McNeese State Postgame Player Quotes

Nebraska vs. McNeese State
Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)

Senior Defensive Back Aaron Sam
On his interception return for a touchdown
"I just want to thank God for that.  To see another day and be out there and make the play.  We were in man. He ran a rail, and I just shuffled to him and seen the ball and grabbed it and took off the other way."

On silencing Nebraska's crowd after his interception return for a touchdown
"It felt good.  Real good.  I just wish we would have finished them."

On their belief they could win after his interception
"I felt like everybody had faith, everyone was believing before the game that we were going to beat them. We worked hard all fall camp. We just had to make plays. They ended up making the last play of the game on their last offensive drive. That was just bad timing. We just need to come together for next week."

On Ameer Abdullah's touchdown run at the end of the game
"He was fast. I was bundling down at the point of contact and I hit him at his legs. He's a real good player, which is why he is a top running back coming back this year. I don't know if we held him under 100 yards but that was the key to stop him. Because he had consecutive big games, and we were just out there trying to make plays and get the W."

 

Freshman Defensive Back Dominique Hill
On him playing in the fourth quarter of his first collegiate game
"My first college game on this big of a stage, I was just trying to make a play, be in my zones and be where I need to be, to get a win."

On his strip sack in the fourth quarter
"I stripped it. I felt like I should have grabbed it and ran it in, but I knocked it out and capitalized on the play."

On the defense's better performance in the second half
"I felt like we played great both halves, but in the second half we got off on third-downs. We were zoned in. We were in our zones."

Junior Quarterback Tyler Bolfing
On the effectiveness of McNeese State's two-quarterback system
"I thought it went great. I thought Daniel (Sams) played a great football game. We knew coming in that both of us would play, and we knew that the coaches would make the decision that they thought was best so our team would win this football game. Me and Daniel, we stayed in tune and continued to watch some plays and watch the defense. We knew that we were going to be alternating drives, and we both knew that when we got in the game we had to take the opportunity to make the plays we needed to make to win this football game."

On MSU's 88-yard drive for the game-tying field goal
"It all started on the sideline, which goes back to even before the game. We came in knowing that we were going to win the game. We really did. We went onto that field on that last drive and we were saying the same thing - we will win this game. I just thought we did a great job of executing and making plays. Zach Hetrick made a big-time catch down the sideline, and he did a good job and had that play tipped (No. 25, Nate Gerry) he made a great play. I should have done a much better job of getting that ball over him, but it was a good drive and obviously we always want to get six points. We ended up knocking down the field goal."

On MSU's missed opportunity to score six points on the drive that resulted in the field goal
"It was an opportunity to score seven points, which we missed out on. I didn't feel like it was an opportunity that we missed out on to lose the game. Coming off after that field goal, I still felt that we had every chance to win that football game. I was just waiting on the sideline to go back out on the field. Whether it was Daniel's name that was called or my name that was called, we were both ready to go out there and win that ball game for this team."

Junior Quarterback Daniel Sams
On him waving his hands before the snap
"It's just something about being on a stage full of people that's against you, and you are out there with the same guys that you grind with day in and day out, we just want to prove somebody wrong. That just excites me to know that everyone is against us, and we have got to prove what we can do. We were doing jumping jacks getting everyone excited to feed off of. I'm the same way in the huddle."

On what to take from this loss
"There's no doubt in my mind that this team is going to bounce back. This team, the way these guys fight, this was my first time going to war with them and just to see the way that they play. They play their heart out.  We are always upbeat no matter what happened the last play or the last series."

On what Nebraska players said to him after the game
"I had some guys come up and say, 'go win a championship, go win a division.'  Just small stuff like that, words of encouragement."