Tommy Armstrong Jr. Quotes

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Monday, Oct. 5, 2015
Pre-Wisconsin

Tommy Armstrong Jr.
Junior, Quarterback

On third down play
“It kind or happened so fast just because we got the play call in with I want to say eight seconds left on the clock. We actually had to have a tight end motion over. We couldn’t get a motion over in time, snapped the ball, faked to the running back. The play was originally a pass but it was tagged a run for me. My whole mindset was, he (the defender) was probably two yards in front of me when I turned around. I didn’t want to lose any yards and saw Devine (Ozigbo) open. I tried to get him the ball. If it was a catch, no one would talk about it today. He dropped it, it’s on me. I was supposed to run the ball, I didn’t run the ball. I tried to at least give him the chance to get the first down. I didn’t want to get out of field goal range. I think the ball was on the 28 yard line. I was thinking that if we had fourth down, we were going to kick a field goal so I didn’t want to lose any yards. We make a field goal with 40 or 50 seconds on the clock, we go up by nine, there’s no way they’re coming back. The most points they can get is eight. That’s on me. I’d take a sack and lose eight yards, lose five yards and we get eleven seconds left on the clock. We can punt or just give them the ball right there. They still have the chance to win the game with eleven seconds, but I didn’t.”

On moving forward
“Just move forward. Don’t think about it. We have a bigger task ahead. A bigger game. We just have to make sure we stick together as a team.”

On difficulty throwing the ball with the conditions on Saturday
“It was challenging. There were times I threw the ball right to Jordan (Westerkamp) a few times and the wind would just get right under it and take the ball away. It’s tough sometimes when you have to do that. You just have to be able to put the ball on the money. In those certain situations I didn’t. We had drops here and there. At the same time, we left a lot of points on the field and didn’t convert when we needed to. I didn’t make right decisions when I had to.”

On throwing down the field more
“We took what they gave us. They played their safeties low. We have guys that are talented out wide and all they had to do was win 1-on1’s and me being able to deliver the ball and get a little protection here and there. We failed on all cylinders when it came to offense and executing.”

On how critical it is having leadership during tough setbacks
“Our whole message as captains is move forward. We’ve been in tough situations like this. We put ourselves in situations to lose ball games. Our defense played phenomenal. They got stopswhen they needed to. They got put in tough situations sometimes, but they got stops. We just couldn’t capitalize. We couldn’t execute in the red zone. We didn’t manage it well. I think that overall as an offense, we just let our defense down.”

On difficulty of Wisconsin
“I’m not really sure how to answer that because this year we have a different playbook. We’ve seen blitzes, we’re seeing a bunch of different things. Wisconsin knew our playbook from last year. How to place things because we’ve played them three years in a row with then same offensive playbook. It’s something different they have. Whatever they throw at us, I’m pretty sure we’re going to be prepared for. We just have to make sure we study film today.”

On freshman running back Devine Ozigbo
“He’s running hard. That’s what they’re (the coaches) looking for is someone who will stick their nose in there and go for those hard yards. He ran well. He’s a freshman but at the same time, he runs like he’s one of the veteran guys on the team. That’s what they’re looking for. They’re looking for a guy that’s going to go out there and do what he has to do to fight for yards, contributing to the run game, protect up front and I think that’s what he did well.”

On staying positive
“I’m fine. I don’t let it bother me. I’ve been in tougher situations than this. I’m fine. I’m going to drive on. I play for my team and coaches. I don’t play for anyone else but them. I play for my family. That’s about it. That’s my whole mindset. Those guys are my family. What they think matters. I don’t let any other outside force drive me to play how I am and affect how I play.”

On Wisconsin being a rival
“We don’t think of it as a rivalry. It’s just like any other game. We’re going to treat it like any other week because after this week is over, we have another game. People say it’s a rivalry and it’s this and it’s that but it’s a normal week for us. We have to treat it like any other game. Every game in conference matters. We’re 0-1 in conference right now so every game is big for us and we just have to treat it that way.”