Nebraska Football Coach Bill Callahan

Nebraska Football Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Pre-Iowa State

Nebraska Coach Bill Callahan
Opening Statement
“We’re moving onto <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>IowaState this week.  It’s an important game for us as we begin conference play, so our preparation, needless to say, is important as we get going today, as we get going on the practice field.  We’re excited for that opportunity to open up at home in conference play.”

On working through adversity<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

“I think what’s important for our football team is that we come together, like any team.  When you go through some adversity, it’s important that you close ranks and really support each other.  I think the big thing is that you’re supportive, constructive and positive about everything that you’re doing.  You have to stay upbeat and positive about the situation you’re in because there’s no immediate remedy except to go out, work hard and fix it on the field.”

 

On having fun playing football and Corey McKeon

“We won, and that’s fun. When you win, it’s fun. When you don’t perform as well, it’s not as fun. I went into that locker room Saturday and we had a lot of fun. It was a celebration. It’s tough to have fun if your unit doesn’t perform to the standard that you want it to. There’s an expectation level for each and every unit. But overall, it’s still a team game. We still celebrate as a team, and that aspect is still fun. Winning football games is fun, and wins are hard to come by.  I understand what he’s (McKeon) trying to say. When you go through hard times, you have to bounce back, put your best face on, move forward and fix it.  There’s no easy solution but to work hard.  That takes hard work.  The fun in that is when you win and do well.  The main goal is still to win, and that’s where the fun lies.  As a team, I’m excited where we’re at, but not in terms of performance.  I like where we’re at in terms of record.  I like the way that we’re positioned to start conference at 3-1, but I do know and realize that there’s a lot to get done, work upon and improve as we head into the schedule.”

 

On the standards of calling out a college player by name in the media

“It’s not for me to say.  I have a lot of respect for the media.  You’re professionals at what you do. You go into each situation pretty calculated as to what you want to get out of a story and how you research a story.  I have a lot of respect for the profession, in general, so it’s not for me to say.  I think the readers will voice their opinion one way or another in the matter.  For a coach, all we try to do is educate our players to the pressures of the game and what they can expect when things are different.  Fair or unfair, that’s generally how it is.  I think that’s how it is in any sport, whether it’s football, basketball and baseball.  I think everybody who is in the public light is subject to criticism and praise.  Your ability to handle that is really important, and if you let it affect you negatively, it will have negative effects.  I’ve learned quite a bit. It’s an education unto itself.”

 

On adjusting his coaching style from the NFL to college

“There’s a sensitivity to that (the outside influences on college players).  That sensitivity is realized dramatically by our staff.  I can’t even begin to tell you how many times our coaches have our players over at their homes with their families to take some of that pressure off them and to alleviate those feelings of a business-type atmosphere and environment.  I would tell you our environment is not like that.  It’s very collegiate-like.  It’s made for the student-athlete to come in, feel comfortable and express themselves if there are any problems.  We all have a great relationship with our players and an open-door policy with our players where they can come in and express themselves if something is bothering them.  It’s not perfect.  There are pressures on student-athletes.  It’s a process that you try to educate them in.  Our staff downstairs in the Hewit (Center), our Life Skills staff, does as good as, if not a better job, than anyone in the country in educating our student-athletes as to the pressures and anxieties that surround athletics and going to school at the same time.  I think they’re very well educated in that regard, but you can never have enough.  You can never have enough education, assistance, help or personal relationships and contacts to help a student-athlete through some difficult times.  It is tough.  There are under the gun and under pressure, and that’s a part of it, but that’s a good life lesson that will only help them down the line when they graduate from the university and go on with their own life.  We all deal with those pressures, so I think this is a great education that they get earlier in life that can help much later in life.”

 

On the expectations on the Nebraska football team

“I think they’re great.  That’s right where we want to be.  We visualize and envision the opportunity to win a national championship.  That’s why we come here.  That’s why we coach and compete at the highest level and try to get the best out of our players and coaches so we have that opportunity.  When it doesn’t go well and you get knocked down a few notches and you’re having problems in one certain area, you have to fix it and remedy that as fast you can, and that’s what we’re doing.  Our coaches are working on it and there’s no other way to do it but to go back on the practice field.  Get this game (BallState) behind us and move on.  It’s important that we move on, like we always do.  We try to get that last game behind us as soon as we can so that we can focus on the next opponent.”

