Scott Frost Quotes 9-27-21

Nebraska Football
Pre-Northwestern
Monday, Sept. 27, 2021

Press Conference Video

On offensive line changes
“We are going to look at it. There are some guys that I know have the ability to play better than what we have been playing at a couple of positions so competition is open and we are going to give people a real shot. Overall I think we need to play better there. If we would have gotten good play there I think we would be in a completely different spot this year. Special teams as well. It has kind of been a little bit here and a little bit there but we need to find a left guard and we need to play better at right tackle. Those are probably a couple of the spots we will look at. But it is open competition everywhere.”
 
On the tackle position
“There just has to be expectations and when expectations are not met I would not say consequences but there is going to be competition and opportunity for other people. And that does not mean we crumple anybody up and throw them away. This is a team thing. I had a long talk with the team this morning. I feel bad for the guys that are doing so many things right and playing at such a high level and a couple little pieces and a couple decisions are costing us. It probably costs us two or three games this year. I talked to them about how I essentially got benched for half a game my senior year. And things worked out pretty well. I benched Adrian last year when he was not playing well enough and he is playing at an elite level right now with some of the things he is doing. That happens that is life and if those guys bounce back a couple of them they are going to be fine. You have two choices when something like that happens and I hope they pick the right choice and overall I think it is going to make us better as a unit.”
 
On learning from his own experience of being benched
“I played with a chip on my shoulder the rest of my career. Overall I think we are a tough team physically. I think we need to be a tougher team mentally. It does not take any physical toughness to stay set and wait for a snap count. It does not take any physical toughness to let go of a quarterback when the whistle blows. Those are the things we have to make the right decision in the moment and I think overall we are playing with a nasty attitude at a lot of positions. We need to find that nasty attitude at a couple of others. Shaking things up and giving other guys opportunities will hopefully lead to that.”
 
On his focus
“I try and be around all of the guys but if we have one area that is struggling it needs my attention and I am going to spend more time there. So I was in a couple of meetings today. Special teams meeting was tough. It was rough but it was honest. Coach Dawson did a great job. I think he got their attention. He has had their attention all year but I think he really got their attention this morning. And I want to see guys respond. We are so close and getting us over the hump is going to take a complete team deal and we are all in this together. If my attention is needed somewhere else that is where it will be.”
 
On starting strong offensively
“Talking about this year you cannot start a drive off of the quick pass and get sacked. Things like that. We drive down the field then get a couple of false starts. Those things kill drives and when you are in one score game one more score on any of those drives matters. This is a different league then comparing UCF. Comparing this to that is apples to oranges. I have coached in a couple of leagues where there is 60-50 games. That is not the Big Ten. The Big Ten you are going to win 23-20 and 31-24 and 17-6. Possessions matter and you cannot waste them.”
 
On game management
“Yeah I did and we had a chance to score on the first drive of the third quarter to score a touchdown. Did not finish it. I thought the guys really responded to the message at halftime. That was elite defense that we played in the second half. 15 yards in the second half. It did not even cross my mind that we were going to give up a punt return. I was upset that we did not  get a first down and keep the clock moving. We should have. Should have executed a little better on a second down play. You look up and despite the guys doing everything right for a half of football and dominating a half of football we get that momentum swing and take another gut punch. That is why every single guy on the team and coaches have to take accountability for things and do their job when they are called on to do their job.”
 
On the punt return at Michigan State
“He should not have even been a factor in the play. We have to pay attention to where the ball goes but people do that when you have a potential for a rugby punt. The punt could go anywhere. To try and get it fielded and not let it roll but seven yard punts do not roll very far. Punts that miss their mark by 35 yards. We did not have anybody over there. There is 30 plays that would have won that play for us and we can point at a few of those and that was obviously not good but there are other areas that we can get better at too.”
 
On punt and kickoff returners
“We talked about it again this week and we have talked about it in the past. Most the time we have done it when there has been a threat of rugby kick and they would kick it all over the field. I don’t think that is an issue right now or a strategy we want to go with right now. It can be. We just need someone who can run up and catch the ball. Run back and catch the ball. Field a kick off return. I had a decision I had to make after the penalty after their touchdown. Whether to make them kick a long extra point or try to get the field position and decided to take the field position and then we fumbled the kick return to start out at the 19. That hidden yardage stuff will kill you in a game. Guys heard about it again this morning. Practiced well. But there has been some situations where we practiced well and then go out and we do not do it on the field. And that is what we need to get figured out.”
 
On the defensive improvements
“I think it has been constant improvement over there. Coach Chinander and the guys have been doing great. The guys play together. They understand their responsibilities. They use each other. And they got good players. That has been steady improvement. I think probably slowing it down on offense has helped them too so we are not leaving them out there as much and that has helped the defense but we have to execute better offensively if that is the way we are going to operate a little more. It is a team thing on defense. It is a team thing overall.”
 
On Northwestern
“Every game in this league is close it seems like. Everybody is so even in this league. And that is why little things matter so much. But this is an exceptionally well coached disciplined and intelligent team that does not beat itself. You are going to be in close games with teams like that.”
 
On challenge of fixing mistakes in season
“You know what is unique is it seems like every week there is a new problem arise. You fix one and work on one and spend a lot of time on one and something you have not even anticipated comes up. Week 1 we did not field punts very well on punt return. We go down to Oklahoma and miss kicks and then work a bunch on that and then do not punt it well the next week. Sometimes you can anticipate and sometimes you have to react and we will do our best to anticipate but if there are problems that come up we are going to give them a lot of attention.”
 
On back to back night games
“We just need to get back on the field and win. That is what we need to do. I do not care if the game is at 2 am or 2 in the afternoon. We are so close. We have been a bad team that has won a few games and a pretty good team that won some and lost some. Right now we are a good team that has lost some games. We have to get over that hurdle. The more opportunities the better. I love this team. I love being around them every day so I cannot wait for them to get another chance.”
 
On linebackers
“To be honest most of them are young so that group has really grown together. That is really what we need the offensive line to do. That is still a young group but those guys are going to grow together and not just five of them. There is 10 of them. I just need that to speed up a little bit. But I have been really pleased with how the front seven have been playing and the back end too. That group is playing together really well. It is such a fine line in football. If you are comfortable with what you are doing and what you are supposed to do and you have the right attitude you can just play fast and go make those plays. Those guys are really secure in their scheme and where they are supposed to be and flying around having fun playing.”
 
On recruiting and night games
“Memorial Stadium at night is special. I say this a bunch we are going to have a small recruiting class this year. And so we will not have as many visitors all year as we normally do. We will have some young kids and some 2023s that are going to be important to us at these games and we need to put a good show on for them.”
 
On offensive line issues
“I want to see more of an attitude. More nasty. We talk all the time about playing with a desire to excel and no fear of failure and you can talk that all you want but I want to see them come off the line and rip it. Strike people and run. Create some seams from the running backs to go through. Right now I would rather have them miss doing that then get on guys and not move anybody. I do not want to see running backs take the ball and have a wall of people in front of them. We need some crease runs. That is going to open up a lot. And we need to protect better. I think some of that was technique on Saturday. We are going to help them out some other ways. Generating a more consistent run by being more aggressive and playing with good technique and good protection. We are playing with maybe the most athletic quarterback in the country and he still got sacked seven times so there is a lot to fix there but Coach Austin and I are working hard.”

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