Bo Pelini

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Pre-Southern Miss
Monday, Aug. 27, 2012

Head Coach Bo Pelini
On if there are one or two things he knows about his team starting the season
"Yeah, I expect them to play hard, I expect them to execute and there's a lot of unknowns, especially when you're playing against a team that has a new staff, new coordinators, that sort of thing. You just have to execute what you're trying to do. You're going to see some things that we haven't seen before and we have to be ready to make adjustments on the fly and that's part of the deal. We are looking forward to seeing how our football team comes out of the gate. I know they are going to play hard. I'm looking for them to be physical and apply their roles and execute and get it done in every phase of the game."

On how he scouts Southern Mississippi's offense
"We've been looking at a lot of different film and there's some guess work involved. Obviously you look at their personnel that they played last year. There's a lot of guess work, so that's a little bit of a concern."

On if he watched high school film
"We watched everything from high school film to a few different college films. We watched a variety of different things to try and piece it together and get ready for a multitude of things we could see."

On how he prepares for three quarterbacks who have not played a Division I snap
"You prepare for what you think they are going to do offensively. Whoever they put back there, they put back there."

On what he can learn from his team in this type of game as opposed to one against an FBS team
"It's a good football team. There's a lot of talent on that side of the ball. They are well-coached. I have a lot of respect for their coaching staff. These guys have coached a lot of football and had a lot of success. It's going to be a nice challenge for us right out of the gate. They're a good football team. Obviously you don't win the amount of football games that they did a year ago and not have talent. Their program is kind of on the upswing."

On if it will be tough trying to get I-back Rex Burkhead off the field this week
"Yeah, Rex wants to play every snap. It's up to us to manage that. At the same time, we need to get the ball in his hands and get some carries. We have a lot of talent at the running back position. It will be in Rex's long-term interest to offset that load some. We can't wear them out, but at the same time make sure we utilize them the best we can."

On if he overworked them last year because of circumstances
"No. I think maybe a couple of games we did. Overall, we were very young at that position. It was a much different dynamic there a year ago than it is right now. Circumstances change and they have for the better. We're deeper and better than we were at the position a year ago. I feel really good about our running back position. I think that will play into Rex's benefit."

On where Imani Cross fits in
"Imani Cross is a good back. He's big, he's powerful, and he's probably even more athletic than I thought when we first recruited him. We knew he was a big back that could play tailback and fullback, but he showed he can do a variety of different things. He's a man. He runs hard, he's big, he's physical, and he's mature training-wise for a guy that age. He adds another dimension to our football team that maybe we haven't had in the past couple years."

On if Cross will play on Saturday
"We'll see how it works out."

On how many centers he would be willing to play
"It depends on what they circumstances call for, but we have confidence in all three of our centers. I guess it all depends on how the game goes and how the execution happens and who we start with. Like a lot of positions, it's kind of a flowing depth chart as far as getting a lot of guys reps and getting guys ready and having options. Not just with guys starting the game but with guys who will be in at any time. At this point in the year, depth charts don't mean a whole lot. First things first, you want to win the football game. You want to get guys snaps and evaluate and see how guys handle game conditions. It's one thing executing in practice, but it's another thing how you're going to execute in front of 85,000. You've got to keep your options open."

On if he has a starter at center yet
"If we were lining up today it would probably be Justin Jackson, but we'll see how the week goes."

On how Kenny Bell has improved during the offseason
"Kenny Bell has had a great offseason. He's become a leader on our football team. He's come a long way. He's a talented young man that can do a lot of things with the ball in his hands. He can get deep, he can catch the ball, he's a good route runner, and he's improved as a blocker. I think he's going to have a heck of a year for us."

On how the offensive line looked this month
"I like our offensive line. I think they have performed well. Defensively we've thrown a lot of looks at them. I think they've executed well. Even though we've gotten nicked up at a couple positions during fall camp, I think we started to build depth. We have some guys that can play both sides, guys that can play inside or outside. I think it's a pretty solid group right now."

On his thoughts on the offensive line last year
"We ran the ball well. I thought the offensive line performed pretty well last year. We had a couple injuries and we got thin at times, but overall they performed pretty well. I was pretty happy with the way the offensive line progressed a year ago."

On how he's preparing the players for a game-like atmosphere with the lack of a spring game
"Most of our guys have been involved in a game. They've been under the lights before. As for the new freshmen, they weren't going to be here for the spring game anyway. Obviously we were disappointed we missed the spring game for the fan's sake. As far as us being ready for the opener, that doesn't play any part in it."

On how prepared he feels this year as opposed to his previous four years
"I thought we had a good fall camp. We'll find out on Saturday, though. That's why you play the game. We'll find out where we are and kind of set a benchmark going forward. I approach it every day as getting our football team ready and executing at a high level. We play the games to see where we are and to see how guys react under game pressure and how they are able to execute our offense, our defense and who's going to step up on special teams. That first game gives you an early glimpse. It doesn't tell you where you'll be as a football team, but it at least gives you a starting point."

On if the challenging first two-game stretch takes away from the opportunity to experiment
"No. First things first, you go out there to win the football game. You do what you have to do. There are some positions where guys are close. If guys are close, then you play multiple guys. We've done that throughout camp. We've mixed and matched. We've had a lot of guys for example on the offensive line that have played with the ones. Same on the defense and receiving corps. You go through your rotation because in the end that pressure makes you a better football team, not only going forward but hopefully on the game on Saturday."

