Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010
Pre-South Dakota State

Bo Pelini
Nebraska Head Coach
On how maintaining momentum after beating Washington, heading into Saturday's game with South Dakota State
"We really don't talk much about who we're playing. We take the philosophy that we have to get ourselves better as a football team every day. You have to challenge them in practice. You have to challenge them with game plans, with really execution and getting better every day. I've always felt that we've had some pretty good success in helping our football team along in dealing with situations like that. Like I said, we talk every day about getting better and earning it, and I think our guys understand that. I saw it in practice yesterday. We had great tempo yesterday."

On if he is worried about the players looking past Saturday's game
"Well you always do. Human nature is part of it, but we ask our guys to overcome human nature and push them along. It's always going to be a factor, but as a coaching staff and a coach you have to work and do something to help them overcome that, constantly talk to them about it, challenge them, and do different things to enable your team to move forward, so you don't make a dip in the road."

On how much of a boost it would be to head into Big 12 play undefeated
"Well, it hasn't happened in the last two years, so it obviously will be a good thing. It means that we're on track, but we talk about taking each week individually and this is the next one. If we take care of business then we will be undefeated going into the next step, if we do what we're setting out to do."

On if he is surprised at NU's offensive success
"No, I don't buy into all the stats and I don't focus on that. I think we have gotten better. I knew we would be better. I think we're better up front, which I believe it always starts there. I'm not surprised. I don't know about all those numbers. I do know that even though we have put up some good stats, where we are right now, we can still get a lot better. We're not even close to where we need to be yet in a lot of different stages, but I have seen a lot of positive signs."

On if there is anything they do to limit the hits quarterback Taylor Martinez takes during the week
"He doesn't get pounded in practice a whole heck of a lot, but that's why you have three guys, and three guys you have confidence in. To be honest with you, it's not something that keeps me awake at night. It's part of the deal. If you are going to run the quarterback some he is going to take some hits. I know he's tough, and that's why you have to have more than one guy. We're very fortunate we have three guys that we feel can execute our offense and lead our football team. It's just part of the deal."

On if there was more emphasis to get Rex Burkhead and Roy Helu Jr. more touches after the first quarter at Washington
"That was what was there. A lot of the things we're going to take is what's given to us. You have to make adjustments along the way. You see how a team is playing you and you make your adjustments, and you try to take advantage of what the defense is doing. I think that's what happened there."

On if Martinez's decision-making on the zone-read is more instinctive or more because of repetition
"I think it's both. I will say, and I think Taylor would be the first one to tell you, that his decision-making can improve. There's a few times when he should have given it, or visa-versa. That's something that the more you do it, the more repetition you have at it, the better decision-making it's going to be. I think he has done a pretty good job with it for the most part, but there is still a ways to go on that as far as not leaving some plays out there where we could make yards, and we don't' make the correct decision or right read. That's just something you get better at as you grow with it."

On if Martinez seems like he has a knack for running the zone-read
"I think he does a good job with it. I think the schemes help. We're never locking into one certain thing. We're giving him a lot of different looks and a lot of different types of reads. It's not just one thing all the time. It's evolving and it's going to continue to get better the more we move forward with it."

On what offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles brings to the table
"I think he has played pretty good football for a young guy. He plays over there, for the most part, at that left tackle position. We all know that's not the easy position to play. He's coming along. He's not the finished product. He has to eliminate those false starts that were creeping into the game last week, but he's a talented young man. He does a lot of good things, but he can still get better. I'd say the same thing about Yoshi (Jermarcus Hardrick). He's very talented and there are a lot of good things that he brings to the table, but consistency is the key, and that's really the key across the board."

On if the still plan on giving Cody Green a series in the first half
"Yeah, our plans haven't changed."

On how much you try to protect your front line guys from getting hurt in a game like this
"We just go out there to get better as a football team. If you start worrying about that, I think that's when injuries happen. You have to go play football, and we need to take a step and get better as a football team this week. That's really our only concern. You have to have respect for the game. You have to have respect for who you are playing. We have to play hard and we need to get better. That's period, end of story. We're going to treat this like we would any other game. If we don't, that's when you have problems. I think our guys understand that."

