How Kevin Maurice Got Better and Better, Day by Day

Randy York’s N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Nebraska football’s pregame huddle applies to whoever believes what the Huskers chant and however they embrace the mantra at home and on the road. Rest assured, senior defensive tackle Kevin Maurice will be glued to every word that emerges in Nebraska’s locker room before the Huskers explode onto Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium Saturday night.

Maurice, after all, has patiently waited for his turn in the spotlight, even though that description is foreign to his character. All he cares about is a fair chance, one equal to his stride and a chance to match whatever the Badgers do on offense.

Beyond anything else, Kevin Maurice’s teammates, coaches and football staff know this – day by day, the Orlando, Fla., native has gotten better and better. And Saturday night presents the perfect opportunity to showcase a driven senior who has worked hard and waited patiently behind two former teammates who became notable NFL draft choices.

“I definitely feel like we’ve gotten better every day,” Maurice said, reflecting the plural instead of the singular. “That’s kind of the mantra for our whole defensive line. We’re always preaching to each other to get better every day, get better on Tuesday, then Wednesday, then Thursday, then Friday and get even better on game day. We really take that to heart and work hard until we get better every day.”

Maurice calls the Blackshirts “selfless” because “we don’t really care about the stats,” he said. “We care more about each other. In the grand scheme of things, if we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, then everything will fall into place with our game plan.”

Parrella: Kevin Maurice Has Been Huge to Our Team in Terms of Leadership

A former Husker Blackshirt and now Nebraska’s defensive line coach could not have made a more poignant point. “Kevin has been huge to our team in terms of leadership,” D-line coach John Parrella said. “He played in every game last year, but not a whole lot. He’s just been a great leader and a solid player for us week in and week out. He’s played well up to this point, and he’s going to continue at that pace and get better every week as we finish up a great year.”

Maurice’s greatest strength is his own strength. “He’s very strong and very tough,” Parrella said. “Every day he comes to work to get better. I just think the world of him. He’s a great football player. He’s really helped us in a lot of ways. Every week is a big week and you can’t go out and say ‘Hey look what I’ve done’ because you continue to fight every week.”

Facing a physical Wisconsin is a B1G challenge. “We have some horses coming up this weekend and we need Kevin,” Parrella said. “We need him to come in and do his job, and I know he will. Our hands are full with Wisconsin’s offensive linemen. They’re as big as houses, so it will be a play-in and play-out challenge for us to get after them.”

Maurice Looked at His Strengths and Weaknesses and Reinvented Himself

What does Parrella love most about Maurice, who’s reinvented himself to be a catalyst in Nebraska’s 7-0 start? “Kevin looked at his strengths and he looked at his weaknesses this off season, and he really concentrated on those things,” Parrella said.

“He’s really worked hard on his technique and really has gotten better and better,” Parrella said. “He’s a great guy and a fantastic player. He’ll graduate in December in 3½ years here. He’s everything you want in a player on the field and off. Even when he’s banged up, he works hard and plays every single day. You couldn’t ask for much more.”

Maurice feels the same way about his position coach. “I’ve really listened and learned being around Coach Parrella,” Maurice said. “We kind of get a sense of how the D-line works and the culture that he was around when he played here.”

John Parrella Helps You Get a Sense of How Close-Knit the Blackshirts Were

“Coach Parrella doesn’t brag about the Blackshirts, but you get a sense of how close-knit those teams were when he played,” Maurice said. “He basically instilled in us this idea of brotherhood and playing for each other. Whenever you’re tired or whenever you’re hurt, just look to your left, look to your right, look behind you and look in front of you because the guys that are there on the field with you are keeping you in mind. Guys are depending on you to do your job and control what you can control. That mindset has helped us a lot, and that’s why we’re a resilient group.”

Without a cue card, Maurice spreads the good vibes about the players who surround him. “Freedom (Akinmoladun) always wants to learn and always wants to get better,” Maurice said. “He kind of gets upset with himself when he does mess up. He just works hard and gets better every day. Ross (Dzuris) is quiet and you take it for granted, but he’s a warrior in the trenches. He doesn’t say much but he plays hard on Saturdays and really lets his play talk for itself. Mick (Stoltenberg) is a physical human being. In fact, he’s as physical as they come. He plays with that hard edge. When he gets nasty, he gets nasty, and he’s going to be a really good player.”

Carlos Davis' Reps Increase in the Last Two Weeks; He's Playing 'Very Well'

Maurice doesn’t even pause before moving on to others who play around him. “Carlos (Davis)  and (twin) Khalil (Davis) are younger guys like Sedrick (King) and DaiShon (Neal) and Alex (Davis),” Maurice said. “They continue to get better week in and week out. Carlos has been getting a lot of reps with us. He’s quiet and nothing fazes him at all. Being the young guy, he takes everything slower. He’s taken major steps these last two weeks and he’s playing very well. Those young guys might not get a lot of reps during game days, but during practice, they’re working their tails off. And they know their opportunity is coming.

“We go to work every day at practice no matter what the record is or how many games we’ve won in a row. We treat every week like we’re 0-0. We never get too high with the highs or too low with the lows. We just come out and try to get better, day in and day out.”

Huskers Work Hard So They Can Play Anybody and Control Their Own Destiny

Gearing up for Wisconsin and Ohio State on back-to-back road games is part of the process. “If we do what we’ve been doing, including Fall Camp and the first seven weeks of the season, we’ll be able to play with anybody,” Maurice said. “We don’t shy away. We prepare our butts off every week and every day. And we know that the end of the day on Saturday, it’s going to show. We understand that we control our own destiny. These are big games and we want to continue to control our own destiny.”

