’re a pressure team, they like to green-dog you, they like to bring the two outside linebackers, and they’ll green-dog the MIKE linebacker ? they do a lot of things like that. They play a lot of man coverage, and I think the fans are going to see us get challenged not only in man coverage but in zone coverage, more than recently. They like to play bump technique and press ? you name it, they’ve got it. It’ll be a challenging defense to attack.”

On how Colorado’s junior quarterback Bernard Jackson has improved throughout the season
“I tell you, he’s really gotten better in so many ways. They’ve done a lot of things to build on his strength. The one thing that sticks out is how he can run. He’s always got a run-pass option behind him, and it’s not to say that he’s not an effective drop-back passer, it’s just that he is more effective and more dangerous when he’s on the move. So that’s a concern. They get off the bootleg and they get on the perimeter, and start challenging your force patterns and your coverage patterns, that could be problematic. A lot of teams have faced that dilemma, where you get into a conflict of whether to spend all the time defending the quarterback, and let them get a couple of nice runs off that, and of course they have some real capable receivers as well, so we’ll have to pick our spots, because they do a lot of things well.”

On the inspiration senior offensive lineman Greg Austin has been throughout this season and his career
“He’s meant a lot from a leadership perspective. He’s really been the guy that the players look up to and admire. He’s inspirational in so many ways, and he’s again fighting to come back and play for this team this week. He practiced a little bit (Sunday), but mainly rehabbed, so we’ll see where he’s at (today). But this guy just has a burning desire to be on the field in his last game at Memorial Stadium here as a senior. So this means a lot to him, and it means a lot to the 18 graduating seniors that we have.

“He’s just been a real staple to this team, and a guy that we can always count on to do the right thing, and provide the right example for us. He’s undergone a situation with the leg injuries, and knee specifically, where most people would have quit football, because I’m sure when he’s 45 or 50 years old, he’s not going to be walking straight unless medical science comes along with something great. He’s just a guy that has given his heart and soul to football, and sacrificed tremendously. I think players can see that he’s given everything he has, and more. He’s always bounced back, and that just speaks from his character, to come back from some really tough situations in his rehabilitation process, to get back on that field and fight through injury and pain, and play through pain. I just can’t say enough good things about him. He’s a great, great kid.”

On whether he would ever discourage someone with a significant injury to not come back
“No. if a player has the passion, and it means everything to those guys, I would never, ever try to hurt their spirit about coming back and playing. That’s the great thing about life, you can do what you want to. And that’s the great thing about America. You can try to play football, and you can try to play it as long as you can. And if, God-willing he’s going to try to fight through injury, and that’s what he really wants to do, he’s got my full support.”

On what he wants from the team in this last regular-season game
“We just want to finish well, and play well against Colorado. And they will challenge us in so many ways. If you look at their special teams, and their ability to boot the long field goals, they don’t have very much of a distance to go with the ball. If they can just go about 30 or 35 yards, they’re in field goal range. So they can put points on the board in a hurry. Those points will accumulate in a game in a hurry, so it’s important for us to play well on special teams, and also on both ends of the spectrum, offensively and defensively. Their ability to generate plays, and play consistently better in the last few weeks, is impressive. They’ve got talent, and that’s what I see on film. Their linebacker corps has been a real strength, and their secondary is better than what it was a year ago. Their defensive line is active, and they can generate a lot of pressure from a lot of different movements, so we’ve got our hands full, there’s no question about that.”

On whether the philosophy for the game changes already having clinched the Big 12 North
“No. We are concerned about winning the football game. That’s where our focus is. There has been no such talk or dialogue in that respect. We never talk about backing a player down, because this is an important football game for us, and we treat it seriously, like we do every game. So really, nothing has changed, from how we approach this game.  We want to go into that championship game with momentum, and we want to go down to Arrowhead and represent the Big 12 North in good fashion.”

On senior quarterback Zac Taylor
“We have talked about the leadership and the character of Zac, but what’s amazing, is that in his two years, and it doesn’t even seem like he’s been here two years, and in that very short period of time, he’s allowed us to accelerate this program faster than any other player I’ve been around. When you’ve got a player that can make an impact in your program, and can come in and digest everything that you want to do from a philosophical standpoint, conceptual standpoint, and then go out on the field and do it, that just lifts your program. Just the leadership he’s provided in that regard, and the performance he’s provided, words can’t describe it. In athletics, I think you get to the point where players only come around like that so often, and when a guy like that comes around, who has all the intangibles, and then he has the performance to back it up, it makes for a really neat experience. And that’s what he’s given us. Nebraskans should be really proud of this kid, and what he’s brought to this program, in a very short amount of time. Coming where he’s come from, and competing against the odds, he’s done terrific in my eyes, he really has. He’ll only get better as he grows, if he elects to go into professional football. I can see him being a guy that can really develop along with the normal process and become an excellent player. I just love the guy.”

On where the program would be if senior Zac Taylor hadn’t been recruited
“It’s really hard to say. I couldn’t tell you. All I know is that when we saw him on film, and I flew down there and spent the afternoon with him (at Butler County Community College), I just came away so impressed. During that interview, the conversation was based on what they were doing with their system at Butler, and he sat down and broke down the whole offense for me, gave me every play, showed me what his reads were, and that is very impressive, when a young man can do that after only being in the program for one year. I knew he had something. It was just a matter of grooming him into our terminology and watching him grow. Because on top of everything else, he just competes like crazy. He’s a competitor. He’s relentless. He’s a guy you want behind the controls, there’s no question about that.”

