Nebraska Player Quotes

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007
Pre-Ball State

Lydon Murtha
Junior, Offensive Lineman

On the mood of the team

“We're focused. We've got to stay focused. If you go in the tank you are just going to go down hill. We are really making sure that this is going to be a solid week of practice and we are going to go out there next week with the mentality that we are going to win."

 

On pointing fingers or laying blame within the team for the loss to USC
"We don't point fingers at all. You read the newspapers and you read the media and a lot of times they like to point fingers and say 'who do this and who did that?' We are really emphasizing that on both sides of the ball we need to improve. The offense needs to improve just as much as the defense does. We are just going to stay focused from that aspect and overcome the challenge."

 

On watching film as a team

"We sat down Sunday morning and watched the entire game play-by-play, both sides of the ball. It was a long three hours. Coach Callahan did a great job of telling us that it is not just one side of the ball. It is not just one person that let the game go. It was both sides. We need to come together and be unified and correct our mistakes. A lot of people would think we would get yelled at. It wasn't like that at all"

 

On refocusing on Ball State

"A game is a game. We treat every game the same. We are definitely going to be working hard this week. The big emphasis this week, I'm sure if you talk to Coach Callahan, it is going to be a tough practice. It is not going to be one of those things where we are going in weak-minded. We are going in to win.

 

On how the offensive line graded out against USC

"Across the board we actually graded out pretty decent. It is not necessarily about how well the play went, its about how each individual did. As the grades went, we did pretty decent. Obviously, we werent' where we wanted to be, but it wasn't like we were below average."

 

On the mentality of the team after the loss

"We are a little upset. They are a great team and we were hanging with them the majority of the first half of the game and the last part of the game. In that aspect, we believe that we could have won that game. The way that things happened, they happened. You can't go into the past and you can't change it. We all look to the future. It is not something we are going to be dwelling on."

 

On the loss of offensive guard Andy Christensen
"It's a huge loss. Andy is a great football player. He's our top guard playing right now. He's a great athlete and a hard worker. It's unfortunate what happened to him. I gave my condolence to him during the game. It is going to be a hard loss, but Mike Huff is a great athlete too, and he's a real physical guy. He's going to step in, and the pressure is on him to perform a little bit more, but I think he is going to rise to the challenge."

On having vocal leaders on the team
"More than last year there is. Corey McKeon and (Steve) Octavien are always telling us that we've got to get going and we've got to do this or we've got to do that. They are not quiet guys, as I'm sure you guys know. They are going to speak up if things are going wrong. They do. If things are going in the tank or if things aren't going the way they should be or rolling the opposite way, they are going to step in and same something. They are really vocal guys. They are going to come in and fix the problem if they have to."

On practicing on full pads
"It's practice. You have to go out there and practice as hard as you can. After a loss like that, I don't believe it's going to change much. We've just got to go out and practice just as hard as we would any other day. I think it is going to be more physical and more demanding, but that's about it."

 

On playing well an All-American defensive player

"It's a big confidence builder to be able to play well against a really great player. I got a little injured earlier in the week so I wasn't 100 percent, but just to be able to play with a great athlete like that and be able to hold your own, is definitely a confidence builder. That is one of the main things in being an offensive lineman is having confidence. You can have all the physical tools in the world and you can be the greatest athlete, but if you don't have that confidence going into the game or going against anybody you are not going to get the job done."

 

On his injuries since he's been at Nebraska

"I'm kind of a train wreck. Wow. I had my knee scoped. I had surgery on my shoulder - I tore that out. I had surgery on my nose. Since I've been here I think that's about it. I've sprained my knee a couple times. I've sprained my ankles multiple times. You get injured pretty easily if you're not doing the right things and not in the right position, especially as an offensive lineman. I'm sure you guys are all aware of the moped accident. I call it a motorcycle accident - it sounds a little more tough. I was on a moped I got hit by a car. I think the car has more damage than my moped, just from me. My dad it from me. He rides it now. It happened the Spring of 2005, I think it was."