Mike Riley Press Conference Quotes

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Oct. 24, 2016
Pre-Wisconsin

Nebraska Coach Mike Riley

Opening Statement
“All right, thank you all for coming. I’ll give a quick summary about the last game and then talk about Wisconsin a little bit and then answer some questions. I’ll start out like I have before, sounds like a broken record a little bit but it’s good to win the game. I’m proud of our team’s performance in winning the game. Part of the fact is that we did do some things better as the game went on, better than we started. But we all saw the fact that there were many things that we can continue to work on and get better. We’re having some trouble having any rhythm offensively. And we had a poor start on defense. So it’s that kind of mixed bag. You’re grateful and happy about the win, and I think we should celebrate that win. I thought Purdue came in well-prepared in a tough situation with the new coach, and competed like crazy and gave themselves a chance to win the game. And I thought that as we got going we kind of buckled down and played better, and made the plays that we had to make to win. Although like I said, we left a lot of things out there that brought us back to the practice field that we've got to get better at.

We were able to keep our poise to play to win the game. Because you worry about that, when they take the lead and it doesn’t look great for a time there and everybody gets nervous. But I think our kids have managed to keep their poise and play and play their best ball as it goes on, so that was good. The big three, you know the penalties, turnovers, and explosive plays, we were not real happy with the penalties. We had two false starts and an offside, an illegal formation, and a taunting call that are all unnecessary. I just hate those things, and I think that we should be by some of that stuff, but they continue to jump up once in a while. Our numbers of penalties are down from a year ago, but those kinds of things, we've just got to completely get rid of. We control those things and we've got to get better at that. Turnovers, we had the one interception that was actually a good read, just we needed a different kind of throw. He (Tommy Armstrong) threw the ball pretty flat on that ball and it needed a little bit more air. Because I think we could’ve had a big play there. He had an open tight end underneath, and Brandon [Reilly] running the post over the top, and he took the shot at the post. And with a different ball, it’s a great play, but with that ball it got intercepted. And then we did get two interceptions. So we are still hanging above that plus area in the turnover margin, which is good.

Explosive plays, we gave up two big explosive plays that everyone is aware of. I think a 44-yard pass and an 88-yard pass that was totally unnecessary. With the coverage that we were in, should’ve been an interception, and should’ve been all over that route and we gave up a big play. We did have 13, believe it or not, explosive plays offensively. It was so sporadic you didn’t often notice it. But we had I think eight runs over 10 yards and five passes over 20 (yards). So, we had our share of those, but it was like I said very sporadic and not in a great flow in the game.

Special teams, we had a great kickoff return, that I thought was a great way to open the second half. A 59-yard kickoff return. We had a great punt down to the two yard line. And we covered their fake punt, which I was glad that we did. We were pretty sound on that play.

Some kind of notable facts is that we were still pretty good on third down. Seven out of 15, 10 of the 12 drives we got first downs on, so that sounds pretty good. Our first down run was really not efficient and that’s where we got hurt a lot of the times. And it gave us tougher situations I think as the downs went on.

Defensively, Purdue kind of did what their book said they would do. They led the Big Ten in passing and they passed for yardage. They weren’t a great running team, and we held them 1.1 yard per carry average. We were not very sharp early on defense like I mentioned. We gave up a 195 yards on the first four series. Two-hundred yards right off the bat in the game, leading up into the first part of the second quarter. After that, on nine drives we gave up 126 yards. So that’s how the game changed. And that’s why our big emphasis, and that’s why I always talk about it, that’s why explosive plays are so huge in football games. I still think turnovers and explosive plays make the biggest difference in winning the game. We had three sacks and they were two of five on fourth down, which is like turnovers for us, and we had the two interceptions.

