Nebraska Player Quotes

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2007
Pre-Wake Forest

Sam Keller
Senior, Quarterback

 

On his first game as a Husker

“Basically what I have been thinking about, since the game has been over, is that I have got that one under my belt. It felt great to be back out there again. After that game and leading up to now, it’s all about how can I improve on what I did in that game. How does it affect me today as far as how can I get better today? We are going to go out and practice and I am going to really, really hone in on the things that I need to work.”

 

On what he will work on

“Just being patient and trusting the big boys up front. A lot of little things about my game and about football in general. It’s just things I can clean up. The focus is today in practice. How can my performance today lead to the performance of tomorrow and on to the game this week?”

 

On his success after sitting out so long

“I just envisioned a W and that is what we got. As a quarterback, your job is to lead the offense and put points on the board. I accomplished both of those objectives. Personally there are always things to work on. I am never satisfied. Today is going to be a good day to get back on the field and go to work.”

 

On his first road game as a Husker

“It just poses a new set of challenges. WakeForest is going to be hungry. They are a tremendous team. They are very disciplined and very organized in their game plan and how they scheme. We are playing on someone else’s home turf so that poses a whole new set of challenges that we will delve into today. I am very excited for the challenge.”

 

On his toughest road game

“USC is always tough to play in. OregonState is a tough atmosphere to play in because they have loud fans. They are not very polite. Those guys always play very hard at home. OregonState is probably one of the tougher places I have played. We were fortunate to come out with a W. My focus is solely the challenges that WakeForest presents to us.”

 

On if Saturday’s performance was a true read of the offense

“The read I got from it was very exciting. I was very happy. Our offense produced a mass amount of yards. The important thing is that that one is over. You will find that in the course of a season, if you do not learn to leave that one behind and move on to the next one very quickly, you will find yourself behind the eight ball. Ever since that game was over, the focus has shifted completely to the new week we have ahead of us. Today is the day we really get to start to work.”

 

On Maurice Purify’s return to the offense

“I think it means a lot to Maurice to get back out on the field. It adds another horse. I keep calling them horses because that is what they are. They can all run. They are all tremendous. They are all fantastic players in their own right. Maurice brings another dimension. He brings his big frame, his big body that could pose a challenge to WakeForest. We are going into it the same way. We are preparing the same way, just a new defense and a new set of challenges.”

 

On Coach Bill Callahan’s extension
“All I can say is that Nebraska fans can expect huge things. Coach Callahan is as classy and fantastic a coach as they get. It just says a lot about what he has done here that he received that extension. I am just proud to have been a small part of his tenure here. When you talk about him establishing a legacy and being a coach for a long time now, that helps recruiting and everything like that now. These coaches just put in their heart and soul over these jobs and for that to happen, it is very rewarding. It is very rewarding for this entire state and program. You can expect big things and I am just proud to have been a small part of it.”

 

On his excellent pocket protection on Saturday

“I was not surprised. When you look at the start of that game, I might not have allowed them to do what they do. I might have been too quick with some of my decision making. I could have sat back there and let a lot of things come to fruition, whereas I was going a little bit too fast. I really settled down throughout the game, but that is going back to one of the things to work on. Now that one game is behind me, it is fine. I have got the poise and being calm will be fine, just like it was in the second half. It just came down to realizing I do have a lot of time. I need to let the picture evolve. That is one of the things I am really going to work on today.”

 

On WakeForest applying pressure

“WakeForest is very disciplined and they are very active up front. I expect them be prepared and be ready for us in every way. That is why we really have to go to work and really go to work hard this week. This is the most important game of our season up to this point. I have a lot of respect for that defense and I have a lot of respect for what they do. You can see it on film. It is very evident. That is what we need to be ready for.”

 

On his feelings about WakeForest’s first game

“When you watch that game on film, BostonCollege had a very solid game plan. They took what they gave you. I think with WakeForest, you just have to take what they give you because they are very strong. They are very fast up front and their defensive backs have a lot of experience. Comparing one game to another is kind of hard to do. This is going to take on a whole new animal, especially when they are at home. You just have to be ready for all sorts of circumstances. Whatever we need to do to get the offense clicking is going to be what is going to happen.”

 

On making sure the game does not turn into quarterback vs. quarterback

“I do not think it is ever personal battles. It is one team against another team. We are going to do what we need to do to put points on the board and if that is throwing then that is what we are going to do. If it is running then that is going to be what we will continue to do. So that will play out. Like in this game, you saw how we established our physicality up front. This game we are going to find out what kind of things are going to happen and how it evolves. Every game takes on its own personality. Whatever happens, as an offense, we are confident that we can do whatever need be to accumulate first downs and yards and put points on the board. It is going to be an exciting week and it all starts today. Our guys are very focused."

 

On when you start to see a game’s personality

“It is definitely on game day. You can do all the film study in the world and you can be ready for their schemes and things of that nature, but there is no telling. Their defensive coordinator might have something completely new. You just never know, so that is why you have to be prepared. That is why I rely on Coach (Shawn) Watson upstairs in the box and everything Coach Callahan tells me to do. Even Joe Ganz on the sideline. He always has something to say. We will know as an offense what is going to be taking shape and how we can attack the certain holes we see."

 

On coming in and out of the Husker huddle

“It was moving really fast. Those guys were winding the clock and that was something we just had to adapt to. I think we did really well. That is what the first game is for. Seeing how everything stands and how everything is going to pan out. I think we have a good grasp on how that is going to work. We are going to be much more efficient this week. The most improvement teams make is between week one and week two. I think you will see a lot of improvements in our offense and our team in general.”

 

On his improvement in this offense

“I have said before there is nothing like game experience. All the practices in the world where you are calm and executing at a high level. There is just no match for what happens in a game. In a game, you have to bring that level of poise and calm no matter what. That is what you are going to see this week. Today I am going to go in to practice and I am going to go into the film room and I am going to conduct myself in that manner that is going to carry over to Saturday. There is no more waiting to play again. I have played. That is done. This is the time that I have been waiting for to get into a rhythm, to get into a flow now that the first game is over. You will see a lot of improvements in our offense in general."

 

On Boston College’s passing touchdowns against WakeForest

“BostonCollege has a really good offense. They have a really great quarterback. Ryan I think is his name. We can learn a lot from that film. We can learn a lot from BostonCollege, but we are not expecting the same thing to happen. It is a whole new ballgame. We are coming down into a whole new atmosphere. You can look at that for knowledge, but you cannot look at that and expect that is what you are going to see.”