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Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Monday, Aug. 28, 2017
Memorial Stadium
Pre-Arkansas State
Offensive Lineman Jerald Foster
On how he found out he was named a captain and his reaction
“Coach Riley brought the whole team up for the team meeting and pretty much just went down the list of the guys that were going to be captains this year. My reaction was happy that my name got called my name - mine was one of the first names. They called so I didn’t have to worry, [unlike] guys coming at the end and that stress going through their heads. It was definitely a great experience, sitting there with my team, getting the congratulations and then the guys giving us a hand for what they gave us. I’m just happy [that] my guys entrusted such a big role on me and the other four.”
On how getting yelled at by Coach Riley over the summer influenced him
“Coach Riley treats us all at such a high expectation. He feels that we need to be better than just regular people out there, and if we do have problems we need to settle it between each other instead of doing the big fights and things like that. Him getting mad at me – I definitely had to look at myself and think who I want to be in the sense of a leader on this team. I saw that as a great moment and a great time to learn from it.”
On how much he learned from playing in the last few games of the season
“They were needed. At least for me, I felt like if I didn’t have those games coming into the season, I’d be a whole lot more nervous. Just the experience I got out of those four games, going against such good teams and good players. Definitely the last game we played against Tennessee, playing against guys that are going at the top of the draft, it’s just nice to have that off my shoulders already. Coming into this season is just going to be a whole lot of fun and doing it with guys we have, I’m really excited.”
On Tanner Lee and how he has a leadership role on the team
“It’s just [his personality] and how he comes off as a person. He believes in you, he believes in himself and he understands what’s needed to be done. So with all of those things rolled into one person, I feel like it was just that much easier to accept him as the leader he is for our team. Not only he’s a good leader, he’s a great player. He does exactly what’s needed of him out on the field. I can’t wait for him to showcase himself in his first game.”
On how Tanner Lee gives Nebraska more of a dynamic offense
“I feel like he really does take his role as quarterback seriously and understands that he needs to do his job and really orchestrate our team – in the sense of our offense – forward. He’s a great leader and I’m really happy for him.”
On going against the new defense
“We’ve seen a whole lot of blitzes. We’ve seen about everything when it comes to schemes and stuff like that. It was a grind. It was definitely a grind, just seeing all those blitzes and so much different kinds of patterns with the safeties, linebackers and of course the [defensive] line. Coach [Cavanaugh] would always come in with a smile on his face and be like ‘it’s great you guys are getting to see all this. It’s just going to make the game that much easier.’ When you don’t see what we see, eight blitzes in one game [compared to] a game where you would see three or four different kinds of blitzes. We’re really happy that we got to experience all that already so hopefully it’ll just make it that much easier when we’re out there.”
On Arkansas State
“Every game is important to us, but I am happy to be going against good guys in the sense of players out there. We’ve looked at them and we’ve definitely tried to assess them as players. Coach [Cavanaugh] says we need to be at our best if we want to be able to do well against these guys. I feel like the [offensive] line is taking it upon ourselves to get ready for this. It’s going to be a battle and I’m happy to be able to be a part of it.”
On the team chemistry
“If you don’t trust the guys around you, if you don’t trust everyone to do their job, can the 11 succeed? The chemistry has definitely been a big thing - [offensive] line of course. If you want to do well, that has to be there. I feel like we’ve really gotten better at being closer just as a whole offense. Again, just having the 11 going in the same direction, understanding our role and what we need to do for that play, even if it’s just as a wide receiver just running off somebody so someone can catch the under route. Or our offensive linemen, we know it is a play action we are just running out the whole play. But, for us to pull the linebackers just so we can open up, it is the little things like that. So, we have definitely trusted each other to do their job. At least for me, I can’t wait to see what we are going to show out there. ”
On who has made the most improvement on the offensive line
“That’s hard, I would have to… I mean I am the one with the least time out there I guess. I feel like everybody has really been strong, if it is not being more physical, then it is being more composed and understanding what you are doing out there with what we have as an offensive line. I really love that we all trust each other and we understand that if we see something wrong or we see something that needs to be changed that if somebody says it, it needs to happen. So, with what we have got, we have all grown in the sense of really understanding ourselves so that we can give the [offensive] line as a core that much more, just to push us forward. I guess everybody has definitely improved.”
On Coach Riley’s comment that the offense will be a focal point
“I would say for all [offensive] linemen out there, we all see that as ‘that’s how football is’. We understand that our role is important and it is not glamorous. I am fine with that as long as I am able to be out there giving everything I’ve got and I know that is the same for everybody else that is on the O-line. Just being able to be out there and seeing our running back score, seeing our wide receivers catch the ball and take that 80-yard touchdown, which I just can’t wait for, and running down there even though I’m dying, trying to get down there just to celebrate for two seconds before the field goal. But, it is definitely important to me having Coach Riley say that it is all behind us. And I am happy that he believes in us and I can’t wait for us to be able to showcase ourselves as an O-line and really prove, you know talking is easy, but proving ourselves as a good group of guys and really walking the walk not talking the talk. I just can’t wait to be out there."