Rex Burkhead

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

Rex Burkhead, Sr., I-Back
On his favorite NFL team
"Dallas Cowboys, Will (Compton) and I get a lot of hassle for being Cowboys fans, but we're hoping this year will be a good year."

On his thoughts on the coaches wanting to lighten his playing load and keeping his body fresh
"As a competitor you want the ball in your hands as much as possible, but at the same time you've got to understand what's best for you and what's best for the team. We have a bunch of backs that are capable of doing big things. Ameer (Abdullah) is a great back. He's capable of doing multiple things in our offense on the field, as well as Braylon (Heard) and Imani (Cross) stepping in. They're great talents and we need to get them out on the field as much as possible so they can make plays for us, too.

On his thoughts of having more backups to take pressure off of him
"I feel like Ameer, Braylon, and Imani are all capable of doing great things. They've had a great offseason, and you can tell from their first year now to their second that they're a lot more confident in what we're doing as an offense and also their abilities out on the field."

On what the team can learn by playing a good Southern Miss team in the opener
"A lot of things. It tells us where we are in our progress. They're a great team with a new coaching staff, so there's going to be a lot of things thrown at us so we have to prepare for whatever. Just not knowing what defensive fronts they're throwing at us, so we prepare for the worst and multiple defenses."

On the speed of Southern Miss defense
"They have a lot of speed on the defensive line and in the defensive back position. They're all over. They run to the ball and make plays. It's going to be a good game."

On preparing for a team they know very little about
"Through the past weeks going against multiple defensive looks. Not seeing the same defense over and over. That's probably the biggest thing is seeing different defensive fronts and just expecting anything. Running plays not only against one defensive front but four or five instead."

On his thoughts about individual awards and his chances of receiving one
"I really don't care much about that stuff. All I really want is a Big Ten title game. All the individual accolades will take care of themselves throughout the year. Those nominations and all that is more for the fans and media to decide, but my main mission is to win the Big Ten title game this year."

On his thoughts of what Heisman winners and other award winners possess that he doesn't
"Honestly, not really, I don't try to get caught up in it. If there is a running back then I love watching them on film such as Montee Ball last year he had a great year. I watched probably every single game he had to try and take away and add something to my game that I don't have that he does. That's more of what I look at."

On his thoughts about the offensive line
"They're doing a great job. They've made big strides throughout this past offseason. I think the biggest thing is that they have tremendous toughness and leadership with Spencer Long and Jeremiah Sirles stepping it up. Their consistency day in and day out has been tremendous, and I'm going to love running behind those guys this year."

On what Justin Jackson has brought to the line
"He's brought lots of energy and intensity. He's a fierce competitor and he brings it every single day. He's a consistent player. You know what you're going to get from him and that's 100 percent on every play. He's been a great leader for that offensive line, the team, and the offense in general."

On how many carries he'll get this week and how many he wants
"I don't know anything. It just depends on how the game goes and whatever the coaches want to do that's up to them. I don't care, it's whatever."

On Nebraska being under the radar and if that's better or worse than having the attention
"It doesn't really matter. That's more for the media to deal with, but at the same time, I feel like we're a focused group and that we're ready to get going. We're ready to start game planning and practicing every single day against each other. I think we're a focused squad and that we're ready to do big things."

On how he tempers his excitement this week and stay focused
"Just not getting too high or too low and try to stay even keeled. Recognizing every single day you have to have that focus and attention like it's a game day. You can't slack off on any reps because you never know, especially this week, what's going to be thrown our way. We really have to be focused in on what's going on at practice and in the film room."

On his impression of Imani Cross and his advice for game day
"Imani is a great kid, a big kid. He's one of the most freakish freshmen I've ever seen come in. My advice to him is just to enjoy it. I remember my first game coming out it seems like yesterday because it's gone so fast, but just enjoy his experience. I think time flies and just make the most of the experience. He's a hungry kid and he's eager to learn, and he's going to be a great back over the next couple of years."

On Imani Cross' ball security and fumbling as a freshman
"It was shaky the first couple of days, but I was the same way when I came in. You're just not used to it when you come in as a freshman. In practice guys want to get the ball like back in high school, but he made some changes and done really well the past couple of weeks."

On any aspect of Imani Cross' game that sets him apart
"A big thing is that he's picked up on the pass protection very quickly. I think the biggest thing for him though is that he's hungry and he's eager to learn. You see him in the film room at night when no one's there. He's taking to-go boxes from dinner to go up and watch film and make improvements in his game. As long as he continues to do that and continues to work hard, he's going to do just fine."

On the pace of the offense compared to last year
"It's similar. We've made some changes, I can't get into detail, but you'll see on Saturday."

On Kenny Bell's improvements in the offseason
"He's done a great job. He's been a great leader for the wide receivers. He's picked up his game overall as a blocker, as a route runner, and just overall. I think the biggest thing we've taken from him as his teammates is his leadership and being vocal and stepping up and holding each other accountable."

On his thoughts on former Husker wrestler Jordan Burroughs winning Olympic gold
"I don't know him real well, but I've talked to him a couple times on campus and it's an unbelievable feat for him. Congratulations to him. That's something you dream of as a little boy is to win an Olympic medal. For him to go out and do it in the style that he did is unbelievable, and I'm happy for him to represent the University of Nebraska the way he did."