Nebraska Football
vs. Northwestern
Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021
Quarterback, Sophomore
On injuries throughout the game
“First of all I would like to point out that all those guys going out shows that we fought to the end. Those guys sacrifice their bodies for me and the running backs. We believe in our backups and our second and third-string guys and they can do everything that the first-string guys can do. I have full confidence in each one of those guys.”
On his connections with Stephon Robinson Jr.
“It really goes back to when I was talking to Steph to get him here. We spoke all summer and he asked about how the offense was looking, and we Face-timed. The dude’s a baller, so you want to get the ball into his hands.”
On the cause of the issue with closing drives
“I think we just have to keep doing what we're doing on each drive. We like to move with tempo, catch guys off guard on defense and I think we just have to carry that into the redzone. We have to keep going and carrying our game into the red zone.”
On moving on
“The biggest thing that we have to do right now is stick together. We are at a crossroads right now, there are two ways that this can go. We can have a miserable rest of the season, or we can have a great rest of the season and have a blast and win the rest of our games.”
On mental health week
“It means a lot, especially coming into this off season. Coach Fitz and this team has been really receptive, and I am very thankful to be in the position that I am and to have the family that I still do. I am thankful that Coach Fitz took the time to recognize Hilinski’s hope and mental health.”
Stephon Robinson Jr.
Wide Receiver, Senior
On how it feels to do well with the team struggling
“At the end of the day, I came here to win, so although I am having some success individually, after the game you don’t really think about it as much because we just lost the game. We just need to get things fixed, plain and simple.”
On injuries and backups coming in
“It's always next man up. The second and third strings have to be prepared like they’re the starters. I have confidence in whoever goes in whether they are a starter or not.”
On moving on to the next game
“It’s called the 24-hour rule. You give it 24 hours to reflect and correct yourself then you have to let it go because if you don’t, it'll carry on throughout the season. We just have to work forward and keep going.
A.J. Hampton Jr.
Cornerback, Junior
On going into the bye week and refocusing
“I think the first thing that we need to do when we all get home tonight is look in the mirror and ask yourself, “what could I have done to win this rep?” or just focus on your technique. Instead of pointing the finger, you point it at yourself first because negativity will bring the team down from the inside.”
On the first play
“I thought we had an interception. We probably just have to change some technique things. They made good plays, it is football. Other teams are going to make big plays and we have to make more plays than them.”
On how to stop slow starts
“We have to come out and take the fight to other teams. We have to limit the big plays because they drain your team. Big plays happen but you have to think about the next one and not let it linger over to the next drive and the next drive.”
On the biggest reason for the drop off from last year
“I don’t think there is any drop off. We just have to trust ourselves more and our technique. We're not pointing the finger and saying “just because he’s gone, were not playing to our standards. There is no splitting and pointing the finger. It starts with me and my teammates.”
On moving on
“The first thing that I told my teammates when we were in the locker room was that “I love y’all boys, and I wouldn’t want to be in this situation with anybody else. This isn't our first time being 2-3. This is something we can get fixed. It's just technique and staying in our gaps. We're beating ourselves and we have to want to win.”
NU Athletic Communications