Guys who played well in the game, Stanley Morgan I think is really consistent. (He’s) tough mentally, tough physically, makes plays, fun to coach. This guy is a football player and plays well mostly all the time. I think (Terrell) Newby continues to play well and hard and make some big plays. Dedrick Young consistently plays well for us and had a big day. Josh Banderas again had double-digit tackles, played a good game. The guys up front were pretty good. [Mick] Stoltenberg had a good game. Ross Dzuris had a good game and so did Freedom [Akinmoladun]. Special teams pretty much spread the wealth. It was a better day overall special teams wise. Josh Banderas has stepped in there and has become one of our top point getters in a couple weeks. Brad Simpson has been a really stable special team’s player. I really appreciate him, whatever role you give him he goes all in on it. I love how he plays, and Chris Weber is like that. JoJo Domann at the other end of it, is a young guy who has stepped in. He’s not playing on defense, but he’s playing a big role on special teams for us and doing a good job. Luke McNitt I think has stepped in. He always plays well on special teams. Boaz Joseph stepped up and had some good plays on special teams. Mohamed Barry made a tackle and I’ve been waiting for him to kind of come out because he’s an explosive, good athlete. (He) hasn’t done much up until last week, made a good play and I’m glad to see that. And I think that the specialists had better days. Caleb [Lightbourn] had a better day. Drew [Brown] had a good day, and Jordan Ober had a good day.

Wisconsin, really really solid football team. One of the top defenses in our league. Really, really good up front, a 3-4 defense, outstanding outside linebackers, really good nose tackle, very good ingredients for those guys coming off the edge condensing the offensive formation is a tough thing to contend with. They are second in scoring defense, third in total defense, second in rushing defense, third in interceptions and fourth in sacks in the league, so their defensive statistics are really good. They’re really sound. They play hard and smart. They’re well-coached offensively. They are really tight and clean in their schemes. They’re going to run the ball. They’re going to run a zone scheme up front. They’re going to run the power. They’re going to have a play-action pass off of every run that they have, and they’re going to have heavy tight end sets. They’re going to do a nice job of screening to a tight end, leaking a tight end. You’ve got to stay alert on every run action because somebody could be coming up for a pass from it. Their one tight end is particularly a really good receiver. So they’re very versatile. You know some people nowadays offensively use one of their big curveballs is to go fast, up tempo, to not huddle. And these guys, their curveball is multiple formations, multiple shifting, and multiple tight ends that move. They try to mess with your gap cancellation by shifting their tight ends, motioning the tight end, and getting an advantage of running the football in a certain direction, so you've got to be real sharp as you adjust your front, adjust your coverages. Because you can be left without a guy and a gap, if you’re not very, very sound on that, and that’s what they look for. And then with everyone of those things, they’ll throw a pass out of it. So it’s all really tight. It’s well thought out. It’s creative in its way, so we really have to play a sound game alignment wise. Just getting lined up correctly against this team and giving ourselves a chance to play from there. It’s a great, great opportunity for our team. I’m excited about it. We’ll play a good team, and we’re a good team, so we’re looking forward to it."

On coaching against Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst
“We hate each other nowadays. No, it’ funny, it’s similar it’s not exactly the same, but I coached against my dad before. And it was a big deal to a lot of people, but it was really kind of fun for us. And that’s how I kind of approach that same thing with Paul Chryst. We obviously continue to talk all the time. We are best friends from way back when I was fortunate to get to know him back in 1991. (We’ve) coached many years together, loved every minute of it. He’s a great friend, he’s a great coach. I love all my time being able to talk football with him. Certainly, there are plays in his offense and in our offense that are called the same thing, for sure. As you can tell, our approach to football has changed because of our quarterback and what we’re doing, and so has his in some fashion. And we laughed about it this morning as a matter of fact. It’s not Paul against Mike, it’s the Badgers against the Huskers. And that’s the way it should be. So we just happen to be good friends and know each other. And I don’t know if it’s any really good help, because as we hope to do and as Paul will do, calling plays and setting up a game plan is all very specific to the teams that you are playing. So here we’re looking at it, we won’t always know what’s coming. I know the patterns and what they probably have in their arsenal just from watching film and knowing Paul, but that doesn’t help you when you’re out there on the field and the guys have got to be in a good position to defend it.”

