Caleb Tannor
Nebraska Edge
Postgame Quotes vs. Minnesota (Nov. 5, 2022)
On what the defense saw to help them get past Minnesota’s offensive line in the first half
“Just pursuit to the ball, hard work and really dialing in on what we've learned this past week in practice and what we've seen on film. Just focusing on the play ahead the next play. If we miss a tackle or something, it’s the next play.”
On what changed in the second half that caused problems
“They just came out hard and we can't let that happen. We got to come out in the second half with more energy than we came out with in the first half. It's that simple. We have to come out with more energy.”
On why the energy fell off
“We got too comfortable. We can't get too comfortable. We can’t get too comfortable. In the second half, we have to come out harder than we did the first half.”
On how he can tell the team got too comfortable
“The way the second half went. It wasn’t, I see it in his eyes, he’s too comfortable. It’s not that. I saw the way the game was going and in the second half, they just came out harder. They came out ready to play.”
On how to fix the problem that the other team came out harder
“We've just got to know the problem, fix the problem, and just come out in the second half stronger. As a matter of fact, we’ve got to come in in the first half and we have to play a full game. We haven't played a full game yet. We have to play a full game and come out harder, in the second half, come out harder. Every quarter has to be harder than the last quarter.”
On how much of an adjustment it was to the backup quarterback
“It was really the same. They had the same speed, they had the RPOs. They had the same game plan. Like I said, they came out in the second half and went hard. That's all.”
On Mohamed Ibrahim's second half performance
“He had a little more aggression, but like I said, they came out in the second half harder. They wanted it more than us.”
On how he keeps the team motivated for the last three games
“The 24-hour rule. This game has got to be behind us after today and after tomorrow, when we watch this film and see our problems. We have to fix the problem first. After we fix the problem, the game is behind us. We’re on a mission, and we don't have time to be feeling sorry for ourselves and being down on ourselves. We have to go on to the next thing, go out harder.”
On if the first-half defensive performance is the standard
“Most definitely. That's what we’re supposed to do though. We’re supposed to do that. That's a given. We’re supposed to play hard. We’re supposed to play hard, so I'm really not surprised. We’re supposed to do that. That's what we’re supposed to do. That's what we do. That's what we're supposed to do every time we come on the field. Every time we come out on the field it should be heads flying to the ball, every time. I’m really not surprised. That's what we're supposed to do. That's our job – to get three and out and get the offense off the field.”
On how this game can prepare them for other run-heavy teams left on the schedule
“It just gets us tougher. We know what's going to happen now. It’s a run, we know. They might do different gap schemes and different run plays, but we know it's run, so it’s just getting us physically ready and mentally ready for what's to come, and that’s all.”
On what the defense says to the offense when the offense is struggling
“Man, let's go, come on. Let's go, pick your head up. Next play. It’s the same thing I tell somebody when they look down on themselves for missing a tackle. Next play. We need encouragement and stuff like that. We’re not getting down on anybody, we’re just here to encourage, because people need all the encouragement they can get. Sometimes, it really has an impact on people. So that's what we try to do man, encourage.”
On how proud he is of the team for picking their heads up through adversity this season
“Like I said, I'm proud, but that's what we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to do those things. We’re supposed to do that and we’re supposed to go out there and pick our offense up and offense picks up the defense. We’re supposed to go out there like we did in the first half, heads to the ball. That's what we're supposed to do. That's our job. That's why we're here – to play football, so we can do those things at a high level. So, that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
NU Athletic Communications
