Nebraska Coach Mike Riley

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium
Monday, Sept. 14, 2015
Pre-Miami

Head Coach Mike Riley (9-14-2015)
Opening statement
“Thank you for coming. You know, we were obviously very excited about winning the game. There was some things that we did better. We wanted to run the ball better and we certainly did that. We were better overall with assignments. You know, as we go through and grade the film, one of the things that can be a positive, or a glaring weakness, is just a matter of good assignment football and we were much better this week. We cut down the penalties. We obviously were disappointed with some of the penalties that occurred, but we got better at it. That is an on-going, week-to-week battle always. I thought the highlights for the game were the balance offensively. That’s the kind of thing that we would like to shoot for. And then the other part of it, we want to be a good run defensive team. I think that that has been a common denominator for winning games for a long time, being good in that area. We want to continue to improve there. We did a nice job the other night. Defensively, we had four missed tackles that we graded out in the game. Again, we want to be perfect, but that’s pretty good. I think three of them were on one play.

I thought Tommy had a very efficient night. I love how Tommy Armstrong plays the game. He’s a competitor. I also thought he was efficient in what he did. I thought Ryker (Fyfe) came in and did a nice job, kind of got fooled on his interception. We didn’t give up any sacks. We had 16 plays that we deem as explosive plays, running and passing. I thought our receiver distribution was good. You know we had a lot of guys catch balls. It was great to have Michael Rose-Ivey back. I thought he came in and played, looked like he was waiting for that time. He played with a lot of enthusiasm and made plays. It was good to have Jonathan Rose back. That will only strengthen us as we go forward. I thought a couple of guys… I thought the offensive line played well. I thought our tackles, Alex Lewis and Nick Gates played particularly well. Andy Janovich, you know when you talk about the running game everybody assumes (the) offensive line doing a nice job, but the tight ends and the fullback; Andy did a nice job, Sam Cotton did a nice job blocking. Freedom (Akinmoladun) went in there and played well, graded out as one of our best players. Nate Gerry makes a big play early in the game. I thought it was a great thing just to happen early to give us momentum. I think it’s good to note that Tyson Broekemeier went in and did a nice job punting. You know he hasn’t historically been a punter, so what he’s done for this team is good and we appreciate that. Chris Jones was probably our top special teams player for the week. He made plays and percentage of assignments was high. Our third-down efficiency was good offensively. The numbers were good. The bad part is we’re still not good on third and short. We’ve got to get better there. That should be our highest percentage and it might be our lowest. And our red zone efficiency was good. Defensively a lot of good playing football. (Joshua) Kalu played real well. Like I said, Nate Gerry played well, but we gave up too many big plays. Some of them were good plays by them (South Alabama); good timing, good location of the football. They have a couple of good receivers making plays, but that was probably… obviously that will be a focus going forward.

Injuries - We think Sam Foltz will be back. Dedrick Young should be back practicing today. Josh Banderas is not practicing, but we’re hopeful… shooting for midweek there that he could play. Trey Foster, he played in the game, played without much of a week of practice, but we anticipate him back in practice right away. Vincent Valentine will be back, maybe not today, but he should be back. Boaz Joseph should be back, but not today. And then Jack Gangwish will be out still and so will De’Mornay (Pierson-El) for a bit. So that’s my leadoff.

I understand the great history of this (Miami) game and some of the historical ramifications of the game against Miami being played for national championships. That’s pretty good stuff, and it’s led to a nice, current day rivalry. I know our players… I did not realize how they felt except through time, hearing them talk. I think… unfortunately it won’t happen, but I think the first thing De’Mornay said to me when he got hurt is, 'I really want to play in that Miami game.' So I’ve been getting a feel for what this means to this team and program. They look like a good football team, obviously with the speed they have. The running backs are featured players. The quarterback had a big day passing last year against Nebraska. We kind of know what we’re heading into there. They play a 3-4 defense. A lot of free safety defense. Man-to-man defense. Zone-blitz defense. And just plain old cover three that they do well with a lot of different stunts and blitzes. They come out of the 3-4 or they get into the four-man front and provide some of that same stuff coverage-wise. They obviously have a good returner and a lot of speed on those special teams still, so it’s going to be a very, very competitive game. It’s going to be a good team. We’re going to have to have a good week of practice. All right, that’s it.”

On if he remembers any of those old Nebraska-Miami games
“Well yes I do. I certainly remember watching. I don’t remember the specifics. I think the other night, after our game, there was a replay of one of those games, late. You know by the time I got back (home) and had the TV on it must’ve been 12:30 (in the morning) so I saw Coach Osborne and Dennis Erickson. I watched a little bit of that.”