On if the coaches will try to throw each other curveballs
“Absolutely have to, but that’s not really different game-to-game.  Everybody has a book on people and that’s where being some place for a time, you get a book on every team, that’s where coaching changes can be difficult. We even talked about Purdue, would they have some curveballs with the new coach right during that week. But everybody, it’s almost a necessity that you do that. We grew up talking football together, with the fact that if you have something you have to have a complement to it. So that’s kind of what we’re into anyway. If we’re going to run this pattern that looks like this, then we need something off of that. And so if I show you a formation, we’ll run this but we’ll also run this.  And so they should complement or be a curveball all the time in there. And the one thing about it for sure, when you talk about red zone, there’s going to be some unique play-action pass down there, that’s probably going to end up trying to throw to a tight end. So that’s one thing we know how that’s going to come out, you’ve just got to play sound in the principles of what you’re doing, make sure you stay in coverage when you’re in coverage, and play the run when you’re supposed to be in the run."

On Nebraska's offensive line
“Well I think there’s some stability there in the names. How healthy they can get in a week will be important. As you know, Nick Gates is hobbled. I really admire Nick for having played that last game, because we contemplated not playing right up to the morning of the game. But he wanted to play and kind of battled through it. David Knevel has been off and on in the games and out of the games for I think three weeks now. I admire how he’s gone through it. My goal is to try to help them get healthy to feel as good as they can by the weekend. So we think those two guys are going to play. The inside is somewhat stable. And we were preparing back-ups where need be, Cole Conrad, Corey Whitaker, you know those guys have to be ready probably multiple positions."

On how Nebraska will move the ball against Wisconsin
“Well I think that we can move the ball. I think that we have to put plays up more consistently. I think that it was almost hard to believe we had 400 yards in the last game, as hard as it was, you know, but we did. And so we’re capable of it, we are, like I said, our first down has to improve, and can we do that? Yes, absolutely. I’m confident that we will, within what we tried to do in the ball game, that we can move the football, and that we can run our play-action game and that we can get this thing going. It might be a slugfest. We’re going to have to play good, sound defense. I think one of the big keys, two big keys defensively, will be containing the run, because they will not ever compromise running the ball. They will run the ball, even if it’s not going great early, they will run the ball. Because then all their play-action and other stuff comes off of it and that helps their protection. So you have to do that, but you have to be really sound down the field, because some of the stuff I talk about with the tight ends, they’re also very good at maneuvering guys in a position, lining it up where they get an advantage position on a DB. They can fake a safety out with an action and then throw a post-route or corner-route. You’ve just got to be sound. We can’t give up big plays and we can’t let them just control the ball on the run. And then, offensively, we’ve got to be better on first down. We want to keep our third-down ratio going, and then when we get a chance in the red zone we’ve got to make it pay with a touchdown. So we’ve got to have some stuff.”

On Nebraska’s receivers against Wisconsin’s defensive backs
“I like our receivers against anybody we play. I think that we have a really good corps of receivers. I’ve been proud about [senior wide receiver] Brandon Reilly stepping into the slot. We’re going to get [senior wide receiver Jordan] Westerkamp back. We’re going to be stronger. I think that our guys can win and make plays, so I feel great about that group. I like what [senior] Sam Cotton has been doing at tight end. We’re going to miss Cethan [Carter, senior tight end] again. He’s a different kind of playmaker guy for sure, and we’ll miss him, but I like what Sam’s been doing, Trey’s [Foster, senior tight end] been going in there, [junior tight end] Tyler Hoppes can go in and make some plays. So we’ve got guys there that can make plays, I’m really confident our receivers can win and make plays, so we’ve got to find a way to do a good job upfront and make a good, quick decision. This team will rush the passer and they give you a lot of steps, so we’ve got to make good, quick decisions, but if we can do that, we’ll make some plays down the field with our receivers.”

