Luke Gifford Quotes - 9/10Luke Gifford Quotes - 9/10
Football

Luke Gifford Quotes - 9/10

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Monday, Sept. 10, 2018
Pre-Troy

Luke Gifford
Senior, Linebacker
On how the front seven performed
“I think overall, just the effort… we were very disruptive. We made a lot of plays in the backfield and sacks as well, too. Overall just the mentality we played with and the effort we played with was where it needs to be.”

On how the six-across formation can be confusing for an offense
“We got a lot of different things we can do out of it. Disguise-wise, we can drop out of the coverage and also get after it from that look too. It allows us to do a lot of things and Coach [Chinander] is really good at doing that. So obviously it worked out pretty well.”

On if adjustments were made in the first quarter
“From a standpoint of how we were playing, the mentality, that wasn’t really an issue. It was just the communication. I think that’s one of those things that you wish you had a first game for, but that’s no excuse. It needed to be better on those first couple drives, and it wasn’t. Then we got it fixed and that was a big reason for those first two drives for sure.”

On Linebackers/Special Teams Coach Jovan Dewitt’s teaching style
“He’s just so smart that I think he knows how to deal with different people really well. So he might teach me something a little bit differently than he would teach one of the other guys, which I can appreciate after being in a few different defenses. It’s nice to have it compared to what I’ve done in the past. In that way, it’s been really nice.”

On if he still wears a yellow jersey in practice
“I was not in a yellow jersey today. There was a few other guys as well, which was fun. Obviously as a defense the goal is to win the game. That’s what needs to be done but we did a lot of good things today and played like Blackshirts. There’s a lot of other guys that didn’t get one today that will get one soon with the way they played.”

On how he found out he earned a Blackshirt
“It was in our lockers. Coach Frost let us know that there was going to be a few of us in a team meeting. We went down before practice and they were hanging in our lockers.”

On who received Blackshirts
“I don’t want to leave anyone out or say someone that didn’t get one. I don’t know for sure, but I know out of the backers [Tyrin Ferguson], [Mohamed Barry] and Dedrick [Young II] got one. There was a few other guys but I’ll wait for that to come out.”

On the urgency in practice today
“There was a really good sense of urgency. Starting off in the weight room this morning, we got after it in the weight room. We went out to practice and got after it again. I was proud of the guys and how everyone responded. It was definitely a good start to the week.”

On his condition after the game
“I’m sore. I haven’t played in a long time, but it’s a good sore. Everyone felt good. We got after it today I think more than we have in the past on Mondays after a game. Just to see the way everyone was running around and getting after it on a Monday after a game, it was pretty encouraging. I think a lot of that has to do with how Coach Duval has handled the weight room.”

On the growth of freshman linebacker Caleb Tannor
“He’s grown a lot. Just from the seven-on-seven this summer to the way he’s picked up the defense. It’s pretty impressive for a freshman. I’m excited for him to be able to get out there and show what he can do.”

On the buy-in after a loss
“I think the fact that we thought we should’ve won the game… obviously there were things that killed us and we didn’t, but we put out a product there that can win a lot of games. That’s really encouraging, so there are a lot of good things we can take from it and keep moving forward. It’s a long season, man. There are a lot more games to be played and we can still do a lot of good things.”

On how the defense’s communication was tested
“It was big, and on those first couple drives that is what we lacked. It’s always different in practice. You don’t have 90,000 screaming. It’s an advantage for us and it can also be a disadvantage. If you don’t talk and use signals and all those things, it can hurt you. I think after those first couple drives we really got it dialed in and that’s a big reason for the success that we had after that.”

On the impact of senior defensive back Tre Neal
“He’s one of the smartest dudes we have him playing in the defense the last two years really helps us out a lot. He’s a guy I go to with questions all the time. It’s really nice having Tre back there.”

On finding out who the gamers are in an actual game
“I think you know and expect some guys to be gamers, but then when the lights get turned on it’s always different, but it wasn’t. The guys I expected to come out and play like Blackshirts did. So it was cool. It was fun to watch them, especially Mo [Barry]. Mo has been waiting for an opportunity for a long time. We had Chris [Weber] last year so I know he was waiting in the helm. He got out there and busted his butt and he played hard. He played like a Blackshirt.”

On his evaluation of Troy’s offense
“I think there are a lot of good things that we can take from going against our offense all fall camp. There are some similarities between these teams and some similarities between Colorado and Troy. There are a lot of rules and things that we can carry over week-to-week, which is nice. They are a good team so we’ll have to be dialed into those things for sure.”

On if he’s concerned about the 11 a.m. kickoff
“No, we love that. We get up early so the earlier the better.”