On what he hopes to find out about his team going on the road the first time this season
“It’s a great thing for this team right now to have to start talking about. Everybody that plays college football, plays football at all, understands you have away games. I think that if you want to be a great team you have to win on the road. So really what you have to do is be able to approach it, preparation-wise, as if it’s the same. I mean it has to be a great week of practice, you can’t be focusing on the trip. You do have to make note of the environment. We’re going to head back into a hot environment, a muggy environment, a grass field environment. So we can talk about some of those things and actually practice on the grass some this week. We can start talking about hydration today. So we can start preparing for some of that, but the other part of it is it’s a great time for the team to bind together. You’re going into an environment where it’s really… we’re going to have good fans there, but it’s going to be about us and going into somebody else’s environment and playing the game. All that stuff. I always talk about the common denominators. There’s going to be a field and lines on the field and goal posts, so there’s going to be a football game breakout, but it is different. You have to handle the travel, you’ve got to do all that stuff, and then you’ve got to play in a game. I think it’s really good for us right now and I think that, again, how you do on the road is a big part of what your season is going to be about.”

On what Chris Jones and Jonathan Rose showed him during the game, coupled with Daniel Davie’s struggles, and how that will impact practice this week
“Well we owe it to everybody to always look at that, right? We’re not making any drastic changes today, but we are strengthened at that position overall because Chris had been hurt and is coming back and looked good. Like I said, he had a good day on special teams and of course, we’re really happy that Jonathan Rose is back so we are strengthened there and they will play and practice all week. I don’t really anticipate any big announcement or anything. I think Daniel is a good player. He did struggle the other night. We’re going to try and help him out and get better this week and in doing that everybody else is going to get an opportunity, too. Jonathan had a good camp, obviously was suspended early, so got to come back. The suspension puts guys behind because you start getting other guys ready to go, so we’re back now and getting ready for games, but when possible (we) leave that competition idea open for everybody to continue to grow.”

On how he assesses cornerback play and their role in the success of the defense
“I think that, as you look at the corner position, there is a lot of stress in those areas. A lot of times the stress comes from what you are doing inside to defend (the) run and spread-option run. The use of the safeties, the focus on the interior of the thing, puts you on islands out there. That doesn’t mean you cannot… you should always have some curveballs that way because you don’t want to get in the situation where, you know, you just leave those guys out there and you just say well that’s the way it is. I know how hard that position is to play and I know how good those other guys are. What we’re looking for is basically a consistency of being able to, very simply, tackle the short ones, be in a position to knock down the intermediate ones and intercept the long ones. Now that is way oversimplified, but that’s really… guys have got to be very aware of who they are. We don’t want to give up the big play. Now when you play a lot of man-to-man and you ask guys to press a lot, there are going to be those times where a ball is thrown perfectly, there is a really good receiver there with good position and no matter where you are in that, no matter how you play it, it could be tough. And so sometimes that happens. What you need is a guy that has awareness and resiliency; awareness enough to not let it happen again and be in a little better position and the resiliency to come back and play the next play. That is why that position requires both a lot of physical and mental abilities to play it. I love it. Special guys have to play out there. That is kind of a long answer to that, but that is kind of how we look at it and approach it and understand what happens. What guys have to know to play that position well is they have to have an awareness of the responsibility they have and what’s most important to take away here and, obviously, the deep ball and then in some coverages the deep ball in certain places. If you’re playing quarter’s coverage then you’ve got to be really aware also of the inside. So everything is deep, it’s deep inside on the post, you don’t have any help there and it’s always the fade ball. And if you’re playing man-to-man with the free safety, now as that receiver heads into the middle of the field you’ve got a little more help involved, so technically you can switch up how you play a little bit, according to the coverage, so you've got to be very smart in how to do that and utilize your help. That’s what a corner always has to do is, “Where’s my help?” Sometimes the help he has is towards the boundary because you’re blitzing and there is no safety and nobody else really helping you. Sometimes it’s low, sometimes it’s higher in the middle. So they just have to understand where their help is, play accordingly and we expect them to be really sound down the field.”

On what the development of Freedom Akinmoladun means for the team
“Really good. That’s really good. Freedom playing and playing well like he did just bodes well for the future, you know? Jack’s going to come back and (if) everybody stays healthy, we’re stronger for him having played. I’ve always talked about that’s what a team is. You know you’re on the team for a reason, so when something happens and you’re called upon, you know the expectations are for you to go in and do the job. That’s why you’re on the team. So he did it and that helps us in the long run.”

On whether the running game improvements were because of the play of the team or because of the lesser quality opponent
“It will tell the tale, right? There’s no doubt about it. You know, BYU is a very strong, physical, very good run defense and we were, I would say, average. So I understand that. We’re not naïve to that. It’s still good to run the ball, right? And we still saw some stuff that was better. Our assignments were better, technically we were good. We were not playing the same level of opponent as we did or as we will, but at least we did it and that’s good. Now can we step it up and do that against better teams? That’s it. I certainly understand that and agree with that totally.”