 

On the struggles of the Nebraska defense

“They’ve had a competitive schedule, and that’s good.  That brings the best out of you.  We try to keep an eye on where their energy level and effort is at on a daily basis.  We look at that strongly.  We just try to improve that as best we can.  I don’t have an answer in terms of energy level.  We’ve been through some tough games, but I have no excuses relative to those games.  We have to deal with it.  We have to get better and look to improve it as fast as we can.  I have no excuses about energy level.  I’ve never looked on that as a coach as a reason for having difficulties.  We have some problems on one area that we’re working hard to fix.  It’s up to us coaches to fix it.  We’ll do the very best we can to get our players enlisted into what we’re doing and make a turn for the better.”

 

On the strength of the Nebraska defense to this point

“I thought the early-down play in the non-conference schedule, there were opportunities where I saw us defend the run well.  That’s a hard statement to make when you’re getting beat in that particular area.  But there are positive signs.  I’d like to see it collectively tied together.  But individually, there are some very good individual performances.  Zach Potter’s performance on Saturday, I thought, was very good.  That’s encouraging and a real boost for our staff to watch his play and watch him play when I didn’t think he was going to play.  He was out of practice the entire week.  He came around, got himself better and put himself in a position where he wanted to play.  When I visited with him on Friday and Saturday, he said, ?Coach, I’m playing.  There’s no way you’re keeping me out of this game.  That’s really encouraging, to have guys that want to be out there, want to play hard and are improving.  I’m jacked up about his performance.  Phillip Dillard has played better.  Steve (Octavien) has played solid.  Bo (Ruud) has played solid.  We need to do a better job in the back end.  I think there were times where we knocked people down and free safeties broke on the ball and made great plays on the ball on vertical routes.  But there are also plays that we gave up.  That consistency factor is huge, and to try to bring that team together from a consistency standpoint is the main thing for us right now.”

 

On NU linebacker Phillip Dillard

“I like Phillip’s play because he’s tough and he has a sense of where he needs to be.  He has a lot of things to improve on as well.  He’s a fired-up guy.  He’s emotional, enthusiastic, and brings a spark to the defense.  I love his ability to get up into the hole and hit a back or take on a fullback or guard.  He does all those things well.  It’s great to have a situation where you have a bunch of good linebackers because each of those guys is unique, different, and we need them all.  They’re all going to play for us.  It’s a good situation, I believe.”

 

On IowaState

“Mentioning the Iowa game, it was interesting to see them (IowaState) on film prepare for the game, because it’s an intrastate rivalry.  It’s a huge game up there.  You could see their players were very emotional.  You could see them play at a much-improved level.  They keep getting better, week-in and week-out.  I think Gene (Chizik) has done an excellent job, for starting out and getting his team to capture a huge win.  I expect the same type of effort level as they come down to Nebraska this week.  Since I’ve been here, that game (Nebraska/Iowa State) has always been back-and-forth.  They’re always very competitive and feisty.  They’ll give it all they have because of the nature of the distance of the two schools.  Looking at (Bret) Meyer, here’s a guy who has played 40 games in the Big 12.  This is an experienced quarterback.  I look at Todd Blythe, and he (Meyer) still has a lot of confidence in Todd.  He goes to him (Blythe) in quite a few pressure situations and he has a lot of confidence in his abilities to catch the ball, to run the right route and to get open.  They’re kind of a similar team in that, offensively, they’re in the I(-formation) but also in the gun.  There are a lot of different formations.  There’s a lot of creativity in that regard.  They’re a little different, so they’re going to present us with a lot of new challenges.  Overall, I think they’re a very capable team.”