On changing the approach against Wisconsin based on previous losses
“No, you know, I think that probably that’s something to know, but I’m not really concerned about that. This is the 2016 Husker team, so we’re going to just get ready to play football against a good football team. We have to win on the road if we want to be that team that we want to be, and we’ve done that twice and now it’s going to be a bigger, tougher environment, as we all know. And I’ve told the team this, the more you win, the bigger the games get. This will be a great, great game that way. But this is our 2016 team, and I’ve loved how we’ve responded and competed, and know that we’ll do that, and it’s just a matter of playing better than them on Saturday night, that’s what it’s going to boil down to. The history of it doesn’t really matter to me.”

On the level of difficulty it is to now play Wisconsin
“Well, you know, I think that, as you know for us, all the games have been hard and competitive and we haven’t won them until the fourth quarter of the games, and maybe that’s good preparation for this game. It’s going to take a really, really great...it’s going to be one of those competitive games. It’s probably the best football team that we have played so far this year, and we’re going to have to play just...I would think, especially offensively, right now the way we’ve been the last couple of weeks, I think our key will be playing more consistently, being more consistent with the runs, more consistent throwing the football, and when we get a shot at a big play, let’s make it. I think we missed about three big opportunities the other day, so we’ve got to make those plays to win the game like that, but it’s going to be really, really competitive. The level of difficulty of how it gets, who knows? We know this is a good football team, we’ve been in a whole bunch of hard games, and so I think I’ve loved our team, how we’ve competed, even though it hasn’t always been pretty. This team has fought. So I expect nothing different, I just expect a real competitive game, two teams that have played well and want to win.”

On whether De'Mornay Pierson El is close to being back to 100 percent
“That is a great point. I’ve loved watching him almost day-to-day gaining confidence, and you know, the neat thing is, you can just feel it in talking to him that he knows that’s happening. He knows he feels good, that he’s got his...I don’t know if he thinks he’s back to 100 percent or not, but I know he feels good about where he is. And we all have seen it. He’s capable of, just like that, in the blink of an eye, making a big play, and so I’m really happy for him personally to come back from two major injuries a year ago, and wondering whether or not, maybe if he was even going to redshirt this year, and now very thankful that he did not. And it’s really just personally neat to see him so excited about playing, and see what he can do. And I know he feels good about that.”

On Pierson-El's decision not to redshirt
“I really didn’t know personally what was best to do. I was going to leave it to him. And there were times I thought it might be best for him to redshirt, just for him mentally to feel really, really good about where he was, and I think also for him to know what his defined role is going to be. Because all of a sudden, you know, a year ago, our first year, De’Mornay was slotted to be our “Z,” and we had all these plans for him and it all went out the window with his injuries. But then we had guys surface, that all of a sudden we’ve got four other guys that have made a whole bunch of plays, and where is De’Mornay going to fit in and how is this going to work? I never doubted, with his ability, that he would fit in, but I did wonder if it would be better for him mentally to just wait. And then as we got going and we started practicing and we all know what happens to receivers, I was really thankful, and now today I think it’s really been good for him and good for this team, and it was a great process, and I’m glad it worked out just like it did.”

On Wisconsin being 5-2 against their difficult schedule
“They’ve done a great job. They’ve had a really difficult schedule, lots of good teams, the two teams that they’ve lost to are two of the best teams in the country, so we understand all that. It’s going to be reall good football team, and they have two losses but we all know what that means. So it’s a good team.”

On Jordan Westerkamp's possible return
“After the midway point last week, I thought he’d be, whatever 100 percent is, I thought he’d be that by tomorrow. The way he was running, moving, cutting, all that, it looked like that to me. And everybody, the trainer, Mark [Mayer] and [Executive Director of Player Personnel] Billy Devaney, the people that really watched him, everybody was encouraged about how he looked. But most importantly, when I talked to him, I could tell he was going to be ready for tomorrow’s practice, so I think he’ll be back.”

