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Nebraska Football
Pre-Purdue
Monday, Nov. 30, 2020
Press Conference Video
On the motivation for the rest of the season:
“Every week we have an opportunity to compete and get better. The season hasn’t gone as planned but we still have an opportunity to finish it strong. We can finish with three wins and that would be ideal to finish 500 and get some momentum for next year.”
On the defensive performance against Iowa:
“I feel pretty good about the way we played on defense. Obviously we stopped the run that was our plan coming into the game. We saw what they were saying that they needed to run the ball to win and be more physical than us. I feel like we took it to them and stopped the run pretty well but at the end of the day that wasn’t enough. It’s really got to come down to we got to find a way to force a turnover. We got to find a way to win on special teams because no matter how well you play on defense you have to be good in all three phases on the game.”
On the team’s mentality:
“I think the buy in in the team is really well. It has been good the whole season. Guys are still coming to work every day. There is still a lot of energy in practice and it’s just about executing. We got the guys in the room that we need it’s just going to be about everybody doing their job and coming to work every day.”
On Collin Miller:
“Collin has definitely helped a lot. On the field he is a great communicator. Really good player and he brings everybody up when he is on the field. He makes everybody around him better and that is just credit to the type of player and leader he is. Even though he hasn’t been playing he is still helping. He is in meeting. He’s in practice. He’s still bringing guys up. You can see him on the sidelines. He brings the energy and I am really grateful to be playing with Collin and hopefully he will be soon.”
On the running backs:
“I think we have a good talented group of running backs. They are young. Football is experience in years in college football. I think the more reps those guys get the better they will get. I think it is just a matter of time before those guys really take off and keep improving. Obviously we are missing Dedrick right now but hopefully he can get back soon and give us a boost in the running game.”
On his personal improvement:
“I would say it’s a combination of a lot of things. Knee feels good and then I am really confident in the guys around me right now. The defensive line is playing well. The other linebackers are doing a really good job setting nudges. I think my play is just reflective of my teammates and coaches and those guys have really stepped up their game and that has brought me along as well.”
On the defensive improvements:
“We knew we needed to bounce back after Illinois. The way we played was unacceptable to our standard and we knew we needed to come in and stop the run. Iowa has a good zone downhill running team. It was big for us to come back get some momentum for the rest of the season and try to really get our feet down and play well.”
On the team’s motives:
“I think every time you step on the field it’s what you put on tape it’s who you are and it’s got to be a pride thing. Our record isn’t great but you never want to put something on tape that you aren’t proud of and every play the eye in the sky never lies. So every play you got to bring it and you are going to be judged no matter how you play. Good or bad.”
On Purdue:
“They’ve got two really talented receivers. We are going to have to be really prepared there. They have a lot of different junk plays and they are really creative in the ways they get their playmakers the ball. Everyone is going to have to be really assignment sound. Trust your technique. Trust your eyes. Be ready to try and stop those guys.”
On the team’s development:
“There is a lot of credit due to the staff. Our weights coaches do a great job at getting you in shape getting you stronger faster. All off-season we were doing extra meetings through Zoom trying to stay in the film room keep learning get a better understanding of this defense. And a lot of credit to the coaches. They have done a really good job at keeping us working throughout the off-season and I think defensively we have really improved this year.”
On his individual development:
“I would just say really understanding everyone’s assignments on defense allows me to know what I am doing and play faster. When you really have a good understanding of what everybody else around us is doing it helps you play faster and knowing your assignment and trusting your teammates is big.”
On Luke Reimer:
“Luke’s a quick learner. He hasn’t been in the program that long but every day he is working. We spent a lot of time in the film room together. Pretty much every day. Talking about responsibility on certain calls certain defenses against different teams. We will go through a game go through all of our calls just try to make sure we know what we are doing every single play just so we know no matter what defense we are in no matter what formation the offense is in we got to be prepared and know what we are supposed to do.”
On leading tackles:
“To me individual stats aren’t big. To me it is always about the scoreboard and individual stats don’t mean anything when you lose and no matter how many tackles we make I would much rather win. To me we just have to keep improving and not worry about individual.”
NU Athletic Communications