 

On the film that he has studied most of IowaState

“All of them.  We use all of them in the breakdown.  It just kind of struck me, the significance of that game (Iowa/Iowa State) and watching their players elevate.  They felt that it was a very competitive situation for them and they take a lot of pride.  Those kids are prideful kids.  Just having competed against them in the last three years going to year four, I know they’re going through transition and this is their first year, but you can see on film, week-in and week-out, they’re making positive strides.  Even though they dropped that game at Toledo, they had an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter that was very strong, and I thought they’ve shown improvement throughout the year in a very short time.  The Iowa game really highlighted it.  They did well against Toledo.  I think Gene (Chizik) has addressed their kicking game in trying to improve that facet.  It’s on film.”

 

On the leadership of NU quarterback Sam Keller

“I think he’s leading by example, without question, because he’s making the plays.  Here’s a high-energy guy.  He’s always wired.  He’s always excited.  He’s always passionate about the next play and the next series and the next opportunity to get back out on the field.  He was a lot of fun on Saturday.  Just going back in my mind and watching him play, he’s a steady force out there.  He keeps everyone up.  That’s what I feel.  He’s always wired up to get the next play and wants to know what we’re going to do, how we’re going to do it and what we have for him today.  Yesterday, he was up looking for the package of things that were in the game plan.  Here’s a guy that loves football.  He just loves football, and it’s great to be around a guy like that.”

 

On Keller’s improvement through the BallState game

“When you’re in a situation where you are throwing the ball more, you get more opportunities to see coverage, to make more decisions and to get a feel for their pass defense.  I thought that he exemplified that, and that his decision-making got better as we went through the game. I think in that last series, he was 7-for-7, which proved to me that he had great command.  His decision-making was right on. I think the only improvable area, I would say, would be his ability to be a little more patient at times, because he’s just so quick-minded, and he’s such a smart, brilliant kid that he wants to complete the answer right now.  At times, in the structure of things that we’re doing, we want him to be a little more patient.  The one throw he had on the post, the elevation he had on that throw was the only thing that was physically critiqued.”

 

On adjusting the schemes offensively and defensively for the Big 12

“I don’t know how defenses respond in the Big 12. It’s all predicated on week-to-week. It’s different. Some things change, some don’t. Some like to sit in base (defense), some like to have a mix, while some will randomly come at you. Their approach can change. The personality of their defense can change from week-to-week. Offenses are sophisticated in our conference. Just looking at where we’re at offensively, we’re moving the ball efficiently and effectively enough to score points. It’s not bad. We can get better, but it’s not bad. Someone told me we were ranked 14th in the country (in offense), and I said that’s not bad. Then, that person told me, ?Coach, you’re only fifth in the conference. That just shows you the ability of offensive football in the Big 12 is pretty strong. You go through the conference, a lot of teams have weapons, the ability to move it and do a lot of sophisticated things. It’s a challenge each week, and I think the coaches have to alter their game plans accordingly to who their playing.”

 

On simplifying Nebraska’s defensive game plan

“We do what we think is in our best interests to win. Every game is different in that regard. I couldn’t make just a cookie-cutter, generic statement saying, since we have a problem, we’ll simplify. It’s not that easy. Without getting into all the technicalities of the game, and there are a lot and some teams do stay in their base defense and play while other teams mix it and other teams change it up, it’s just a matter of preference, playing to your strengths and playing to what the philosophy of what your system is.”

 

On this year’s defensive scheme compared to last year’s

“I think, a year ago, we were mixing and matching pretty good, so I think there’s a lot of similarities from last year that we’re doing now this year. Again, I couldn’t tell you exactly if it’s the same or if it’s not the same or what percentage it is. That, I would not know because I think it changes based on the opponent you’re playing.”

 

On the public reaction to Nebraska’s defensive struggles

“I think that our guys are strong-minded individuals in terms of a staff. I think they understand that criticism comes with the territory and comes with your job. I think they’ve been troopers. I think they’ve been steady at it. It’s no different than when guys have been in tough situations. Buddy (Wyatt) was in a tough situation a year ago in Alabama. These guys have all been in tough situations around the country. To have the support come from one of the players (Corey McKeon) like that sends a really clear message that they like their coaches. They like playing for them and what we’re doing, and it’s just a matter of doing a better job.”

 

On the status of NU defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove

“He has my full support. I think I mentioned that last week. There’s no question.”

