Tommy Armstrong Jr. Press Conference Quotes

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Monday, Oct. 10, 2016
Pre-Indiana

Tommy Armstrong Jr.
Senior, Quarterback

On how he feels
“Good.”

On if he would have been able to play if there was a game this past weekend
“Probably not, honestly. I was kind of banged up a little bit, but I got a lot of treatment this past week. I know we had three or four days off, but I was in the treatment room the whole time to make sure I got better. But I am feeling good now and ready to go. I practiced yesterday, got a chance to get out there with those guys and just get to working. I made sure this past off week we had, I was taking as many mental notes as I could and making sure I helped out each player that got in there.”

On how he was injured
“It was actually on the horse collar [against Illinois]. Like I said before, I kind of fought through that game. But this bye week helped me a lot. I have just been able to get a lot of rest and get a lot of rehab, so like I said before I am ready to go. But I am glad we had that off week, not for myself, but just for the team in general. A lot of guys were banged up and needed that rest, so I think we are ready to go.”

On what it means for this team to be nationally ranked in the top 10
“It means a lot, but the only way we can get better is winning games. Like we said before, we are going to take each game like it is an important game because that is the only way we can get some respect and honestly just get our team out there to make playoffs. So we just want to keep winning, treat every game like it is a big game and take it a week at a time, and it is all going to fall in place for itself. Like I said before, last year we had a lot of things we could have fixed, but I think this year we took it on the right way in the offseason and it is showing. This team is really hungry for success this year. Me and Jordan [Westerkamp] kind of laughed about it, but I think in the five games we played, we have won as many games as we did last year, so we are looking forward to the second half of the season. It is going to be a tough one, got a lot of road games. We've got a lot of tough road games. But we are focused on Indiana right now, which is definitely a great team. They just gave Ohio State a fight and beat Michigan State a couple weeks ago. We just have got to make sure we go in there prepared this weekend. This is going to be a tough game, a tough-fought battle, but we just have got to make sure we game plan the right way. I think we took this offseason of preparing and making sure that we had everybody healthy enough to get out there and make plays, so I am looking forward to it.”

On if senior wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp has been resting a lot to heal his injury
“He is resting, but he is moving around a little bit now. Just being able to move a little bit more this past week. He is rehabbing as much as he can. Mark [Philipp] and Drew [Andrew Ervin] and those guys are taking care of him. I see him every day when I am in rehab, so he is doing the right thing and taking the right steps to get back. He doesn’t like missing practice. He doesn’t like sitting out and things like that. But he is taking it the right way and he has been smart about it. With something that deals with the back, he has just got to be careful, definitely. With the kind of injury that he had, he just has got to take care of himself and just know that his team is going to be OK. Like I told him before, we just have got to make sure that we do our job and prepare as much as we can because that is what a long season in the Big Ten. You have just got to make sure that as a team you can be prepared for anything. A guy like Jordan goes down, we have got guys that step up and make plays. (Brady) Pelzer and those guys are ready to get in there and make plays, so I think he is coaching those guys up well. Definitely being on the sideline and making sure those guys are prepared in practice.”

On what impresses him about Indiana’s defense
“They are physical. They are fast. One thing that I saw that they did well versus Ohio State and Michigan State is that they force turnovers. They capitalize on some of them and we have just got to take care of the football. (Marcelino Ball) #42 is a great player. I think he is actually a freshman or a sophomore, or one of those. He is one of their great guys on the defense. We have got to make sure we key in on him, and we have got to make sure that we run the ball hard. If we do that, we can do anything. We have just got to make sure we play our ball, play physical, play smart, and we have just got to take care of the football. Those guys have got a lot of confidence. Their record does not do them any justice because they played two great teams. Definitely Ohio State, they gave them a run for their money at home. We know that we are going to be in Indiana and those guys are going to have a great atmosphere coming off of a win against Michigan State two weeks ago. We have just got to make sure that we prepare the right way. Those guys are going to give us a run for our money. Like I said before, we take care of the ball, limit turnovers and things like that and our defense gets us stops when we want them to, we can do anything and we get a W.”

On what he likes about Brandon Reilly playing in the slot
“Honestly those guys in the offseason, Coach Dub (Kevin Williams) always told them ‘make sure you guys learn every position,’ so those guys can play anywhere. Stan [Stanley Morgan Jr.] and Alonzo [Moore] being back and Brandon being able to get in there on the slot, we have just got to make sure that we were prepared for that. I think we were. Those guys can switch from outside-inside receiver and that actually gives us more ammunition on the offensive being able to have those wideouts know each and every position and know exactly what they need to do. DPE [De’Mornay Pierson-El] getting over that hill, being able to go out there and play and trusting his knee to do him well. I think being able to have those guys switch in and out is going to help us a lot definitely this week, not having Jordan.”

On how physically tough the Big Ten season can be
“It is tough. But at the same time, I have been here for so long that I understand it. Like I said, if you've got any bumps and bruises, you need to report it to Mark [Philipp] and Drew [Andrew Ervin] and just make sure you treat your body well because it is tough. It doesn’t help when it gets cold, so that is just one of those things that you have got to be prepared for. Definitely this second half for us, having to play a road game at Wisconsin and Ohio State and then turn around and go to Iowa. Those are the three tough tests we are going to have on the road. Definitely going to Indiana as well. Those guys are ready for us, they are going to prepare for us. We have just got to make sure that if we are going to get to where we want to go, we have to win these tough games. In the Big Ten that is how it is. Every game is tough. You have just got to make sure you grind it out and I think our coaches are doing a great job definitely after games and coming in on Sundays and lifting kind of heavy, but putting us through kind of a grind even though our bodies are kind of sore, getting us prepared for those long weeks of being on the road and playing late night games, getting back at two or three in the morning. Just being able to just say ‘hey, I’m sore,’ but that is the difference between playing hurt and injured. You have got some bumps and bruises but you've just got to fight it out and know that you are going to be OK.”

On if he connects the 78-6 point margin the Huskers own in the fourth quarter to conditioning
“Yeah, I think that is one of the parts that play a huge role in it. But at the same time we knew what we had to work on in the offseason and that was finishing games. I think having that as an emphasis of our work ethics throughout the offseason was huge. It played a big role in how well we prepared this offseason, spring ball and fall camp and summer conditioning. So we knew exactly what we needed to focus on throughout the season because of how poorly we did in the fourth quarter last year. We made sure we took it the right way of preparing for it, knowing that we need to play every quarter like it is the fourth quarter. I think that when you look at the way we score points in the fourth quarter, it just shows that those guys, not only myself, but those guys up front and those guys out wide work their tails off to get in the end zone. We don’t know how close the game may be, so we have got to make sure that going into that fourth quarter that we have that same attitude as we had in the first three.”

On how he would evaluate how he has played through the first give games
“I think I have done my job. That is all I want to do is do my job. I don’t really evaluate myself, but I just go out each and every week and do my job and do as much as I can to prepare my team to win games. Coach (Danny) Langsdorf has a high demand for quarterbacks to go out there and make smart decisions. If things aren’t there, throw the ball away. If you can make plays with your feet, do that. But as far as right now, these first five games, I have done an incredible job of putting my team in the right position to win, but at the same time there is always room for improvement. So I just want to get out there and do what I can to improve this team. We are going to have tough games ahead. You are only as strong as your quarterback. That is why a lot of people say if you have a tough quarterback, you have a tough team. I just want to be a tough S.O.B. and have those guys follow me and get out there and no matter what I want to let those guys know I am going to work my tail off to win games for them.”