Jack Gangwish Quotes

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

Jack Gangwish
Senior, Defensive End

On the feelings and emotions after the game on Saturday
“Well I’ve had a lot better Mondays, I guess, in my college football career. It’s disappointing. I didn’t want the game to come out that way, especially because, on defense, we did a lot of good things. I’m really proud of the way a lot of our boys played. You know at this point I try to capitalize on that and keep moving forward.”

On his message to the team as a captain
“My message to the guys right now is we’re not here to win individual games. We’re here to be the best team we can be and the goals we set for ourselves are still out there. Nothing’s impossible at this point so we’re fortunate in that respect. I just try to tell guys to keep their heads up and keep driving towards this prize. One thing I’ve commented on, in the past, is that this defense is especially good at keeping their foot on the pedal. These guys can be down in games, it can be late in the game, bad record, it doesn’t matter, these guys are going 100 miles an hour the entire time. They execute no matter what. Really, really happy to be a part of a unit like that and I expect this defense to come out and maintain that level of play.”

On what he expects the mood of the team to be like after another tough loss
“Our goal is to kind of remain even keeled, you can never get too high or too low. You have to stay in that sweet spot where you’re progressing as quickly as possible. You’re getting better as quickly as possible. You know, it’s going to be tough. Obviously we wanted that one, but we’ve got a bunch of grown men on this team and we’re going to lead the guys in to another productive week.”

On if he thinks there will be any problem getting ready for Wisconsin this week
“No, I don’t think there will be any problem taking Wisconsin seriously. I don’t think there will be any problem getting excited for this one.”

On how to get the team to understand the gravity of the game
“Well, first off, to us, regardless of our current record or how games have gone in the past, our approach to every game is the same. You’re striving to achieve the very highest level of preparedness for every team. I guess, to stop you there, no, there is not really any emphasis on getting up for Wisconsin or taking this game, especially, serious or anything like that. Our guys show up to work every single day.”

On what has made Wisconsin a rival-type team since the Huskers joined the Big Ten
“You know Wisconsin has a high level of tradition, they’ve got a great fan base; there’s a lot of similarities between Wisconsin and Nebraska and I think since we’ve been in the Big Ten there’s been a lot of good battles. I think all those things contribute to that hype that surrounds this game.”

On Kevin Maurice making plays during the game and how he’s grown as a player
“Kevin Maurice has done an excellent job. He’s really stepped up this year when we needed it. Vincent Valentine went down and he (Maurice) stepped in, didn’t miss a beat, knew his stuff and, I think, he’s played really well.”

On Maliek Collins moving around along the line
“I think it is easier for offenses to handle Maliek, to handle his threat when they can predict where he’s going to be. I mean they know if he’s playing the right tackle, we’ll turn the protection this way, we’ll put the back over here, we’ll double here, that type of thing. If you put Maliek in a standup or you shift the line, put us in a bear look, whatever, that really adds to his ability to make plays. He really stepped up and did well. Maliek is an exceptional athlete and, as far as a defensive player, he’s a big threat to offenses. I’m really happy with the way things went. I think we did a good job opening Maliek up to make more plays.”

On if he says anything to the offensive players when the offense is struggling
“I might say something now and then, but, for me, it’s important to remember that I am a captain, I have a voice for this team, but I’m also a defensive player. There are better people in position to make those statements and to make those calls. So to answer your question is sometimes. Yes, sometimes if I feel I have valuable input I will say something, but it’s not always my job.”

On if he worries about any issues in the locker room, or any fractures, that can turn a couple of little negatives into a lot of bigger ones
“Well yes, obliviously, definitely. There is a concern, always. We’ve got to stay on top of that stuff. My biggest message to the guys about that is avoid the noise.  The media, you guys, cause a lot of trouble sometimes for us. It can be difficult to tune some of that stuff out. On top of that, there’s social media and you’re hearing things from friends, family, classmates, you go out to eat and people are out there, you know there can be a lot of noise. That stuff can be unneeded stress. It can be an unnecessary weight on your life. My message to these guys is tune that stuff out. We’ve got goals. We’ve got things that we want to achieve and that type of stuff does not benefit us at all.”

On if he would like to see a social media ban during the season
“What I would like to see is guys that can handle social media and for it not to be an issue. I would like to see everybody have the level of maturity, the level of professionalism. They have to understand if you don’t have a great game, if you screw up, if you make a mistake… Facebook, Twitter, whatever is probably not the place for you at that point. People can be vicious. Some guys handle it better than others. But would a social media ban be beneficial to us? I don’t know. I know a lot of guys enjoy social media. Social media can be a good thing if used properly. I guess, at this point, I’m comfortable with letting Coach Riley make those decisions.”

On the type of trouble social media causes the guys
“Like I said, just the outside noise. You know, the media can say some things about players that (they) may not intend to be hurtful or whatever. The reality is that not everybody in the media, not everybody in the public, understands what’s going on, on the field, all the time. You know, sometimes players just want to scream about it, they just want to say, ‘Hey that’s not how this is. That’s not what’s happening here. This is what’s going on.’ Sometimes it can be an emotional situation. It can lead people to say some bad things. That’s the type of thing that can get guys in trouble with the media.”

On how hard it is, personally, for him to avoid the noise
“For me, I have some rules for myself. I try to limit my use of social media. I’m more of a transmitter. I’m more of a sender. I try not to read too much of social media comments or interactions. I avoid reading a lot of the media stuff about myself too. A lot of times that stuff can put a mentality in your life that may not be optimal for your progression as an athlete. That’s our goal, all the time, is to grow as an athlete, grow as a person. You want to eliminate or limit things that are not conducive to that.”

On how his elbow feels physically
“I felt really good. I feel great about where I am at in my recovery. I think the game went really well for me. The elbow felt good. I feel like I’m coming back pretty well.”

On if he’s back to 100 percent or if he feels he’ll be back to 100 percent
“You know, I’m not sure. Yet to be seen. I feel comfortable right now. We’ve got good people in place to help me in my recovery and lead me through this thing. I try to take comfort in that and not worry about the rest of it.”

On if he’s talked to Alex Lewis about Lewis’ recent actions
“I’ll say that Alex Lewis is… he knows what’s expected of him as a leader, as a player of this team. I think it’s been expressed to him how he needs to handle certain situations and what needs to be done. To answer your question, no, I did not take it upon myself. I didn’t feel that it was my job to come at a fellow captain, fellow senior and teammate, to correct him or tell him how he should’ve done something, especially because we have people in place to guide us, in that respect.”

On if he thinks people are judging Alex Lewis a little too harshly
“No comment on that.”