Collin Miller Quotes - 9/16

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Monday, Sept. 16, 2019
Pre-Illinois

On Nebraska's defense improvement
“Defense made the biggest jump probably. Actually I think everybody’s made a big jump all around. DB’S look faster, defensive line is brick walls up there. You've got the Davis twins holding it down, Darrion, Damion, Ben Stille, all those guys. They do a good job of letting the linebackers, me, Mohamed (Barry), and Will (Honas) just run free. You've got those guys up front, it makes life easier. I think everyone's done a good job. DB’s, their communication is A1. They talk to you. They let you know what’s coming. You've got a D-Cap (Dicaprio Bootle) telling you you've got a comeback route coming. Next thing you know, comeback route's coming. I think defense is, everyone trusts one another right now. Everyone believes that everyone can do their job, run fast, play hard, and come up successful on the defense.”
 
On yards per carry allowed
“It’s crazy. We thank Coach (Zach) Duval every day. We lift with him every day. He tells us, 'stay humble.' Coach Tuoti was a phenomenal addition to us. He helps us. He meets with the linebackers day in day out, just telling us what to expect, what to look forward to. I think once you have Coach T and you have those defensive line, I think it’s easy. I think we’re just trying to keep it going. Big Ten Conference coming up, so we've got a big test now - bigger stronger guys going up against. But we just want to show everybody that what you guys see is what you guys got.”
 
On the playing rotation at linebacker
“I honestly think it’s awesome. Coach Ruud does a good job of getting me, Will, and Mo reps even though kinda guys coming in hot. Fresh legs. I think it’s better than what they did last year truthfully, because Dedrick (Young) and Mohamed played all around. I didn’t know exactly what was going on. Now me, Will, Mohamed, all know exactly what to do. Everybody knows their job, so I think having a three-man rotation keeps people fresh, helps you get through the season longer, too. I think it’s good.”
 
On the improvement in forcing turnovers
“All offseason Coach Sims has been talking, too 'need more turnovers, need more turnovers, need more turnovers.' So I think the defense has done a really good job on focusing on [it] in practice. Get the ball, get the ball, get the ball. We work every day. Where’s the ball, working on strips, working on picks, working on fumble recoveries. Everything like that so when you can kind of see the practice, transfer over to the game. Makes you itch for more and more. I want a pick. I want a fumble recovery. I know the DB’s get a lot. Defensive line’s getting some, everybody wants some, so I think we’re up there. We want to keep it going, but that was our main focus and I’m glad we’re up there.”
 
On Nebraska's culture
“I definitely think our culture has been upgraded a lot. Had a lot of guys come in, but they adapted real well. I think it’s a family culture. Coaches have an open door policy where you can come right in and talk to them.They bring their families around, they bring their kids around. Everything like that. I think if you can trust your coaches, trust your players and have that family bond relationship, I think your team’s going to be awesome because you trust one another. You love one another. You don’t just say it, you actually mean it. I think the difference from last year and everything like that to this year is basically, I think it’s a truthful family. I think we don’t just preach that, I think we actually mean it. I’ve never seen a coaching staff like this before where you've got the D-line coach talking to a wide receiver coach that they love each other and everything. I think everybody’s real close, and I think the players can see that and the players feed off of it.”
 
On whether past struggles on the road are on the minds of players
“That’s in the back of our heads this week. Since Frost has been here we haven’t won a road game. We want to come into Illinois and knock that off. I think it gives you a little motivation. Illinois is a real good team. Night game, so I think we want to go in there and prove we’re here. We’re here to play ball now. That we can go anywhere and play and come out victorious.”
 
On focusing on Illinois
“Big game next week, but we’re focusing on Illinois right now. 0-0 in conference play. We’ve always been preaching. I know you guys hear Mohamed preach, we want big things this year. Conference, we want to come out victorious being on top. We are thinking about next week as well, but we want to perfect ourself this week against Illinois and kind of be 1-0 going into next week.”
 
On defensive lineman and captain Darrion Daniels
“Darrion is one of the, I can’t thank him enough for coming here. I know he wanted to play with Damion, but him coming here was a great addition. Big strong guy. Real physical, real athletic for his size. When you see these defensive linemen holding up these offensive linemen and those gaps just start to widen up and you just kind of see the ball clear and you can just play fast, because you know you've got this D-lineman here. Helps us a lot. Darrion, I think he’s the best one we've got. Him and the Davis twins, those guys are unbelievable. So I think he’s got a big future ahead of him. I’m just glad he came to Nebraska because he’s making my life real easy.”
NU Athletic Communications