Callahan Meets With Big 12 Media

The first order of business after the Nebraska football team arrived in Kansas City Friday afternoon was for Head Coach Bill Callahan to meet with the media covering Saturday's Big 12 Championship Game. The following is a transcript of Friday's brief press conference. For a transcript of Oklahoma Head Coach Bob Stoops' question-and-answer session, click here.

Nebraska Head Coach Bill Callahan
Opening Statement
"It’s great to be here in Kansas City. The University of Nebraska is awfully excited about the opportunity to be in the Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma. Our players certainly deserve that opportunity. It will be a challenging game. But I’m glad the weather held up nicely for us. This is northern weather at its best.

"And, again, we’re really appreciative of the opportunity to be part of this great conference game and can’t wait to get going."

On the cold weather expected for Saturday night
"That question was asked by our media pool yesterday after practice, and really there’s nothing that I see in the forecast that would change anything that we’ve prepared coming in here.

"I think the field conditions will be excellent. From what I understand talking with Carl, I think the field is in great shape. We’ll do the best we can. I don’t think there will be a wind factor. I think it’s just cold. And this time of year I think everybody expected it to be cold on December 2nd.

"So I know the history of what the weather can be in the Midwest. It can change in the next five minutes. I don’t foresee anything happening. That’s what our weathermen tell us. But we’ll see. I don’t think we’ll change a thing.

"Our kids have practiced in this type of weather. Yesterday we got an opportunity to get outside. So I don’t think it will be a huge factor for either team."

On Oklahoma running backs Adrian Petersen and Allen Patrick
"They’re both excellent. And you know, as we prepared for them, there are no weakness on their defensive side of the ball and none on their offensive side. I think Coach Stoops and his staff, they’ve done an excellent job managing their players, managing their system.

"They’ve coached unbelievably well to get into this particular game. And they deserve a lot of credit for that.

"But, you know, as I look at them, they’re a team that’s very efficient. They’re functional. They’ve got a lot of athleticism. A lot of speed. I look at the down and distance summaries, the breakdowns, and they’re comfortable being in any down and distance, on offense, defense.

"When you have a team like that, that’s comfortable playing in those type any situation that they get themselves into, that speaks to their coaching staff. It speaks to their team confidence."

On a win helping to show Nebraska is back on the national stage
"Well, the expectations at Nebraska are very high, and we embrace that standard. It’s what makes us go day in, day out.

"We’re close. I don’t think we’re there yet. I still think we have a lot of work to do yet.

"This is a key game. No question about that. To measure ourselves to see where we’re at in terms of our progress and our improvement and consistency.

"So every chance and every opportunity we get, we’re going to try to capitalize on it, try to maximize on this particular effort on the big stage in the big game.

"So we’ll see. Sometimes you can’t tell. You don’t know how this game will end up. And you don’t know what you’ll draw from the game afterwards. So it’s hard for me to sit here and say exactly, you know, what that game will mean until it’s finalized and until we can really critique it, see exactly where we’re at."

On taking three of his seniors to visit Arrowhead Stadium during Big 12 Media Days
"I thought it was important, Shawn, for our team to come down, our captains, our leaders, to visit Arrowhead and to see exactly what the scenario, what the atmosphere and climate was in terms of playing in a championship game. Really try to build a mind set and create the mind set of a championship team and the championship game.

"What we wanted to do as a staff was to give them that portrayal so that when they came here, they experienced what it would feel like to be in that stadium.

"They got an opportunity to look at the locker room setup, chance to go through the press boxes, get out on the field itself, and we thank the Chiefs for that, Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards for allowing us to do that. But it was a great opportunity for the kids to really visualize what it would be like to finalize our goals and complete their goals in order to get here.

"That was the goal from day one was to get into this game and win it. It’s certainly a great sense of accomplishment on our players’ part, to accomplish that task and accomplish that mission. We’ve vowed each other to be here and we certainly are, and again, we’re excited. "

On utilizing past experiences with the Raiders to help his team this week
"I think that there will be more fans cheering for us being here at Arrowhead, which there hadn’t been when I’ve been here before.

"I think our players are excited about the big game atmosphere, having been in the coliseum and playing in Michigan and having an experience of playing big time programs, on a big stage. I think they’re very comfortable and confident in that.

"I know they’re elated to be in this situation and our preparation has been excellent. And I don’t really think that will matter. I think it will be a very confident group that you see coming out because of the backing and the support that we have from our fans, which will be which will be fantastic, which will be one of the reasons why you play in the north and why this game has been brought north."

