Junior I-Back Rex Burkhead

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Pre-Fresno State
Monday, Sept. 5, 2011
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)

Running back Rex Burkhead
On what kind of improvements he wants to see in week two
"Execution, that's the biggest thing I would say. I think we did well, but at the same time we have a lot of room for improvement. Throughout the season I think we'll get more comfortable and confident, whether it's with the option game or whatever other plays we call. But execution will be a big focus this week in practice."

On if he ran much option in high school
"I did a little bit my freshman and sophomore year, not as much my junior and senior year."

On if the option is new to him
"No, I'm kind of used to it."

On if Athletic Director Tom Osborne talked to him about running the option
"Not to me or players personally. I don't know if he talked to the coaches about it. I'm sure he has some great words of wisdom about it since he ran it for a while when he was the coach."

On if they have practiced the Wildcat at all in practice
"None so far. I don't know if Coach (Tim) Beck wants to run that or put it in the game plan right now, but if it comes I'll be ready for it."

On what he thinks they need to work on in terms of running the option
"The pitch relationship needs to be worked on. The timing, and as we go along, just working with the path of Taylor (Martinez) and the pitch relationship. That timing issue is the biggest thing. If you're getting the pitch going downhill, if you're going sideways, just stuff like that."

On if he feels comfortable running on the edge
"Oh, absolutely. Anytime you get out in space, especially on the edge and have a chance to make a guy miss, it's always fun. Anytime you get down field and have that open space that's what you play the game for."

On how much of the playbook the offense showed in week one
"We didn't show that much. We kind of kept it simple. We haven't gone over the game plan yet for this week, so I'm not sure what Coach Beck's looking for. I'm sure he'll look at the film and if there are new plays or areas we need to improve on he'll address that."

On the number of formations the offense showed and whether confusing the defense is part of the game plan
"Absolutely, keep them off balance, not really knowing what direction we're going, or if it's pass or run. That's kind of his approach to it and to keep the defense off balance."

On what the biggest difference is in offensive style compared to last year
"A lot faster tempo. That's the biggest thing. Attacking and physical, but I would say tempo is the biggest thing."

On if Saturday's offensive tempo was their slow tempo
"Yeah, we have quite a few different tempos, but we'll mix it up quite a bit."

On how he likes getting the plays from the sideline and not the huddle
"You have to be in good shape to do it because the plays are coming in and out quickly. You have to have your head on right looking over at the sidelines and getting the calls, or listening to Taylor give the offensive line calls so you know if it's a pass protection. It keeps you quick thinking and ready to roll for every play."

On if he thought the offensive execution went smoothly for the first game
"Yeah, it did, but at the same time there were some rough parts in the game that we quickly noticed on film and even during the game that we can improve upon. Getting the signals in and out a little bit smoother, and everyone lining up correctly. There was a few times when I think somebody was on the other side, and we had to adjust them."

On how he thought the young offensive line did
"They did very well. Watching them on film they came off the ball quickly. They were communicating well with the other linemen with (Mike) Caputo starting the line calls. They were working to the linebackers very quickly and working with the lineman next to them to shut off blockers."

On if there is a competition going on with Martinez in terms of rushing yards
"Absolutely, after the first touchdown he was like I kind of stole that away from you. But yeah, it's fun to have a teammate that is such an electrifying player and can make long runs every time. You want to be able to step up to his level during the game, so back and forth we're kind of competing. It's just makes it fun."

On how hard he and Martinez worked on the option pitches this summer
"Quite a bit. It started in the spring. There's that comfortable feeling that you have to have together. He has to know where I'm going to be at any point on the field. If he gets like 20 yards down field he has to know where I am on a pitch, or have the confidence that I'm going to be there. You have to work on it a lot because there are so many different looks you get throughtout the game and you never know what could happen."