On who his No. 2 quarterback is behind Taylor Martinez
"We have a couple options there. Obviously we feel pretty good about the backup quarterback position. This week at practice goes a long ways in if something happens to Taylor. That's why we practice. Fall camp is technically over, but the evaluation continues and we'll see how the guys in that backup group handle the game plan and the adjustments and how they practice during the week."

On if there is part of him that wants to redshirt Tommy Armstrong
"That all depends. If we need Tommy Armstrong to win the championship, that's what we'll do. I'm not worried about next year. I'm worried about this year."

On what the competition at wide receiver looks like compared to last year
"I think we have depth. We have a lot of guys that can go in there and play. I think Jamal Turner, for instance, is a lot more ready to play than he was a year ago. He has a year under his belt of playing the position, which he didn't have a year ago. Taariq Allen has had a good fall camp. I think he's ready to help our football team. You go down the list of wide receivers and we're deeper than we were a year ago. We're a lot more experienced than we were a year ago. That helps you."

On how Jamal Turner has progressed in the offseason
"He's had a very good offseason. The last week and a half has been about the best he's practiced since he's been here. The lights started to come on, his confidence has grown, he's gotten a lot of reps and he's a threat with the ball in his hands. He's a good football player and I think he's developed. His knowledge and playing of the position is night and day from a year ago. He was a high school quarterback. I think some people forget that. He had a lot to learn. A lot of things were brand new to him. The more time he plays a position, the better he's going to be, because he's a talented young man."

On the new helmet rule
"I'm not a big fan of the rule. I understand the safety factor involved in it. To me, that part of it is common sense. You penalize players for the helmet coming off and they have to sit out a play. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. It's part of the game. It happens. Those are the rules and you play under them. There's nothing you can do about it."

On if he emphasizes to the players to strap their helmets on tight
"Yeah, we always do. We want them to have everything strapped up and buckled up, but it's happened a few times in fall camp. Helmets have come off. You just hope it doesn't come off at the point in the game where it could really impact a football game. We'll see how it plays out. The rules are the rules. That's what they set out and that's what we have to live by."

On how assistant coach Rich Fisher has improved in relating to the players
"I think Fish has always been a good communicator. Just like everyone else on the offense, Tim (Beck's) system was new last year. The tempo, the signals, all the things involved, not just as a player but as a coach. When you're installing a new system, first things first, you've got to learn what to do. Slowly but surely, you develop a better understanding of all the variables that come into play and the fine details in terms of executing the offense. It's one thing to understand everything by the X's and O's aspect of it, but we all know that in football, things change rapidly. Experience helps not only as a player understanding it, but also as a coach. That's always the case and it will always be that way."

On if minimizing penalties remains a point of emphasis this season
"Absolutely. You can't be efficient if you're having a problem with penalties, and second of all if you are putting the ball on the ground. Minimizing penalties and winning the turnover battle is big. I thought we made strides at times in both those areas last year, but to me that has to be a constant point of emphasis. For myself and for this football team, you have to keep getting better. Every game, every year is new. That goes a long way into what kind of season you're going to have."

On if Nebraska is at a time where it needs to re-establish itself in the college football hierarchy
"I think if you're in a program like this, you have to win a conference championship and a national championship. That's the benchmark. That's what you're trying to do. Winning takes care of itself. As far as a brand, you walk into high schools and people recognize the brand. Are we where we want to be yet? Absolutely not, but there's a lot of great things in where we're heading. I'm not going to be happy and we're not going to be happy until we're there. As far as how that's perceived, I can't control that. All I can control is trying to win football games and trying to make this the best football program it can be. That's what I work day and night to try and do."

On where he wants to see improvement this week
"Execution. There's a lot of things that we're going to prepare our football team for, because there are a lot of unknowns in this game. The challenge physically and mentally is obvious. We've got to have a great week of preparation."

On quarterback Taylor Martinez' confidence
"Taylor is very confident. I think he's excited for the year, I think he's taking an attitude. He has something to prove, and I think he's had a great offseason and an excellent fall camp. I think there's a lot of areas he can continue to improve on and he'd be the first one to tell you that, but I think he's anxious to get out there and play some football."

On how much better he thinks this year's offense will be
"I'm excited about our offense. I think it's going to be a formidable group."

On how far the offense is in the learning curve of its second year
"They're way ahead of where they've been. It's not even close. And this is in every area we're asking them to do. Now comes the task. How's it going to look on Saturday? Up to this point, I like where we are. Now it's time to put it to the test. I think Saturday provides us with that first look at a benchmark that we'll start from and you work from there."

On his thoughts on former Husker wrestler Jordan Burroughs winning Olympic gold
"I've gotten to know him a little through the years, and I'm good friends with Coach (Mark) Manning. He's a great example of someone who has busted his butt. He got what he deserved. He wasn't given anything. He worked his tail off and I'm proud of him. I think everyone associated with the University of Nebraska is proud of him for what he's accomplished. He's a phenomenal athlete and just a fierce competitor and he's a guy that I've used with our football team on how you prepare. If you live the right way and you train the right way and you dedicate yourself, great things can happen for you. I think he's a great example of that. I look forward to congratulating him in person."

On if there is a season opener that stands out
"You remember them all. In this profession, you remember every game. I'm excited about this football team and I'm excited about the character of this team and the potential it has. That's what it is right now; it's potential. There's a lot of hard work that needs to go into this week and going forward each and every day. That's what we stress to our team. Work today. Control what you can control today. And try to become the best football player and the best football team you can every single day. You can't take days off. It has to be an everyday, all the time thing. I think this group is mature enough and we've had this approach."