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Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Monday, Oct. 19, 2020
Pre Ohio State
Press Conference Video
What kind of improvement have you seen from Adrian (Martinez) this offseason? How is he different now and how happy are you for him to have this opportunity again?
“I'm extremely happy for him. I mean, just as the days have gone on, he's gotten a lot better of just making the right reads, trust in the pocket. We as an offensive line, now we've kind of proved to him to have faith in us, and we're giving him a lot more time to make his job easier. And he's been doing a great job with it.”
How much do you relish the chance to start the season against Ohio State knowing that you're going to get a good really good test off the bat in terms of your ability to run the ball and protect the quarterback?
“It's awesome. I mean, they're obviously a high caliber team. They haven't played a game yet, and they’re, what, top-five in the nation? I don't know exactly what they are, but I mean that's a tip of the hat to them. I mean they’re a great team, and those are the type of guys that you want to play and you want to kind of test your strength against and see where you stand with those guys. It's always fun when you get to fight these top type of teams.”
How do you feel your offensive line will match up with their defensive line?
“I think we’ll match up fairly well. I mean, obviously they're extremely talented, and it’s going to be a battle. They're going to win some. We're going to win some. I mean really, at the end of the day, we just expect it to be a fight and that's what we're looking forward to.”
How have you seen Bryce come along at that right tackle spot? How have you helped him as a guy who's been in his shoes, playing as a redshirt freshman?
“He's just grown in understanding the offense. Understanding what he needs to do. And then just being more confident in what he needs to do. Because he has all the tools and everything you need to get the job done. And especially being a young guy, you just kind of got to build that confidence up and understand that you're there for a reason. You’ve earned that spot. And then just kind of prove to everyone, prove to yourself, that you’ve earned that spot and that's your spot.”
Do you feel like you guys have had a good run of practices?
“I think we've been coming together as a unit really well. With so much time, we were able to kind of work together constantly and understand the offense better, understand how we want to get behind each other in our blocks. And just come together as a meshing, coherent unit. And it's so far been really positive.”
How's the transition been for you to guard?
“I really like it. I mean, the biggest adjustment was everything kind of happens faster. There's not quite as much space between you and a tackle versus you in a DN. And I enjoy it, personally. Everything happens faster and it's a lot more of a power type of game which is a lot more fun to me. So I'm really excited for it.”
What did you see from Luke McCaffrey that you know put his name in the conversation for starter at quarterback?
“I mean he's an extremely talented guy. Honestly, if he's behind us, there's really no drop off and he does a great job of pushing himself and Adrian. I mean he's an ultimate competitor, and he's someone that loves this game of football. And no question if he ever is in the game and we need him, there is 100% confidence right behind him because I know he's going to make the right call. And I also know that he has confidence in himself to make the play.”
What looks and feels different around the guys the last day or two?
“I mean, we finally kind of got out of this Groundhog Day. It was a constant of keep going to something's going to happen and finally we're here. I mean, we've taken all the right steps to get to the point where we are. And really, we're just finally excited. We've been waiting for months for this and just all around everyone can't wait for it.”
What difference in positive impact do you think Greg Austin will make on the run game this season?
“I think it's going to be a lot more just hard hitting. Hit the hole and earn the yard type of runs. I think it's just going to be a lot more of a physical game and we're going to kind of just try and own the line of scrimmage and press it for as many yards as we can.”
What have you seen from the young running back group behind Dedrick Mills in their approach and the way that they're running the balls within your scheme and behind a veteran offensive?
“They’re excited and they do a great job of reading the holes and where to hit it. I mean, I'm really impressed with them because at first I kind of thought they were going to be a little squirrely and try to outrun everyone, but they've done a phenomenal job of understanding where the holes are and where they need to hit it and where to just take the yards when they can. They've done a great job, especially for young guys, of really just understanding that four yards on a run is a great job.”
NU Athletic Communications