Jack Gangwish Press Conference Quotes

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Monday, Nov. 23, 2015
Pre-Iowa

Jack Gangwish
Senior, Defensive End

On if this feels like the last go-around
“It’s another week in the sense that our preparation needs to be on point. We have to go in (Friday) rolling and ready to play our best football. For me, my time here is winding down. It’s coming to a close here.”

On how he describes this senior class
“This class is a mixed bag of different types of people. When we look back at some of the guys we’ve lost from this class and some of the guys we’ve gained, the stuff we’ve been through, I think all that coming together makes it special for us. I think that these guys, just like every senior class, we want to do well and leave a good legacy, and leave this place in a way that is better than when we got here. I think that some of the diversity that we have with transfers and walk-ons stepping up really makes this class special. To me, obviously, because I’m a part of it. In general, I think too.”

On the coaching change and how it has affected the senior class
“First off, I would like to say that I’m really proud of these guys. We’ve had some leaders step up. We’ve had some guys do really well and stay focused at a time when it would’ve been easy not to. Guys showed up, they went to work and they handled it well. The biggest thing I would commend them on is that they kept in mind that first and foremost, we are here to play football. We are here to win football games. We all loved our former coaches. Coach Bo (Pelini), but that’s not why we are here. We are here to play football. I’m really proud of the way the guys handled that. One thing I’ve learned is that there isn’t a lot of romance in college football. It’s results driven. You've got to perform. You've got to go out there and do well, especially at a place like Nebraska.”

On last year’s game against Iowa
“I remember I started that game and played 80-some snaps I think. Pretty much all of them were against Brandon Scherff. For one, I don’t know if I’ve ever been so sore after a football game. I think that guy has bricks in his head or something. For me personally, it gave me a level of confidence. I went out there and I played, and I think I played well against one of the best linemen in college football. Going into this year and going into the bowl game last year, it gave me a level of confidence or validation that I didn’t have before.”

On the advantages of having a bye week
“I think a bye week before a game gives a team an advantage. You have more time to analyze the film, figure out what your game plan is, learn it, get it down pat. That way you can execute it faster. In addition to us having more time, Iowa has less time. It’s a short week for them, too. If we take advantage of it, that can be an advantage for us.”

On Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard
“He’s an efficient quarterback. He can run the ball. He can pass the ball. Him and Iowa’s offense in general, they come out and they do what they do well. They execute at a high level. Most of the time, they are doing what they are doing and that’s what makes them good.”

On the bootleg
“We definitely have to be concerned. He is an athletic back. If he gets in some space, he can do some damage with his legs. Especially for our D-line, that is something that we have to take notice of. We have to do our best to counter.”

On if Nebraska feels more well-versed in Iowa
“Our study has been more extensive with the extra time. I think that makes us all feel a little bit better, as far as the knowledge we have about what they do and how they try to do it. Like I said, one thing about Iowa, my impression of them is that there’s not a lot of fancy stuff. They’re just good at what they do. It doesn’t matter who they play. That’s what they are going to do. The challenge for us is to execute at a high level and try and make them change it up.”

On the stakes of Friday’s game
“You try not to let things like that affect how you prepare for a game. For us, it’s big. Anytime we have an opportunity to play against a highly ranked opponent, that’s something that’s special. That’s something you don’t always get to do. For us, that is one thing we are excited about. We get to go out and play with the best. That’s why we all decided to play Division I football.”

On who in the senior class has really persevered
“Andy Janovich – no question for me. He’s a guy that came in as a gray shirt kind of hoping he would get a scholarship, but decided to go the walk-on route instead. He’s super consistent. He shows up and goes to work every single day. There were some times when he wasn’t getting very many snaps in a game or in practice. We didn’t use a lot of fullbacks. His position was something that was phased out of the offense at one point. He became a big-time player on special teams and stuck with it. With this staff change, we are seeing a lot more fullbacks in the game. He’s getting a lot more work, a lot more snaps. That’s awesome. I’m so happy for him that things came together this year. He is one of the best athletes on this football team. He stuck with it and really persevered and it’s paid off for him tremendously.”