Nebraska Coach Scott Frost Postgame Quotes
Nebraska vs. Bethune-Cookman
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018
Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost
On the goals for this game
“We wanted to win the game first and foremost, we wanted to play well second. Ideally, we wanted to be in a game where we could get a lot of young guys experience. There were some details that were good and bad throughout the game but I thought we accomplished all three of those things.”
On seeing the native Nebraska kids in the game
“Those are the type of kids that I played with, they’re the type of kids that make up the patchwork of this program. We want more of them. We want more of them contributing, but anytime one of those kids is out there it’s a little extra special to me.”
On starting the game strong
“It was really important, considering how we approached practice this week, letting the guys rest this week and really light practice on Tuesday. It’s easy to not come in prepared to play, and I thought at least at the start of the game the guys were really dialed in and ready to go. That set the stage for the rest of the things we wanted to accomplish in the game which is getting some other guys in and then finishing it off.”
On the defense’s early plays
“Those are great, turnovers are great. That’s one of the areas we’ve been lacking. We’ve got to create turnovers to get the offense the ball back. It’s good to see those in this game, I hope they carry over into some of the other games we have the rest of the year.”
On JD Spielman’s punt return
“We blocked everybody on that play. Our special teams did get better, I think they have been improving. Confused special teams plays probably cost us a couple games this year and it was good to see us finally get one on special teams. You score on defense or special teams, you’re going to win most games. We haven’t had one yet, so it was good to see us break the ice.”
On the starters setting the tone early
“We needed that to happen. We needed to go out and get the game secured early. I’ve said it a bunch, 12 weeks in a row is a long time, 13 weeks of practice in a row of practice is a long time without any break. It isn’t just the physical, it’s the grind of it. It takes a toll on you emotionally, especially with what these guys have been through this season. We needed a break, we didn’t get one. Physically it was important for us to put the game away so that the guys could play 30, 35, 40 snaps and be done. I think that’s going to help us down the stretch with the last four.”
On the starters’ motivation to let their teammates play
“Absolutely. I think they knew if they went out and took care of business that some of those other guys would get some reps. Then, you’ve got (Matt) Jarzynka makings sacks and the guys going crazy and some other guys out there making plays that haven’t gotten a chance to yet. That kind of feeling of team and camaraderie has really grown over the course of this year and it was exciting to see the old guys that excited for the kids that haven’t played much.”
On how Noah Vedral played today
"I've seen Noah practice for a long time and I know how good of a player he is. There were some things that I think he could have done better. We made too many mistakes when those other guys were in there, but it was good seeing him get in the end zone. I know growing up here, when I was little that was all I could think about was scoring as a Husker and it's been kind of a weird path for him to get there, but it was great to see him dive into the end zone at Memorial Stadium."
On what went into putting Vedral into the game over Andrew Bunch
"Simply, he hadn't played yet this year, Bunchy has gotten a shot this year. I think both guys are capable, both guys are great guys. Noah's been practicing really well and I know how good of a player he can be, and he already is. We thought it was time to give him a shot and let him his run out there."
On if JoJo Domann can make an impact for Nebraska down the stretch
"Yeah, JoJo is a guy that every time we've been ready to give him an extended role he's had a little health issue this year. Kind of felt bad for him but he's good enough to play for us at safety, he's playing a little nickel. We need more guys and more depth and guys that are capable of making plays, and I saw JoJo make a few out there today."
On what has contributed to the team's clean play in the last two games
"We're making fewer mistakes. There's still one 15 yard penalty, I don't know what that is yet, we've gotta get that cleaned up. Having officials at practice I think has helped, so the guys understand and don't practice bad habits. But, more than anything, just the standards of the team have gone up and the expectations among the players for what's acceptable and what's not have gotten better and that's led to fewer penalties."
On if the coaches have been able to look at Ohio State
"We've gotten a little, some of the coaches have gotten quite a bit. The only people, in my experience, shouldn't look too far ahead are the play callers on both sides. You don't want to get your wires crossed thinking about one team while calling the play for a different team. That doesn't always happen, but you have to be careful. Any game we go into, we're going to go with 100 percent of our focus to make sure we can do the best we can in the game, but I think quite a few coaches have gotten a look at them and we'll get a good game plan ready tomorrow."
On how much more prepared the team is now compared to when it played Michigan
"We'll find out, I hope quite a bit more. I think we're a more disciplined team, I think we're a more efficient team right now. Hopefully the last two means we're going to be more of a confident team. We've got to go on the road to a tough place to play a very good team that's going to be ticked off and had two weeks to practice since their last game that didn't go well for them. We know what we're in for, we're going to get their best shot."
On if he can compare Ohio State to Michigan
"I don't want to compare two teams in our league, we're going to play them both."
On how important it was for Nebraska to open its arms to Bethune-Cookman
"I'm appreciative of them for coming. I think it was great for both teams, it was the type of game we needed. I'm sure the amount of money we're paying for them to come up is something they needed. I think both teams got out of the game really healthy, which is what both coaches wanted, and I think it was a win-win for everybody. Would've loved to see their band, but I'm a bigger fan of Nebraska's band, so those are good people that we just played and I think they had a good experience, and I'm glad it happened the way it did."