On the fact that road teams have won the last four matchups between Colorado and Nebraska
“I’ve read it, but I don’t know if it’s applicable, because every year is different and every game is different. It just so happens to be one of those situations, and hopefully we can break that spell or whatever it is. It’ll be competitive, and it’ll be a great football game. Our players have a lot of respect for Colorado, and this is a team that’s won four Big 12 North division championships in five years. It’s incredible when you look at it.”

On the chance to sweep the Big 12 North with a win over Colorado
“I think it’s big. It’s something that I shared with the players, and it’s something that we take pride in. It’s hard to go through any conference and come out undefeated, and it’s something that we take great pride in. Nothing is guaranteed, and we have to go out and earn this. These kids don’t take anything for granted, and the last few times we’ve been out practicing, there’s a tremendous focus right now, and I hope that continues throughout the week up until Friday.”

On sophomore offensive lineman Matt Slauson
“He’s a young guy that we threw into the mix a year ago against Colorado. He matured throughout the course of the season, and Coach (Dennis) Wagner recruited him out of a prep school, and Dennis brought him in and the staff looked at him, and we just said, ?By gosh this guy is just a heck of a player, let’s bring him in.’ So we brought him, and just talked about the possibilities of playing at Nebraska. He’s strong, he’s physical, and when we got him here, he was everything we thought he was. When you have a power tackle like that, it makes a big difference in your power play when you try to zone block, especially when you’re a right-handed team. He’s given us a lot of solid play, and as a person, he’s a great person to be around. He’s loose, he can focus when he wants to, he’s a lot of fun. This is a big guy that has great balance in his life, and he’s just an outstanding team player.”

On the evaluation of the running game this year
“I thought we’d be better. We beat ourselves up on film, and look at it as we leave a lot of yards on the field at times. This year, I thought that we left more yards on the field. There are some reads and cuts and blocks where we could have done better. I think we’ll get better as we move on. We’ve got a great incentive for the offseason and spring ball, and we’ll also get an opportunity to look at ourselves in more depth as we prepare for a bowl. All I can tell you is that we want to run the football here, and we want to be a balanced football team. The best teams I see have a balanced attack, and that’s what we’re striving to be.”

On the team not focusing on getting individual awards throughout the season
“I think that our team has come together and put aside our egos, and really has done a great job of being selfless and putting the team first. When you’ve got good communication and leadership within the framework of your football team, you give yourself a chance. We tell our players all the time, it doesn’t matter who is all-conference or anything. It’s a team sport, and if anything comes along anyway, that’s great, but we quickly put it behind and move on. We see players have the type of frame of mind that allows them to do that, and that’s what is impressive about these kids. They don’t get hung up on any of these accolades. They just want to win a championship. With that being said, they know what it takes, and that’s pretty representative of how they’ve acted this year.”

On the seniors who have played through a coaching transition
“They’ve provided great direction for our underclassmen, and they’ve watched everything unfold in three years time, from the bad to the good, they’ve seen it all. They’re a very strong-minded, strong-willed group of players, and pretty cerebral. You’ve got to give this group of kids credit. They’ve been honest. They’ve been direct. They have great passion about themselves. They’ve been goal-oriented. It’s truly an impressive group, and they’re going to be successful when they leave Nebraska and graduate, whether they play pro ball or not, and go on with their careers. They’re going to represent Nebraska well in whatever they do. I’m really proud of this group of kids and what they’ve accomplished. We still have more things we want to get accomplished, but I would tell you at this juncture that I’m awfully proud of this football team, especially those seniors.”

On the example the graduating seniors have set for the underclassmen this year
“They definitely provided an example, and the great thing is that these kids set the tone, and provided a great example for the younger kids on how to do it. The younger guys watch these guys in what they do in school, where their focus is, and they’ve done a tremendous job. Here I’ve got to credit our senior captains and our senior leadership group for providing such a great positive example and environment.”

On having members of the coaching staff who have been at Colorado
“They know personnel, but it’s not uncommon to have a coach from another team you might play. You might know a little bit about the players you’re going to play against, but there’s really not a lot that you’re going to be able to give, because of all the different schematics and trends that they’re utilizing. It’s really unique in that regard, but you can get a little bit, just about the players, maybe some insights you may not normally get.”

On the possibility of coaching against Jay Norvell if he gets the head coaching position at Iowa State
“I think it’s very similar to (former Iowa State Head Coach) Dan McCarney. We coached on the staff and knew each other, and I had a chance to go there as the offensive coordinator, and I elected to stay at Wisconsin. And that final year’s offseason is when I went into the NFL, and I had aspirations of going into the league. It’s no different. When you line up between the lines and compete against each other you do the best you can. But this coaching profession in this fraternity, it’s very small. You’ve got to learn how to get along, because when you don’t, it’s awfully rough out there when you’re unemployed. You’ve got to stay connected, and you’ve got to know people, and word gets around pretty quickly as far as what type of person you are and what type of coach you are.“