On what stands out on film of Wisconsin’s freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook
“Poise for a young guy really, really stands out. He is, I think, beyond his years that way. You would not know that that is a freshman quarterback. And I like his arm, too, you know. He looks very accurate, and he’s unfazed by the bigness of what he’s in. I mean, he’s making big plays, standing in there making great throws against really good people, so he’s an impressive guy.”

On how much Hornibrook resembles former NFL quarterback Kenny Stabler
“I hope not too much Kenny Stabler in him, but he probably does. He’s a nice looking passer and he hangs in there and throws the football, has great eyes downfield, and is throwing at a pretty high efficiency for any quarterback, not just a young guy.”

On the work Coach Mark Banker has done to develop a top-25 defense
“I’m both excited and proud of the work our defensive staff has done, our defensive players have done. I think that taking to heart some of the things that we had to do better and really making that kind of a part of the teachings that went on, I think that we spent a lot of time on two things in particular: being sound down the field, you know, when we gave up that big pass, which last year was kind of the norm, and now it’s unusual, which is good. And so we’ve been much sounder playing defense, I think in the passing game. And then probably the other part of it is we’re a much better tackling team, and we’ve spent a ton of time working on tackling, teaching tackling. You know, we put in that new tackling method during the spring, our coaches bought into it totally, work on it hard with our players every day, so some of those fundamentals of football: playing the deep ball, being in good shape that way, being sound, taking good pursuit angles, we’ve always been a good rush defense, and been very sound, technical that way. We’re more technical and sound in the pass-defense end of it. And the other part of it is the growth of the players that are playing. I mean, the two corners, we’re really proud of them and how they play and compete and the pride they take in what they do. And our safeties Nate [Gerry] and Kieron [Williams] and Aaron Williams have given them great support inside. When we go nickel, Aaron Williams has become really, I think, a proficient guy playing there, [junior cornerback Joshua] Kalu can go in there and play, we’ve got a young guy out there, [freshman defensive back] Lamar Jackson, that is going to be a real good player as we go forward, so our depth is pretty good there, the work is good. I think the emphasis on what’s really important to take care of, we’ve done a better job of. I think that all has really produced better defense.”

On what’s been different in the locker room at halftime this year compared to last year, after Nebraska has been down at halftime in three of its wins this year
“I think that’s a poise factor that we’re talking about. Nobody’s going crazy. And I think that there’s a maturity level to the team in general that has been good to see, where they don’t lose their focus, they get back together, they play better when it’s harder. And that’s a really good sign. And I think it has everything to do with individuals, and I think it has a lot to do with the individuals growth from year to year. And then I think it has a lot to do with trust, you know, that, hey, we’re doing the right thing, we’ve just got to do it better, this is how we can do it better, and just keep playing. But I think it takes some...when you get in those situations, and maybe in those games everybody expects you to win, like Purdue, everybody expects us to win, and it gets tight, and I personally get worried about how are we going to react, are we going to get tight ourselves or are we going to play better? And our guys have played better, and why? You know, we could talk about that and I just gave you a bunch of reasons, but I think it has to do with the maturity and poise of the guys that are playing the game.”

On sophomore I back Devine Ozigbo playing against Wisconsin
“Well we want him to be more involved probably than the last couple of weeks. We certainly, I say that, and I certainly appreciate how [senior I back Terrell] Newby has carried the load, but we have been good when we have rotated and kept our guys fresher. We would like to be doing that more. Devine has to kind of get in there and prove that he’s ready to do that. He has practiced well the last couple times we’ve practiced, but, you know, he needs to have a full week of practice, like starting tomorrow, that is full speed ahead and looking confident and being able to make tough plays. We’re going to need that more than ever this week. But our goal is to have two or three guys that can go in the game and carry the football, and the last couple games we’ve found one. So we’re looking for those other guys to step up and be ready to play.”