Pre Iowa Press Conference - Mikale Wilbon

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Monday, Nov. 20, 2017
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Pre Iowa

Running Back Mikale Wilbon
On how big of a deal it is to send the seniors out with a win
“We need to. We didn’t have the season that we planned, so it’s only right for us to finish strong, for the seniors, for the fans, for everybody that loves Nebraska football. We just have to finish strong this week.”

On finishing strong to build for next season
“Just (looking to), stay healthy. Like I said before, finish strong and just try to make plays and keep improving daily.”

On if it has set in that this is the last week of practice
“It definitely showed up kind of fast. Obviously, we would love to go to a bowl game but as our record is right now, I don’t think we can right now. The only thing we can do now is finish strong and beat Iowa.”

On if it’s difficult when there’s not a bowl game to play for
“It’s difficult. Every year I’ve been here, we went to a bowl game and this year, unfortunately we’re not. It’s just a different feel about the season.”

On the staff
“Coach Riley and the staff keep encouraging us to finish strong. This is the seniors’ last game and you never know if they’re going to continue to play or not so Coach Riley just keep implanting in our heads ‘just keep finishing strong and make the best out of every opportunity we get.’”

On his touchdown run on Saturday
“It felt good, but unfortunately I felt like it was too late in the game to at least get us a chance to really compete in the game. I felt like we started the game pretty good. In the middle of the game we had a lot of three-and-outs. It wasn’t good offensively. We picked it up at the end, but we need to do that in the beginning of the game and continue to build on that.”

On coaching speculations
“When Coach Bo [Pelini] got fired, I didn’t know he was going to get fired. It came as a surprise and at this point, I don’t know what’s going to happen next season or the following however many days we have left, so my job is to prepare for this week, listen to our coaches and get ready for Iowa.”

On Stanley Morgan Jr.
“We see [what he did on Saturday] every day in practice. It’s no surprise to me. It’s probably a surprise to other people, but we see it every day in practice, the way he prepares. If he does get the record, he deserves it because he’s definitely been one of the best players on offense this season…Oh for sure [he’s a hardworking guy]. He prepares – him and Coach Dub (Keith Williams) – they prepare to the best of their abilities and you can see it on Saturdays.”

On the seniors
“The seniors that have been most important to me in my process, I would say, Adam Taylor. He’s always been kind of in my corner, in my ear, just keeping me motivated, keeping me going. If I get discouraged about anything and he tells me the truth. Sometimes I don’t like it, but he’s going to tell me the truth and he’s been very encouraging to me.”

On Adam Taylor
“That’s a good guy. All the things he’s been through – the injuries, some things in school and then just a few months ago, Houston just had the hurricane. He’s been through a lot and for him just to stay positive…he’s got a good character and I want to just rub some of that from him to me. He’s been a good guy just towards me, my family and this program I feel like.”