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Nebraska Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2007
Memorial Stadium
Pre-Nevada
Cortney Grixby
Senior, Cornerback
Cornerback Cortney Grixby
On Nebraska’s depth on defense
“We haven’t had this in a long time. It feels good to have the depth and experience that we have, especially at the corner position. Armando (Murillo) has come along really fast. We’re going to have a stable group there.”
On the development of Nebraska’s freshman cornerbacks
“(Anthony) Blue and Prince (Amukamara) have come along. You can tell they have so much talent. They play hard and they’re willing to learn. They have time to learn and they don’t get thrown to the wolves right away because we have so much depth and experience back there. They’re going to be able to come along and improve a lot faster.”
On the recovery of cornerback Zackary Bowman
”It really looks like he hasn’t lost too much of a step. He’s just getting his rhythm back and getting back to being able to move that knee. It looks like he hasn’t lost too much of a step. He looks good.”
On the amount of playing time for Bowman
“We’re not sure. They’re really on a day-to-day thing with him, going on his instinct to see how he felt on the knee. I think he’s close to 100 percent, so he should be ready to go soon.”
On his anxious before the season opener
“We’ve been hitting each other for so long, we’re ready to hit some other jerseys, so we’re really excited. The first game is always exciting. The fans are going to love it. They’re antsy, we’re antsy. The whole state of Nebraska is ready to get it started.”
On his role compared to other years
“They have moved me to kick return and punt return, while also playing some corner and nickel (back). It’s really good. I’m going to be on the field. I’m going into my final season, but my role hasn’t changed much. I just have more experience and I want to be more of a leader.”
On comparing kick returns to punt returns
“It’s a little different, but it will be pretty similar with the ball being moved back five yards (for kickoffs). We’re going to have a lot of space and a lot of room to maneuver. There won’t be a lot of touchbacks this year. You want to improve in that area, and I just want to help out.”
On potential safety risks of the new kickoff spot
“Football is football. The pace is fast, but that hasn’t come into play. If you’re thinking about that (potential for injury), then you won’t perform, so you just have to go out there and do it.”
On improving Nebraska’s kick return
“Coach (Randy) Jordan came to me before fall camp and told me that he wanted to try me out back there. They’ve tried Terrence Nunn, Andre Jones and Rickey Thenarse back there. There are a lot of us that could be getting returns back there. He (Jordan) felt like there would be a lot more space back there and it would be more like a punt return, so they wanted to get us in and see what we could do.”
On the importance of improving Nebraska’s kick returns
“It’s very important part of the game. It’s going to change field position. You won’t be pinned inside the 20 so much. It will be a shorter field for the defense and a shorter field for the offense. It’s changed the game a lot, and we just want to help out and make a big impact there for the year.”
On this year’s Nebraska defense compared to last year’s
“We have a lot of experience this year in the secondary and the linebacker corps. There are a lot of seniors that are stronger and faster and we’re just ready to play. We feel we can be one of the best defenses in the country this year.”
On Nevada
“We’ve looked at them on special teams and a little on offense. We’ll get more into that today. They’re a great team. They went 8-5, went to a bowl and played Miami really tough. It’s a team that you have to respect. They’re dangerous. You have to go in with the most respect for them. We’re looking for a good challenge.”
On Nevada’s offense
“It’s a different offense. It’s effective. It’s worked for them. It’s different to prepare for. We’re doing well with it. They do a lot of play-action passing. They have the option threat in it. They put the quarterback and give him more space to run in. It’s a lot different. You just have to read your keys. They’re similar in their option schemes to NichollsState. You just have to be disciplined in your assignments, and we can be effective.”
On cornerback Armando Murillo
“He came along fast in the spring, and that’s surprising, because playing corner is really, really hard. But he’s picked up the techniques and he makes plays. You have to make plays to be on the field, and he’s made plays and earned his position. From the first day we saw him in the spring, we knew he had a chance to get better, and he just kept getting better. He had a great fall camp, and now he’s reaping the rewards.”