 

On the importance of the matchup of ISU quarterback Bret Meyer against the NU defense

“All those matchups are important. It begins with pass rush. You can alleviate a lot of pressure on the back end by putting a bit more heat on the quarterback, whether it’s with your three- or four-man rush, your five-man pressure or six-man pressure.  We have to get some heat on the quarterback. Just making the plays on the back end becomes crucial. How we do that will be important. I’m not going to unfold the game plan here. There’s a lot of things we can do to alleviate the problems. It’s a matter of making the plays. As a coaching staff, we have to put our players in position to make those plays. That’s my responsibility: to prepare our team to win and to also prepare to be in successful situations. I haven’t done that enough, and we need to do that moreso again heading to conference play.”

 

On the pre-snap routine offensively

“I’m really comfortable with how much time is left when we come over the ball.  He’s (Sam Keller) amazing.  We have a single system, and there’s a lot of debate going on about that. Aside from that, Sam is such an energetic guy that there are times where I’ll be on the sideline looking for the next play call and he’s right next to me.  He gets done with the play, and he’s like a jackrabbit. He’s right back on the sideline. He likes to come right over and get the play when we’re between the 20s.  He just feels more comfortable with it. There have been several times during the game where I’ll yell a personnel grouping where I’ll start with the formation and Sam will say, ?I got it’.  He’ll run right on the field and he’s got the play. I think he’s more comfortable just getting it as opposed to looking at the signal, looking down at the band and then giving it to the offense. I think his process is sped up that way. I’m comfortable with that.”

 

On the opportunity for the offense to read the defense before the snap

“I think we have been (able to).  Compared to the beginning of the year, when the play clock was running pretty fast, I think the officials have done an outstanding job of being consistent now after the ball is called dead and rewinding the 25-second clock. I think that’s been more consistent. I think they’re trying to get the 25-second clock in play anywhere between 12 and 15 seconds after the play, so that’s become more consistent, so it’s allowed us to operate more at the line of scrimmage. I think the other day, I was looking up at the 25-second clock prior to the snap, and we were getting it off with anywhere between eight and 11 seconds (remaining). We were breaking the huddle between 17 and 18, which is pretty consistent football for us.”

 

On continuing to emphasize the running game

“I’m into scoring points. I really don’t care how we’re scoring them, whether we’re running it, throwing it, doing both or one or the other. That’s how I see football. I just know that we have to score points. I want to get on the board, any way, shape or form I can.  Each time that unit goes on the field, they’re going on the field to score. I don’t sit there and tell them, ?guys, we have to run four runs and two passes’ or anything like that. I just feel really strong about that. Whatever it takes for us to score points, we’re going to do. A lot of that is based on who we’re playing, their defense, the matchups and things that we’ve prepared for, so to say running game or passing game, whatever it takes to score points, we’re on that mentally.”

 

On the staff’s plans with defensive back Prince Amukamara

“We’re utilizing him on special teams and also our sub packages in the defensive backfield.  We’re trying to utilize his athleticism on special teams, on coverage teams, on the punt return teams and things of that nature. We’re trying to get him more playing time, starting with special teams and then allowing him to grow and be nurtured in the sub packages. That’s his process right now."

 

On not losing focus on the task at hand

“This is the truth: we work so long, hard and furious, there’s not a lot of downtime to sit around and have a pity party if you’re not doing well. You have to go to work. You have a job to do. You have players to motivate, coaches and schedules to get out, game plans to complete, film to watch. There’s so much work to be done, there’s no time. I’ll read the paper every now and then, but I really try not to because I don’t have time to during the season, but I am kept informed during the season by a lot of people. If I wasn’t actively involved in the offense, watching film, doing game plans and being with the staff, then I would tell you that it could be different. But right now, that’s not the case because my day is consumed, from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed, if I go to bed.”

 

On keeping players focused on the task at hand

“It’s a life lesson, in a lot of ways, but what I tell them (the players) is that everyone else’s opinion is really no business of mine.  I try not to make it my business.”

 

On Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy's comments to a reporter following Saturday's game

“I haven’t followed it.  I heard, but I haven’t seen anything and I haven’t watched what occurred.  I have bits and pieces of it, but I’m not that informed on that situation, so I can’t answer that for you.”