On the advantage provided by Nebraska's large fan base
"It’s only an advantage if we can score and get ahead and allow our crowd to get into it. That’s the important thing is to get our people into it early on and early and keep it going.

"But it is an advantage, there’s no question about it. If we can capitalize on opportunities and get on the board and make plays and do the things that will excite our fans. But what tremendous support we have from our fans and, you know, it’s a great place to coach at, because of the support that you get.

"And you know, to be in this championship game, with that type of backing, just gives our players a boost. Your players have talked about and have related they have the backing that they do. Again, we’ve gotta do something about that to make our fans jump up and down."

On the health of his team, especially at running back
"This year we’ve utilized four backs, and, you know, we made that statement at the beginning of the year, that we would go into the season and utilize that position by committee.

"A lot of the kids have emerged, have roles. They’re unselfish players, they’re hard workers, and they play for one another, which is a great thing. It’s a tribute to their selflessness.

"But Brandon Jackson has played extremely well. He’s probably our most complete back to date, everything that he does. Running the ball, catching it, blocking, he’s very versatile in a lot of different roles.

"Marlon Lucky has been extremely valuable to our football team, just based on his contribution in the special teams area. His ability to go out and catch the ball and also have the effectiveness as a runner.

"We’ve got a young guy by the name of Kenny Johnson, junior college transfer from here in Kansas, has done an excellent job, and we’ll probably see a little more playing time tomorrow night. And we have a young sophomore running back by the name of Cody Glenn, a big power back that we featured between the tackles. So all these guys bring something different to the table. They’re excellent performers.

"They compete like crazy, and we’re just fortunate to have them. But these guys are responsible for really uplifting our running program this year."

On utilizing trick plays
"Well, first off, our staff’s really confident in our players’ ability to execute whatever we put in the plan. So it shows from that aspect, you know, a lot of belief and, you know, just one of those opportunities exist to pull the trigger and dial the call to make those things happen.

"So that’s where it starts. And secondly they are a lot of fun. We have a lot of kids that can do a lot of different things. Mo Purify, for the gifted receiver that he is, can also throw the football about 60 yards. And our backs can throw the ball. They all have different skills.

"We have a little bit of a tryout in training camp to see who could do what. We build on it throughout the year.

"In order for those plays to get called, the right opportunity has to exist. The right opportunity during the course of the game, the position, the game, in terms of the clock, in terms of the quarter, the field position, are you plus 50, minus 50, and then the inherent risk involved if you don’t make it. That’s all taken into account.

"And, by God, you want to make the right call and make it happen. But if it doesn’t work, you’ve got to face those consequences, and you’re automatically or possibly on a shorter field and your defense has to go out and defend a missed call or a missed opportunity.

"So that’s all taken into account. Not only is it important that you execute it and do well, but if you don’t, your defense has got to have the backing of your team if you don’t execute those particular plays."

On NU's two mid-season losses to Texas and Oklahoma State
"Well, we played a heck of a game against Texas. And unfortunately, we just didn’t close out. And the next week we went down to Stillwater and played a talented football team in Oakland State. We just didn’t do well. To their credit, they played well. It just shows you across this league and across the conference, there are good coaches, good players. Anybody is capable now of beating anybody. I think that was proven this year more times than not.

"And it’s a situation where you’ve got to be prepared and you’ve got to step up to the plate. But our players never lost their focus in terms of what they needed to get accomplished. We stubbed our toe against a good Oklahoma State team, and we refocused pretty quickly to get into the position we are in today."

On trick plays providing the next opponent with something else to prepare for
"I think it’s another element that they’ve got to prepare for in terms of the full agenda. And you know, you have a core package of plays that you present week in and week out to an opponent that they see on film. When you complement those particular plays with a gadget play, it just reinforces the balance that you have in a particular set, the formation or down and distance tendency.

"What we try to do is balance the board in terms of our formations, so that you can’t overplay us one way or the other. But it still comes down to execution.

"We don’t rely on it greatly. It’s just again goes back to having that opportunity and having the right situation calling."

On the field conditions at Arrowhead Stadium
"We’ll see. We’re going to go out early. We’ll arrive about two and a half hours before kick, and the players usually have an opportunity to go out and warm up and check their footing and their footwear to see exactly what they need to wear for the game. It’s something that we’ve done in the National Football League when I was there. We always arrived a lot earlier to just check out the surface to see exactly what the footing would be.

"So we’ll see. I don’t know. I don’t know if it will be damp, moist, frozen. I have no idea until we actually get on it and the players get acclimated to it."

On the tradition of the Nebraska - Oklahoma matchup
"I think it’s a great tradition. I’m a traditionalist at heart. Had an opportunity to watch those classic matchups as a kid growing up in Chicago. So, no, I have a great appreciation and an affinity for this particular matchup, this classic.