On his thoughts on Nebraska's big plays
(Nebraska leads the nation with 51 plays from scrimmage of 10 yards or more)
“We feel good.  We would like some of those to go all the way, and we’re going to continue to do that. I think that if we can take our shots, get some big plays, and keep a high percentage, then we’re on the right track. When you keep a good percentage, then that means there’s a good mixture of stuff (offensive coordinator) Danny (Langsdorf) is calling that gets us a higher percentage, and it’s very, very nice to be able to stretch the defense and make them cover the whole field in the throwing game. I think (junior quarterback) Tommy (Armstrong Jr.) has done a nice job in both games, efficiency-wise. I think we have to continue to study what’s best for him, and then what fits the opponent the best. That will be an ongoing thing for us to do. (It will be) nice if we can keep this group of receivers healthy. I really like them. I think it’s a good mixture of guys, and then one day, if we can add De’Mornay (Pierson-El) back in, this is a pretty good group. I didn’t mention that (junior tight end) Cethan Carter will play again, and he’s athletic and can provide much-needed depth at tight end, and also a different kind of athlete that is presented as an inside receiver. If we can stay healthy and we can add these guys back, with Cethan coming back and eventually De’Mornay, it’s a pretty good group that way.”

On his approach to practicing Cethan Carter in fall camp, knowing the suspension was looming
“I tell guys all the time, it doesn’t sound right, but what happens is, as you get closer to the games in fall camp, you have to start getting the guys that are going to play in the game ready. Guys that I’ve suspended for whatever reason, kind of get left on the side. I had seen that make a difference for players long-term getting to play because somebody else got the chance, and did a good job.  So there’s a danger there when you get into some kind of a deal like being suspended, that you get lost for a while. And that’s the reality of it. We are in a situation now where Cethan is back at a really good time for us. We need him. We’ve played with one tight end, basically. Trey Foster had not practiced all week, but was able to give us some stuff, but Andy Janovich kind of played two positions. He played H-back, he played fullback, he’s doing a lot of what a tight end does.  (Janovich) is a good football player, I really, really, really like him a lot. He really comes to play and brings a special quality to us that’s important.”

On the high emotions of last year’s Nebraska-Miami game, and whether he will address that with the team
“Yeah, probably. I’ve heard (about the intensity of last year’s game), but I don’t know much else about it (other) than knowing that it was emotional. We’ve had two unsportsmanlike penalties, two cheap shots, and we’re going to get rid of all that. Self-control is always really, really important, so when you come up into a deal like this, you’ve just got to be under control. I think there was a great example of something like that in an NFL game last night where somebody shoved a guy’s helmet off and the other guy didn’t respond, and the rookie was the one (who didn’t retaliate).  Anyway, they were making a big deal about it, but that’s the kind of thing, it’s really, really hard for anybody to get into a deal and not respond when everything in your world tells you that you feel like it. That’s the kind of thing that we’re going to have to deal with. There’s so much of it that is so much fun about the passion and emotion of football, and then there’s some hard stuff like that.  You’ve just got to deal with it, because it’s the retaliator that usually gets caught, and that’s when your team gets hurt."

On his familiarity with Miami Head Coach Al Golden
“Well, I know where he came from. I know he did a good job at Temple. I don’t know much about Al, I know him, but I’ve seen him build the program at Temple and do a good job there. All I’ve ever seen or known about him is, he’s a good football coach, so that’s my knowledge. Now, really, it’s just about studying who they are today and what they’re doing.” 

On the upcoming game with Miami, and what it might mean for the rest of the season
“Every game in college football is pretty neat, because every game is a playoff game. I’ve said this probably too much already, but we only get to play the one game, so it’s always a big game, and we put so many hours into one game. How it affects the season, it’s going to be a positive as we go into the season, before we even get into conference, it’s a very positive thing to win, and to practice winning and what it takes to win with your team. That’s really what I think the biggest ramifications are. And if you don’t (win), then you learn about coming back again. I think it’s a great game. I think this is a team that’s an improving team, as I’ve looked at what they’ve been historically, coming into this year. It’ll be all we want in the competition, for sure.”

On if he recruited Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya while at Oregon State
“I don’t really remember us being in with him at that time, and I don’t remember what quarterback we would’ve gotten that year or already had that made us not be more involved. He certainly is a good player. At that position, we always had one guy per year. I don’t remember how it all worked out, what the timing was, but he certainly is good.”

