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Garrett Nelson
Linebacker
On where the team is mentally
“Ready to go win against Iowa. That is where we are at mentally.”
On motivation to beat Iowa
“Does not matter if they are last in the division or first, the division we will play our hardest like we have been every week.”
On Blaise Gunnerson
“He reminds me a lot of myself but a lot smarter because when I was his age, I did not really know what was going on. He has a lot better understanding on what his job is and what he does on the field. Watching the film and watching him play it is really exciting. It is awesome. Proud dad moment helping him out as a player and a person. He did a really good job stepping in. Handled it a lot better than I would have.”
“It was awesome to see being his roommate and being really good friends. Being a part of the development and just being one of his really good friends. It is awesome to watch. It is cool to see the progress take over in the sense of his hard work and dedication that he puts in every day come to fruition. Equating it to me and seeing me turn that corner and continue to do so. Growing up in front of our eyes but he has been doing a phenomenal job this season and the last couple of weeks.”
On quarterback Adrian Martinez
“He is a true leader. The amount of stuff he has to deal with day to day not just at the quarterback position but mentally with what is going on and on top of that injuries. He has done a phenomenal job. He is a great guy. He is a great person. I do not think anybody else could be doing what he is doing right now and that speaks a lot to him as a person.”
On Luke Reimer and Nick Henrich
“The dynamic duo. Coming in with those guys it is really cool to see all of your best friends succeed. For me it makes me even more excited to watch those guys succeed than myself. I love them to death and seeing them find success and be a dominant player in the Big Ten and in the country is awesome to be a part of. I love being a part of their journey. Someday they are going to be talking about when they talk about their football career down the line. Watching them work and play football every day from day one to where we are now has been cool to see the progression.”
On defensive back Caleb Tannor
“When I first got here at outside linebacker he would not miss meetings or be late and not give 100 percent at practice. When Coach (Mike) Dawson came in, he taught him a way to turn over that leaf and how to be mature as a person how to be a leader how to set a precedent in practice and he turned himself into one of the hardest working guys in practice and in the film room with what he does. Great guy to be around in the position group. Bring energy off of him. Making plays and doing really well.”
On the game against Iowa
“Every game is a huge deal to us. With Iowa there is a little bit extra spice, I guess being our rivals or the whole built up rivalry and the guys we hate the most. For me I treat it like every other week. You cannot lose your mind and start getting out of gaps and trying to be a hero. It is a big game. Just stay on the path you have been doing and trust your training that you have been doing throughout the season.”
On takeaways from the 2021 defense
“A bunch of fighters. Coming back week after week after week. Holding our team and our mental fortitude. Our attitudes together. Some of the best guys I have played with player-wise and also person-wise. Great dudes to be around. They make it fun every day. They push each other every day. They are great guys. They are a great defense. One of the top defenses in America. It has been fun to play on. I am glad to be a part of it. If I stand out as a leader or a tone setter for that defense then I am honored. Those seniors and my other teammates that play on the defense the Blackshirts have done a phenomenal job.”
On Coach Erik Chinander
“The followers take the personality of their leader. The players take the personality of their coach and that is the personality of our coach. How he has changed our defense over the years into what it is now and what it will continue to be and grow as speaks volumes to the coach and how he leads as a person. We have embodied that as players as Blackshirts and will continue to do so. He is like a father figure to me and he is a guy I look up to on the coaching staff. Take wisdom from and take teaching points and little nuggets of information.”
On the senior class
“Like I said they are a bunch of fighters. They have been through a lot of adversity a lot of changes. A lot of things college kids should not have to go through with their football career since coaching changes and the seasons that they have had with the work they have put in. Not reaping the benefits for the work that they have done. It is tough for those guys. Everybody is going to look back and think that these guys are losers because we have not won as many games as we thought or the record is not what we thought but in my eyes practicing with those guys we practice like champions every day and they have been through a lot and they have fought through the adversity and they have come to work and have put smiles on everyone’s faces and been some of the main stays on the defenses and made plays when we needed them to.”
On changes that need to be made ahead of Iowa
“Obviously Wisconsin had a really good running back. We kind of mis-fit a couple of runs that made him look like an elite running back. Still a really good guy but going from Wisconsin to Iowa’s offense not a whole lot changes in the sense of the running game. We need to fit those gaps. We need to shut down the run. Get them in a game that they do not want to play.”
NU Athletic Communications
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