Tre Neal Quotes - 9/10

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

Tre Neal
Senior, Defensive Back
On the last 24-48 hours

“We are feeling good. We know that we kind of let that game get away from us. We know that we're out there playing and we felt like we were the better team out there. There were a few little miscommunications out there, a few turnovers that we had offensively and defensively. We know that that game could have been flipped and we could have won by 21 or 28. So, it is one of those things that sucks after the game and it sucks on Sunday but today we have to work on Troy and we have moved past it."

On how the staff changes after a loss in the first game
“It is one of those things where we don’t want to soak in on the sorrows just because we lose a game. It is one of those things we correct on Monday in the morning, we watch film a little bit on some little things we messed up on and then we get out there and practice for Troy. We work on the mistakes we made because we might see it again but we just move on. That is one of the things in life, you’ve just got to move on sometimes.”

On UCF’s defense in game one last year in comparison to Nebraska’s defense in game one this year

“We are way ahead. Again, it is one of those things where Colorado is a lot better than the team we played game one their first year. They have really good players, offensively and defensively. You saw that on Saturday they were making a lot of great plays and we had some great coverages, some great coverages, some great offensive play calls and they were just making even better plays for them. It was just one of those things where we are way ahead as far as what we have personally on defense. We are running stuff that is similar to what we did last year, it is just the advances of the defense and just guys understanding it while also flying around and not playing slow. I think the biggest thing that I noticed is that even though we have a lot of hard stuff worked in we are still flying around fast and just playing fast.”

On the flag at the end

“It is one of those things that can go either way. I think I probably would have made the exact same play as Aaron (Williams). We tried to show him after, watching [the film] that he probably could have had the pick but in the moment, you’re not thinking about that. You are just thinking that it is third-down, if this guy makes the catch then I am going to make the tackle. It is one of those things where it’s the game they play and it could have gone either way. The refs were just playing it safe as far as the whole targeting call with hitting the defenseless receiver, that is something that we can learn from. It’s about knowing our situation at the time, there’s a minute and twenty seconds left in the game so they’re going to be aware of anything close they’re just going to throw it and let the people up in the booth make the decision. They’re just playing it safe so we have to know that ahead of time and just try to make plays moving forward.”

The experience of the game
“That experience was amazing, finally getting to actually play. I did the whole tunnel walk and then we just ran back in [last week]. It was fun just being out there and hearing all the ‘Husker Power’ chants and the ‘Go Big Red’ and it was loud and I was expecting it to be loud but not as loud as it was. It was just a fun environment to play in and it was a close game so the fans were involved the whole time. It is just one of those things that is a memorable experience that I’ll never forget.”

On what is challenging on the long pass
“That is one of those things where we have worked on that play a lot and it is just one of those moments where you have to be dialed into the game and just completely focused. You saw I wasn’t at the time and I wasn’t completely focused on number two (Colorado sophomore running back Laviska Shenault Jr.), he is their go-to guy and whenever they put him in the slot they’re trying to work him for the most part. We worked on it and I was in the post and I should have been helping out. It was (DiCaprio) Bootle who was on him. I should have been helping him out and I should have been over the top of him (Shenault Jr.). Same thing at the end, I got yelled at on the sidelines to be alert for that kind of thing. All the safeties were and it was the same thing for[senior safety] Aaron [Williams] I am assuming. You get so into the game that you forget the small, little things out there. That was a small, little thing where if number 2 (Shenault Jr.) is in the slot, most of the time that’s what they’re trying to work and they’re trying to work that route and we just slipped on it. I think that is a growing pain, an experience-thing, not of playing actual football, but just understanding the whole defensive scheme and what we have been working on. We worked on it all week it, it is just it meant a lot so we can’t have those [mistakes], especially delays in just communicating and stuff like that.”

On Aaron Williams and the two long plays
“On those two plays, there is nothing he can do. He is inside leverage, that’s what we taught him and they’re running away from his leverage so the best thing he can do is be close to the ball. If he (Colorado quarterback Steven Montez) underthrows it, or makes a bad throw then he (Aaron Williams) can make a play on it. Props to the quarterback (Montez), he made the perfect throw and (Shenault Jr.), made the perfect catch, but that play shouldn’t have even happened if the post-safety worked. That falls on me and Aaron (Williams), if we are ahead of time and we know that play is coming… we should have known that that play is coming.”

On sophomore defensive back DiCaprio Bootle
“He is a rough-neck guy, he is very well spoken but when he gets on the football field he’s a dog. So that is the kind of guy you want to have out there, just a bunch of guys that want to hurt people. Not physically put people in the hospital, but when they’re playing they don’t want to be on the other side of the hits being hit or the hurt. They just want to deliver it. I think you guys saw that. Even if it wasn’t in the pass-game when he had to set the edge of the run or go make the tackle he was coming in full speed and he was shooting and delivering blows to the guys that were blocking him. You get that kind of mentality out there especially from the cornerback. I think that is just the tone for the defense and he definitely was setting the tone out there especially on the back end and we were just trying to follow his lead.

On playing time for safeties here compared to UCF
“It is one of those things where, as you guys saw, the safeties rotated a lot. Just because it is a position where you can get really worn really fast and there is a lot of action going on as well. Corners don’t rotate as much, we can but Coach Fish (Defensive Backs Coach Travis Fisher) doesn’t really want [us] to as much. That is one of those positions where once you start getting into the groove, you don’t want to take them out because then they will get out of the groove and that is one of those things that is why you didn’t see as much rotation out there. But, as far as safeties you saw four guys, five guys, out there and I mean early and we are all on special teams so you have got to be able to rotate and play those positions. I know that they were out there a good amount of play. I think they were out there for eighty-something snaps and I know that takes a toll but that’s why we try to tell them when we’re in practice run the ball and get your wind up doing that kind of stuff. You are not going to be able to run after practice, we are pretty tired after practice that’s just the way we practice. It’s stuff like that, just getting everyone in shape.”