On how he addresses the team about keeping emotions in check
“We always talk about identity. Over a dozen years at Oregon State, you might hit on all the topics that come up, and all the things that you need to cover and all that, so we certainly have.  (The incident involving an Oklahoma player’s gesture toward Tennessee fans), for instance, I’ve talked to the team briefly about not talking to the fans. Leave the fans out of it, don’t turn around, but the emphasis of that is what we have to keep working on. It’s almost like things come up all the time from our past notes and from discussions that you’ve got to address. The more you can just focus on what you’re really trying to do there, and I think we all enjoy crowds and the fanfare of college football, but really, it’s like I’ve told the players, with all that, everything that leads up into it, pretty soon it boils down to football, and playing better than (the opponent). That’s what happens, all of a sudden, a football game breaks out, and there’s all the pregame stuff and all the hype, and then you’ve got to play. Really, it’s how you handle that focus and how you play play-to-play that becomes the issue. That’s what we try to stress. Now, these are young men and emotional, there will be stuff with the other team, there will be stuff with the fans. That’s what you have to keep reinforcing, and then they’ve got to be strong. I think leadership, player example, is all really, really important there.” 

On the importance of a recruiting presence in south Florida
"I think it’s great. I think it’s good for us. We always used to think, because we were doing OK there, we wanted to play in Texas once-in-a-while. This is our time to play (in Miami). We had a huge (satellite) camp in Florida this last year. I think there were 400 kids at that camp. So we had a lot of kids down there, we met a lot of coaches that came by, and it’s an area that we want to be in. I think it’s great to play down there.”

On if the staff will attend games of recruits in Florida this weekend
“Yes, we’re doing that. We will have at least two I know of going out, and maybe more.”

On the future of satellite camps
(A proposal was submitted to the NCAA Friday that would require a Football Bowl Subdivision school’s camps be held strictly on that school’s campus)
“Well, I know one of the guys on the oversight committee, as we go forward. I think this will be a major discussion through the year, and it will be a good discussion. Everybody’s opinion about this, to me, is very self-serving all the time. If you’re in an area where kids can drive very easily to where you are, you don’t need or want satellite camps. Of course, if you’re a little more isolated from metropolitan areas, then you like the idea of being able to go work for somebody in a camp, and get to work with some kids, coach and have fun with that, and then obviously evaluate.  And then a kid gets to work with you. To me, it’s a benefit for young people, so I say why not? It might open a door for somebody that wasn’t open before. It kind of just opens up an opportunity maybe for us, maybe for them. I think there are things about it you have to regulate for sure, but we’ll see where it goes. It’ll be a long discussion."

On what cases there are to make against satellite camps
“Well, this will be their main point as it goes forward, that these satellite camps are not about camps and teaching skills in football, they’re about recruiting. It’s all about focus. None of us that have (satellite camps) make any bones about the fact that, yes, there’s some evaluating and recruiting, but there is coaching going on. I always tell a kid every time I do one of these camps, and our coaches get to coach there, I say, 'you’ve got a foundation of what you’ve learned from your high school coach, you can learn something today that maybe can help with that.'  We don’t want to displace the high school coach, but we’re talking about general football skills.  And our guys, when they go, they enthusiastically teach.”

On negatives for recruits at satellite camps
“I don’t think so. I think that it might open doors. I know it does because, before I left Oregon State a year ago, we had five guys committed from Texas through the camps that those kids may not have ever thought of as a remote possibility, and we may not have seen half of them, or three-fifths of them. We knew about a couple of them, but we might have found somebody brand new.  To me, it’s opportunity for both sides. I think the point of “Who’s it about?” is right on. If it’s about the kids, then it’s a good argument that these are very good things.”

On the origins of the postgame “Hip Hip Hooray” chant
“(Laughs) I did not know that (video) would get out right away. I wished I wouldn’t have talked about that. When I went to (the) Winnipeg (Blue Bombers) in the 1983 (Canadian Football League) season, our coach there, and a guy that was a great mentor to me, a fabulous person who has since passed away, Cal Murphy, probably a Hall of Fame coach and manager – he became the general manager when I was the head coach. My first experience with our first win at Winnipeg, Cal Murphy, who was probably getting close to my age at that time, he does “Hip Hip Hooray” with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was a brand new coach and he hired me to coach the secondary, and so it started there. Of course then when I became the head coach of that team, I had to keep doing it, and then as we get superstitious and go forward in life and there’s other jobs, we did it all the way through. I had to lead off with our team, 'I know you’re going to think this is corny, but we have to do this anyways.'  So that’s our history of it.” 

On how the team reacted to the chant
“They were great. I was hoping to get some kind of response, and they were pretty much into it.  The culmination of a win and being able to do that, it can turn into some fun.”

On the sense of Nebraska’s football tradition when talking to recruits
“I think it’s very positive and an exciting thing, to this day, for players to have Nebraska interested in them because of history. We got in late on (freshman running back) Devine Ozigbo. But I know when I made the home visit, the thing that he said that impressed (him) the most, and his mom said it to me too, was when Nebraska was interested in him, all of a sudden, that turned everything because it was Nebraska. I think there continues to be a good response and knowledge by kids of the Nebraska football history.”