It doesn’t take a scouting report to know Wisconsin’s run game is the key. “All five guys on their starting line are 6’6” and over 300 pounds,” Maurice said. “They’re a big physical group and they are going to try to impose their will on us running the ball. When opportunity opens up for them they are going to try to get us on play action.”

Out on a Limb: Whoever Wins the Trenches Has a Good Chance of Winning

Unlike Nebraska’s most recent trips to Madison, what’s up front will count most. “This game isn’t going to be a spread game like we’ve played in the past. It isn’t going to be a finesse game or anything like that,” Maurice said. “It’s going to be their guys up front versus our guys up front. Whoever wins the trenches has a good chance of winning.”

Nebraska coaches have “shut the door” on recent mismatches against Wisconsin because the players, coaches and systems are different than what they were. “You try to get better every week,” Maurice said. “Every Saturday, you compete and perform. After the game’s over, you reload and do the same thing.”

To this day, Maurice counts his blessings that Nebraska played in the Capital One Bowl, giving him a chance to survey the landscape in Orlando. It made it easy to choose Nebraska over an offer from Boston College. “It’s been a heck of a ride these last four years and I’m enjoying every minute of it,” Maurice said.

Maurice Praises Fan Base, Loyal Support, Culture and Community Outreach

“I really love the support we get in Nebraska – from the administration to the fan base. No one else sees 90,000 fans and has more than 350 consecutive sellouts,” Maurice said. “Nebraska fans don’t care who we’re playing. They always show up and they’re always loud. I like our culture, our Life Skills program and the way we reach out to affect people’s lives when we visit hospitals and schools.”

A business management major, Maurice realizes Senior Day and graduation are both right around the corner, but Madison will be the center of the universe Saturday night. “I believe this game is going to be really physical,” Maurice said. “They don’t want to change their game plan unless they really have to. So I expect four quarters of power football and counter football where they try to run the ball down our throats."

Maurice: Saturday Night the Kind of Moment That You Come to Nebraska For

“I expect it to be a full-blown war in the trenches and I expect it to be sore on the plane ride home,” Maurice said. “You’ve got to love these kinds of games and playing the best of the best. There’s nothing like playing them when it’s historic and rowdy. It’s the kind of moment that you come to Nebraska for and get to play the best in the Big Ten.”

Maurice is equally motivated to play exceptionally hard for the late Sam Foltz. “We’ve seen the kind of work that Sam was doing to get ready for this season,” Maurice said.  “It’s kind of weird because he was a punter but worked as if he was a starting quarterback or the starting running back or the star player. His passion and work ethic rubbed off on all of us.

“While we were training in the summer, Sam would be one of the guys in the front trying to encourage everybody and trying to get us all riled up. To be able to go out and play in his memory is certainly something that motivates us week in and week out. He was one of our brothers and we always talk about brotherhood. We’re all willing to sacrifice and do whatever we can in his honor. Without a doubt, Sam is definitely still woven into this team, and we really believe he’s with us every Saturday.”

Teammates, Coach Describe Kevin's Work Ethic, Personality, Positive Attitude

Josh Banderas: “Kevin has gotten so much better on the technical side. He’s really bought into Coach Parrella’s finer details to be a defensive lineman instead of just going in and trying to maul people. He’s dedicated himself to find the best way. He believes in his craft and works as hard as he can. He’s shown his worth. He’s a quiet guy who’s not going to say much. He’s not showy. Really, that’s what you need in a D-tackle. You don’t want a guy who wants the stats and the limelight. You want someone who will take one for the team and when he has the opportunity to make the big play, he does. Kevin is ready. There’s been no drop off. It’s the same with the D-line in front of me. He stepped it up. Coach Parrella is always talking about brotherhood and Kevin is a big part of that. He understands it all and gives everything he has to the team.”

Trent Bray: “Kevin has done a great job in both the run and the pass game. His emergence is based on his work ethic. He had some good games last year when he played, and I think he learned from those guys ahead of him. He was determined to become the guy that he’s become. He’s done it through sheer hard work and doing what Coach Parrella has asked him to do. Everybody on this team loves Kevin. He’s well respected and he’s one of those guys who flips that switch on game day, which is something you love. You have a guy who does everything right and is a good guy to be around on game day and can still be a little nasty when you need it.”

Ross Dzuris (No. 88 pictured above): “Kevin is never content. He always wants to be better. He never lets a bad play get him down. He keeps fighting and he’s really approachable. He’s been a hard worker since his true freshman year. He just had to wait his turn. We’ve had a lot of good defensive tackles here. Kevin played well last year and has worked his way up. We’ve played a decent amount of games together. He gets the defensive tackles right and I get the defensive ends right. We help each other by making plays.”

Terrell Newby: “Kevin was behind some pretty high draft picks that played for us last year. We all knew he was going to be good when he got his chance to start. I could tell during the offseason and the summer how hard he worked and it’s paid off. He’s a smart player. He knows where his strengths are and he definitely uses them. He’s very quick. You don’t see a guy his size that gets to the ball so often. He’s one of the quickest guys you have to block. He just causes a lot havoc. It was great to see how much work he put into the offseason, and it’s still paying off now. He’s a clear leader in our defensive line. He might have come through the back door but he’s earned every bit of it. When Kevin has a good day, it’s a good day for our defense. On offense, we know the Blackshirts have our backs, and I definitely feel a big part of that goes through Kevin. The role he has on this team has been well worth the wait.”

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