On if things go the way they are projected to go, is this a good time for player development
"If the situation presents itself, then yeah. I hope it's like that every week the rest of the way. That would be nice wouldn't it?"

On if the way the BCS is set up forces you to win convincingly, but not run up the score
"Well, you just try and play the best football that you can. The last thing on my mind is how the BCS is set up or any of that. That's for other people. We have to do what's best for our football team. I know what's best for our football a team is to get better and to play lights out. Once again, we're not even close to having arrived as a football team. We have a lot of improving that needs to be made across the board."

On if there was any thought given to try to get out of this game
"No, to me, once you lock into a contract, unless they come to you and ask to get out of it. I'm not opposed to it, to playing teams like this. It's just if I was given the opportunity I'd probably pick the higher division team. I obviously wasn't here when this contract was signed, but I believe we owe it to the fans, and really to your football team, to challenge them every week. I don't want to say that in the wrong way and say that this isn't a challenge, every week is a challenge. It is just my philosophy and what I've been around."

On South Dakota State as a football team
"I think they are a well-coached football team. They play hard. They are a pretty physical football team. I think there are some things that they do well that we're going to have to work hard at taking away. They are fairly multiple on both sides of the football. I think it's a good opponent to be playing at this point. It's not like they are going to line up in one thing. They are going to stretch you as far as what you have to know and how you have to prepare. That enables your football team, not only on Saturday, but also during the week to keep moving forward, and keep moving, and keep developing."

On if he has pointed out to the players that several FCS schools have defeated FBS schools this season
"There's no doubt. I-AA football is pretty good. They come and play a I-A opponent, those kids are out to prove that they belong in a I-A program. You have to have respect for the game. I watch it every day at practice. You see guys that aren't on the first and second team that are running scout team that make plays day after day against your starters. They challenge them every single day. You have to be ready to play. You have to have respect for the game of football to be at your best every single time you walk out there, or it will creep up and bite you. We've all seen it. There's only one way you have to approach it. No matter who you are playing, each and every week you have to go out there and play your best. That's the challenge that's ahead of us."

On if he grew up watching I-AA football in Youngstown, Ohio
"I was a fan of college football. Obviously, Youngstown State was a good football team, especially after I went to college and Coach (Jim) Tressel was there. You look across the board, every year we watch the playoffs on TV and those are some good football teams. I think back when I was at LSU and we played Appalachian State, and I want to say at halftime it was 14-0 or something like that. They were a good football team. We've been around it. We have all been in situations where you have to be ready to play."

On if he is happy with the defensive line play
"Yeah, I thought they played well last week. I think they are getting better. The front line guys are playing a pretty high level. The back-ups are coming along and developing because we're going to need that depth when we get into Big 12 play. I'm real happy with the way the defensive line is playing right now."

On what has impressed him the most about the secondary play this year
"I thought coming in the secondary would be strength for our football team. I think they are good. We are fairly deep there. We ask them to do a lot of different things. They challenge receivers. They are getting better, but once again I think we can still get a lot better."

On if the offense's ability to make a big play takes pressure off the rest of the team
"Yeah, I think that helps. I said going into the year that I had a lot of confidence in the offense. I don't want to get into everything that went on last year. I made my mistakes and a lot of other things, but we were kind of in a situation where we were beat up pretty good. More than I think a lot of people thought. We weren't able to really move forward with the offense and the schemes the way we would have liked to. We found a formula that worked for us, so we were excited about coming into this year and the potential of what the offense could be, and I think we're seeing just a scratch of the surface of what this offense can become. I think we have a lot of weapons. I think we're good up front. Obviouly, it takes  a lot of pressure off you. No one likes to play the way we did last year, but that's the situation we were put in and we felt like at that point in time that was the best way to win games."

On if it wears on players when they have to execute perfectly to score
"We became a pretty conservative offense because of a lot of different reasons. It wasn't the ideal situation. I think when you saw us go into that bowl game, when we had all of our guns firing, what the potential of that offense was, but that wasn't us for a lot of the year. We had guys playing really hobbled and on one leg. Like I said, we chose to redshirt some guys that probably could have helped us down the road in the season, but that's the way it was. The way some of those games played out, where we were playing really well defensively and kind of got a lead early, I look at the Oklahoma game and even Texas to a certain extent, where we were playing good. We were in that situation where we stayed with that formula where we weren't going to open it up if we needed to, but this is a totally different time and a different offense and different circumstances now, but it sure does help you."