"So, again, I’m respectful of that. Respectful of what Oklahoma means to their state and what Nebraska means for our own people. So this is a great college game. It’s going to be great for our fans, great for college football in general."

On the pressure quarterback Zac Taylor will face by playing his hometown Oklahoma Sooners
"Zac has tremendous focus, and he can tune things out very easily. That’s a credit to his concentration level. He’s a wonderful young man. He’s a brilliant, brilliant kid when it comes to just commanding and leading and vocalizing what we need to get accomplished.

"So I don’t see any problems or any hangups relative to any feelings that may be in his system. He’s a true competitor. He’s very humble about his experience at Nebraska and very thankful for the opportunity to play here and, by God, I wish we had him for another three, four years because he’s a tremendous competitor. Great leader, an outstanding performer."

On the motivation provided by a potential BCS bowl trip
"We came here to win. And we came to Nebraska to win championships and our players have a championship mind set. To their credit they’ve worked extremely hard. They’ve done some tremendous things as a team throughout the year in terms of getting together and staying tight knit and staying close and complementing each other through the off season and in season. And that’s a function of team unity. If you don’t have that you’re not going to go very far.

"So I have to credit our players, our senior leadership, our captainship for doing a fine job of keeping everybody focused, keeping the entire team together, really no internal external problems. No off field incidents to speak of.

"So we’re really proud of that that the focus that this team has had getting to this point has been exemplary."

On his confidence in place-kicker Jordan Congdon
"I think he’s very comfortable based on the conditions. We’ll go out in the pregame and see exactly where his cut offs are exactly. We’ll determine that normally about an hour before the game. We’ll include the wind factors as well. So it all depends if there’s a Strong wind, middle wind, no wind.

"He’s got a very sturdy, steady, Strong leg. And I don’t perceive any problem if we needed him to kick one from wherever. You know, 30, 40, 50 yards that he’s capable of doing that.

"We’ve stretched him quite a bit during the last few weeks in terms of his range. So we’re very confident that if he did have that opportunity if the game did come down to that moment or that situation, that we’d feel good about it."

On Oklahoma quarterback Paul Thompson
"I think he’s been incredible. He really is, you know he basically represents what their system’s all about. And that’s being efficient. It’s being effective. That’s making the right decision. And protecting the football. I think he’s done tremendous in that regard.

"And you know the misnomer, when people talk about Paul is that he’s guarded and he’s secured by a running game, he’s protected by that element of their play.

"But he’s an outstanding thrower. He’s become more accurate in time, with more confidence and more options. He does a terrific job of making the right decision, which is what quarterbacking is all about.

"And if a play is not there he can still create. He can make plays. He’s been effective moving the chains. Seem like this team is really, really rallied around this kid. And we think the world of him. He’s a great competitor and he’s going to be challenging, just when you think they’re going to run it one more time they’ll come off the play action or he’ll be in the gun and he can make the right decision to keep the chains moving."

On Oklahoma's defense
"Well, I stated earlier that they’re really comfortable in any down distance you put them in. Interesting enough, they’re a four man line and ability to transition into a three man line, three man system, when you get into more wide receiver groupings if you get into three wides, four wide sets. They can go right back into their 30 package and they can bring the entirely different array of blitzes and pressures and things of that nature.

"They’ve got a lot of flexibility. And that’s attributed to their staff. They’ve done some great coaching. They’re well coordinated. They’ve got excellent philosophies in terms of what they’re trying to get accomplished. So that’s where I see the real challenge is how we handle those transitional defenses, when they come out of their four man line to the three man line and of course picking up all the pressures that come off of that.

"So there’s a lot of volume when you make that transition, as we see it. There’s a lot of different things they’re capable of doing. So that’s a real strength as we see it."

On what he thinks is still missing from the Nebraska program for it to be where he wants it to be
"You can never have enough good players. We’re always looking, always searching. This is still a relatively young football team. We’re in a point where we want to become more oriented, more orientated towards high school recruiting. As we make the transition through the next few years that will kind of help the progress so we can build our depth and develop our younger football players so they can plug in and not be in a situation where you have to have a guy for just two years.

"Very similar to talking about Zac Taylor as I just mentioned. I wish we had him for another three years, because he’s an outstanding competitor. And we put a lot of time into his progress. Put a lot of time into the development of Zac Taylor and quarterbacking in general.

"When you lose a guy like that, you’ve got to take the next step and bring the next guy in. So hopefully you know, in the next few years that will even out as we begin to acquire more high school football players on our roster."