Offensive Lineman Jeremiah Sirles

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Monday, Oct. 1, 2012
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Pre-Ohio State 

Jeremiah Sirles
Junior, Offensive Lineman
On what he expects the Ohio State atmosphere to be like
"It's going to be a heck of an atmosphere being another night game. If their crowd is anything like our crowd was on Saturday, then it's going to be rocking. I can't wait to go play there. I've heard it's a fun place to play. I've never been there, but I've seen pictures and watched game tape from there. It looks like an awesome environment to play in."

On how difficult it is for the offensive line to have such a big opposing crowd
"It's going to be loud, no doubt. I think we're going to practice with some crowd noise this week. We got some experience with it in UCLA and worked out some of the kinks we had there. I think that was a good learning experience for going on the road. We learned some things that need to be done so the operation moves smoothly with the noise."

On if there was a point the offensive line felt they were breaking Wisconsin
"I don't know if there was one point, but I think that as the game went on we could just feel our conditioning kick in. That's a huge test to (Strength Coach James) Dobson and the way we practice. We practice at a high tempo. Even though it might not be the most fun thing at times, or the most enjoyable, to be going that fast at practice, we can definitely feel it pay off in the game."

On if the line is in better shape to handle up-tempo play compared to last season
"I think we are, yes. We practice a little differently than we did last year. We prepared a little different this summer than we did last year. We've been doing the same thing for so many years so if we want something different then we've got to do something different. We expect to go out there and win a Big Ten championship, so we've had to change some of the things that we did. I think we did a good job adjusting to different ways we needed to practice in order to play well."

On the commitment to the run against Wisconsin
"Judging from the play calling, they put a lot of trust in the guys up front. I think we came out and wanted it on our shoulders. We wanted to put the game on our shoulders and know that this is how things are done around here. We like to run the ball, and we want to run the ball. If that's going to be the key to victory, then that's what we're going to do."

On changing the defense to handle Wisconsin lineback Chris Borland better
"We just changed some things scheme-wise, but nothing big. We knew he is a great player. Their linebackers are some of the best in the conference, maybe even in the country. Borland and Taylor are really good guys. I watched them on film all week. They're stud athletes, but we just had to find ways to run around them or hold them up a little bit with fakes or just run right at them. We never let them know what we were doing, but they are very smart and very athletic linebackers."

On what slowed NU down early vs. Wisconsin, and how to prevent it this week
"As far as slowing us down, I think turning the ball over is never going to be a good thing, even just putting the ball on the ground. Even if we don't lose it, that is still a lost play, a loss of down, a loss of yards. I think we really have to make sure that we all-around take care of the football, and that we don't come out so excited that we're not focused. I can't speak for the other guys, but I know I came out, and I was just super-excited after sitting in the hotel for what felt like forever. You finally get to go out there. You get dressed and the atmosphere is buzzing. Everything is going nuts. We have to find ways to be mature enough to handle the excitement but also stay extremely focused."

On if they feed off the defense making big stops
"Yes, we feed off the crowd. You see the defense go out there and stop Montee Ball and stop the offense and you know that they're playing their hardest. You just want to match them. This place is known for the Blackshirts. They came out there and handled business. We knew that we put them in some tough spots. Putting them inside the 40-yard line twice with turnovers, that's tough for any defense to stop against any offense. We knew they would get it handled and that they weren't going to let them score. You felt in the second quarter they really started to get a grip on things. We got a little bit of momentum going, and we knew they were going to do their job, now it's time for the offense to do theirs."

On if the day seems longer playing at night on Saturdays
"Yes. You sit in the hotel and you're just watching the clock and every minute feels like five. You try to stay focused on the game but, at the same time, you don't want to get your mind so psyched up that by the time game time rolls around you're mentally tired. You have to find ways, like I read a book and watched Harry Potter and did anything I could, to try and keep my mind focused. I watched some football but I wasn't trying to stay so locked in that when it was game time I felt like I was numb. I really made sure that I kept my mind focused on what I was doing so that I'd stay focused but wasn't just completely focused on the game."

On the difference it makes to win the first conference game instead of losing it
"Starting on the right foot is always going to be a good thing. It's never good to start on the wrong foot. Starting 1-0 is exactly what it is. The race is not a sprint, it's a marathon. We've got a long ways to go. We have a long, tough conference schedule ahead of us. Right now we have to focus on practice today, practice tomorrow, practice Wednesday, and then the game on Saturday. It's won one week at a time. If Ohio State's standing in the way, then that's where we need to go and take care of business."

On losing the first conference game last season
"I remember it didn't feel good. It didn't feel good to be 0-1 in conference, our first Big Ten game ever. I think the team responded well last year and that we need to find ways to handle prosperity well this year knowing that we did start well. We can't let ourselves get too high and think that we've arrived. We have to stay very mellow and very even-keeled and move on to the next game. We should approach every game like it's the first game. We just want to come out and play consistent every week."

On if they were to win this Saturday
"Every time you win a game, the next one becomes more and more important. Going 2-0 in conference then into a bye week would be a huge thing, but we just need to focus on going 1-0 this week."

On the Ohio State defense's ability to stop the run
"We have a good stable of backs but a lot of it comes from blocking up front with the front seven and the fullback. We know that with Rex (Burkhead), Ameer (Abdullah), Imani (Cross), and Braylon (Heard) back there, that if we open some holes they're talented and will find ways to make plays happen. It's going to do a lot with us giving them those creases to hit."

On the benefit of having Rex Burkhead and Ameer Abdullah in the backfield
"Being able to keep Rex and Ameer fresh and rotating them both through is amazing. They're both outstanding backs and if we can keep them both healthy and fresh and don't kill either one of them off by having them have to carry the ball. There's no reason to have either one of them carry the ball 35 or 40 times a game. If we can keep them both fresh throughout the year then by the end of the year, they'll both be healthy and fresh and be able to keep with that one-two punch."