On if there is a different mindset when calling defensive plays when the offense is rolling
"Not really, because to be honest with you, if those circumstances in those games weren't what they were, we would have changed the way we were playing offensively to. I don't call it much different. What's been a little bit different is we have been scoring so quick we have been on the field a lot more to be honest with you. I wanted to tell Coach (Shawn) Watson to tell the offense to use a little bit more clock. I loved that drive at the end of the first half the other day, but it goes hand in hand. You have to be ready to play off each other. I do know this, we're pretty explosive on offense and it does help you defensively. It helps the mindset, but you can't change what your mindset is defensively. You can't let the fact the offense is playing well and they are putting points on the board change your mindset because that's how you lose an edge."

On if Martinez is far beyond where he thought he would be three games into his career
"We put him in there because that's what we thought he could be. He's an explosive athlete. He's putting up some good numbers, really great numbers. As are a lot of the other guys on offense, but I think the exciting thing about it is he has a long way to go. I think he would be the first one to tell you, which is pretty exciting to know that he has a lot out ahead of him as far as how to not just manage a team, but his decision-making and his reads, all those things. There are just so many areas he can get better at and as he does and he keeps progressing, along with the rest of the guys on the offensive side, we can continue to move forward and be even more explosive."

On the confidence gained from having success despite being hurt on offense last season
"We never have lacked confidence. I don't think anybody has ever lacked confidence, but I do know that they are excited about what's going on. They were excited going in. I think people are getting to see that the football team we had playing in the Holiday Bowl is a pretty good football team. I think coming out of that game it was pretty obvious our offense knew what they were capable of going in. They continued on through the spring and through the fall, and now we just can't become complacent and think we have arrived, because we haven't. We have a long way to go yet, and a lot more improvement that needs to be made. It's pretty obvious that that's the case when you watch the film, and you look at it with the right attitude saying there are so many things I can get better at, and we need to as we move forward into Big 12 play."

On what has enabled the defense to evolve from a zone coverage to man-to-man
"I don't think we've changed a whole lot. Our zones aren't conventional zones, but I wouldn't call us a man-team either. It's a little bit of a combination. I think that's what makes us effective because we do a lot of different things, and we're able to alter it each week. I think that's what makes us effective. I wouldn't call us a conventional man-team or just a zone-team. I think you have to be able to mix it up and be pretty multiple in what you do."

On if they are playing more man coverage now then when he got here
"No, we played man when we got here. We did a little bit of everything, we just weren't as good at it because we didn't understand it. I think the more understanding you have the better we have got."

On how much of being better in man coverage is the athletes
"I'm not going to say that we didn't have athletes when we got here. We made a lot more mistakes and believe me, those mistakes still creep up and get us. We made a couple the other day, one really bone-headed one that hurt us. Those are a lot fewer and far between. We were our own worst enemy that first year and really at times early last year.  That's less and less. I just think we have gotten better."

On what he has seen from defensive tackle Baker Steinkuhler this year
"He's doing well. He's getting better. He has a lot of things he can improve upon, but he has done some good things."

On Coach Shawn Watson's ability to evolve as a offensive coach
"I've said it before and I'll say it again, I think Coach Watson is a heck of a football coach. What a good football coach does is he looks and sees what his talent is. You don't just play one scheme. You evolve as a football coach. You evolve according to your talent. There are so many things that play into it. He's done a good job with that."

On center Mike Caputo
"Caputo is a good football player and he's doing a lot of good things. He's done a good job up to this point."

On if the play of Caputo has surprised him at all because of his size
"I've made this statement before, the two best centers I played against in the SEC were about 260, 265 pounds maybe, but they were good football players. It's not the size, it's what you bring to the table."

On how important former Husker Jacob Hickman was to developing Caputo
"Hickman was a good football player. He was smart. He understood the game. It  helps you to grow up and to learn from somebody who is doing it the right way. You learn a lot of different things. I think that's the case in his situation."