Mohamed Barry Quotes - 9/23

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Monday, Sept. 23, 2019
Ohio State

Mohamed Barry
Senior, Linebacker
On changes in Nebraska from the past years playing Ohio State 
"I would just say the confidence that we belong on the same field with them and that we can play them as closely as possible. Believing that we can win if we play our best football. I think in the past, prior to last year, I didn't think that everyone felt like we belonged on the same field as them. So that was the difference in last year. Believing in the scheme, playing with technique, playing with fundamentals and stuff like that. That was the biggest thing and biggest difference."
 
On last year's Ohio State game 
"It was a lot of things that we noticed from that game. Again when we weren't executing, this is when bad stuff happened. If someone wasn't in their fit, someone didn't do something they should have done and that's how we lost the game. And that's a good thing. In the past it was because we didn't play hard enough, we didn't have no confidence. It was numerous things that you could point out and say why this team lost, but last year it was because we had to finish and fix those little things."
 
On how the Illinois win affected the team 
"It was a lot of mistakes, but then a lot of improvements. Y'all see the offense came into a groove. Of course we don't want to turnover the ball, but 700 total yards is great. You see Adrian (Martinez) do a lot of great stuff and you see him play like himself. You see Wan'Dale (Robinson) find his confidence and start making great plays. A lot of good stuff. Mo Washington still doing what he does. Dedrick. A lot of stuff happening in that game. Of course we've got to clean up turnovers, and defense, we need to force more turnovers. It is a lot of stuff we have to fix from that game when you talk about playing clean football. Again we went on a roll. We wanted our first road win and that's a plus. Bad teams will lose a game like that and good teams will find a way even in a sloppy game." 
 
On the ability of the players to go against an elite defense 
"I know they are going to put their best football out there. They are competitors. Again playing Illinois is no slouch. They had some good players out there also. Anytime you play in the Big Ten you are going to have everyone's best play. There are always good players on every team. And Ohio State just happens to have a lot of them on one team. It is a good thing. You want to play Ohio State. You want to play the best teams, and we are going to go out there and compete."
 
On familiarity with Fields 
"I am not like real familiar with his class level. I played in like 6A football and I think he played in like lower levels probably like 2/3 A or something like that. You know he is a Georgia boy, so I know he has passion. I know he is out to prove something this year. You know he went to Georgia, expected something, didn't get it, went to another school. I think he has something to prove. I think he has a chip on his shoulder. You can appreciate that being a football player. But to play him the best, you have to go in there knowing that you have to play your best football because when I watch film, one thing I notice is it's like he has been running this system for multiple years. It's his first year running this system. He is very comfortable in there in that system. I think it was made for him. And that's a good thing, but you've got to play your best football. It's all about what we do. It is about playing with fundamentals. Playing your fits and stuff like that."
 
On playing in a loud environment 
"For me it just revs me up. I feel like I am playing in an intense game. Everything is intense around me. But then I start having tunnel vision. For me it is a great thing. For defenders, we like it when it is loud. It just makes everything real. For me everything goes slow motion. My heart is pounding, adrenaline, stuff like that. And I think that's when I am at my best. A lot of defenders would agree when they are at their best. For [offense] I think it is the opposite because they want to be able to think. We don't want to think. We want to read and react. They want to think. They want to make sure that everything is right. They would like it if it is silent. So we have the advantage on defense by having the home field."
 
On staying in a routine with College GameDay coming 
"You just stay away from it. All of that is an illusion. None matters. All that matters is what you put on that field come Saturday. That's all that matters. Everything else is an illusion. Praise and blame is all the same. It doesn't matter. At the end of the day you just have to focus on what you have to do and when it comes Saturday you have to perform your best football. And that's what matters."
 
On the excitement surrounding the game on campus regarding College GameDay 
"That's for the fans you know. That's for the fans. That's for the programs. That's for the people who watch Nebraska football. For us, our job is to perform on Saturday. That is what we are here to do. All of that other stuff is for entertainment. And that is a great thing for college football. That is a great thing for this program. But we've got to do our job. We've got to focus on watching film, focus on practicing hard and focus on executing on Saturday. That's all that matters. Anything else, like I said, doesn't matter, is all illusion."
 
On JoJo Domann receiving his Blackshirt and his impact on defense
"He is playing fast. He is playing physical. And he is playing with no fear. Good or bad he is making a choice and going with it and that's a great thing to have at outside linebacker. You want players that just play with their hair on fire. And that's what he is doing. He has been able to make a lot of plays and that's a good thing, and he is going to continue to do that."
 
On the defense's response to the trick plays 
"Our coach always talks about situational football and that's one of the things Coach Chinander cover on. If the ball is snapped, you better be playing football no matter what the line is doing. We have all seen plays where offensive lines just freeze and the snapper snaps the ball and the defense just lollygags and out of nowhere there is a huge play. So I think our players did a great job at just playing, and I don't know what they were trying to do, but JoJo made them pay for it."
 
On whether or not Nebraska was expecting trick plays from Illinois 
"No. Not really. But we just played our keys and did our job and took care of those plays. If you do your job whenever you play, trick plays don't really work". 
 
On Illinois running back Reggie Corbin preparing Nebraska for Ohio State's J.K. Dobbins 
"Corbin is a jitterbug. Something I do like about Dobbins is how low he runs. As soon as he makes a cut his pads are real low and he is a strong back and everyone gives him the credit. He is real strong, fast, very versatile at what he does. So playing a running back like that, like I said, when you play in the Big Ten you've got great linemen, great running backs. [Dobbins] and the other running back are good, but it has been great playing Dobbins for about three years now. What we try and do is stop him, and that's what we are going to do."
 
On Nebraska's strong finish at Illinois 
"It has been great. Like I said, I think one thing we didn't do real well as a defense last game, we were 1-for-13 on third downs. That is money though. When you could stop a team getting them off the field on third down. That is when money is made. That is when wins are generated. That is what we did. That is another series where we practice situations and Coach Chinander preaches, OK, its one-minute, two-minute situations. It's time to get them off the field. No give up. No none. We've got to be focused. And that's what we did. We were real focused. Everyone was done and knew what they needed to do and we got it done."
 
On linebacker Collin Miller 
"Playing fast. What Coach Ruud wants when we out there. He wants everyone to play fast and go get it. And that is what he has been doing."

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