Callahan quotes from Press Conference

[Blackshirt]

Lincoln - Nebraska took the field Tuesday afternoon, continuing preparations for Saturday’s 6 p.m. contest with the Western Illinois Leathernecks. Earlier in the day, Head Coach Bill Callahan, as well as his coordinators and select players, addressed the media at the Tuesday press conference at Memorial Stadium.

 

At the first of the weekly press conferences, Callahan expressed his excitement for the upcoming weekend.

 

"There’s no better way starting off the season than playing at home in front of a good opponent, a I-AA opponent, that’s been very good in recent years and we’re really getting ready to have that carry on into the rest of the season," Callahan said.

 

Callahan and his staff released the first depth chart of the fall, and briefly addressed the player suspensions that have been levied.

 

"There are four players who will be sitting down for this opening game against Western Illinois," Callahan said. "All four players are in violation of team rules and policies, and they will sit out the opener. Unfortunately I would not want to name any individual publicly, but I will say that because we have listed the depth the way we have, it’s important that everybody note that I don’t want to take away from the players that are starting on Saturday night. They deserve the credit for working hard and being in there and stepping up in their particular roles."

 

Callahan also announced that he and Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove had selected the players who would receive coveted Blackshirts.

 

"In addition to the 11 starters, there are three other players who will receive Blackshirts this week: Kellen Huston, Jay Moore and Ira Cooper," Callahan said. "All three players have worked in the sub roles and have worked increasingly hard and have improved their game throughout the duration of spring and fall practice. Those are the deserving candidates of the Blackshirt."

 

In his time at the microphone, Cosgrove acknowledged the challenge his defense will face in the opening weekend.

 

"85 (Reggie Gray) is a very good receiver. He has tremendous feet, good hands. He’s their go-to guy," Cosgrove said. "22 (Travis Glasford) is a very good back. He’s not a big back, but he’s very quick and elusive. He makes a lot of plays. I would say those are their two playmakers on offense."

 

Last season, Gray, as a sophomore, caught eight touchdown passes and returned a kickoff for another score in racking up 1,476 all-purpose yards. Glasford scored 20 touchdowns on the ground and caught another touchdown through the air in collecting 1,398 yards rushing and 270 yards receiving in his sophomore campaign.

 

NU continues preparations for Saturday’s season opener with practice Wednesday afternoon.

 

Nebraska Football

Weekly Press Conference

Nebraska vs. Western Illinois

Game Week

Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2004

 

Head Coach Bill Callahan

Opening Statement

"We’ve got a lot to cover today here. I think you’re all aware of the opening lineups against Western Illinois. As you can see by the depth chart, there have been some changes relative to certain positions on our squad. A lot of those decisions we made relative to personnel were very tough decisions, tough decisions at competitive spots on the roster. I’ve really got to hand it to our players. They competed very hard, very diligently. I’m really proud of where we are as a team. They have really earned these spots and it’s going to be exciting for these guys come Saturday night. I know that. But you look at our guys and I’ll say one thing about our team: they love football. They like to prepare. They like to practice. They love everything about what we’re doing right now. It’s a credit to those guys downstairs. They’ve worked extremely hard, and I just can’t say enough good things about where we are as a team going into this opener.

 

"It’s great to be playing at home. When you look at playing in a home opener, you’ve really got to be excited about that factor, but really it’s the fans that get you energized and bring the energy to the table. One of our primary objectives is winning at home. It’s going to be huge for us to capture victories at home throughout the schedule. There’s no better way starting off the season than playing at home in front of a good opponent, a I-AA opponent, that’s been very good in recent years and we’re really getting ready to have that carry on into the rest of the season."

 

On Nebraska being one of the winningest college football programs in the nation:

"I sure recognize the fact that Nebraska is one of the winningest programs in the history of college football. And that’s a credit to the players and the coaches that come before us. As I’ve stated many a time, we want to be able to add to that tradition and legacy as time goes on."

 

 

 

On the kicking position:

 

"Both Sandro (DeAngelis) and David (Dyches) competed extremely hard and it was a very, very tight competition through the duration of camp. Sandro nudged David in that regard, but both of those men will contribute to this team. David will be the starting kickoff kicker for us. He will kick for us on our kickoff cover team, and Sandro will start in terms of our place kicking. So we feel that we have two quality players, two excellent specialists, that provide for us the ability to change the field position and also put points on the board. But both these players competed hard, and to say right now that one is better than the other in any area, we’re just going to do the best we can in terms of how we position them in their role.

 

On the suspensions of four players:

"There are four players who will be sitting down for this opening game against Western Illinois. All four players are in violation of team rules and policies, and they will sit out the opener. Unfortunately I would not want to name any individual publicly, but I will say that because we have listed the depth the way we have, it’s important that everybody note that I don’t want to take away from the players that are starting on Saturday night. They deserve the credit for working hard and being in there and stepping up in their particular roles."

 

On the changes at I-back:

"We’ve got a stable of backs and all of them have competed very well. We’re looking at Cory Ross being the main featured runner as we start the opening game. But Tierre Green has really emerged since he’s come back from injury, and David (Horne) has continued to do well. He’s working hard, and of course we’ve got Kade Pittman. We’re excited about our young freshman Brandon Jackson. He’s an individual who really exhibits the ability to make a big play and also to carry the ball quite a few times. We’ve got a package set aside for him, but overall we’re excited about our backfield situation and their ability to contribute on special teams. As we look at the specialist category, and you look at the punt returners and the kickoff returners, you see Kade Pittman right up top, you see Tierre Green right up on top of returning kicks, and Cory Ross returning punts. All three players have return ability, which is really unique for a backfield situation."

 

On redshirt freshmen for kickoff returns:

"These are our best players. These are players who have earned a spot, and we’ve got tremendous confidence in them. We’re going to do the best we can to put them in a position with the right techniques and fundamentals to go out there and execute on Saturday night. We’re proud of the fact that these guys have emerged and taken a job that we think is a critical role. When you’re back there fielding punts and fielding kickoffs, that’s a tough chore. You’re coming back against a wave of rushers, an onslaught of defenders, coming down the field who want to take your head off. This is a courageous role. My hat’s off to those guys, especially Cory, who’s going to be working quite a bit in the backfield on Saturday night, as well as returning punts. We’re going to have to get Kade Pittman ready in a backup role, we’re still working Willie Amos quite a bit in a backup role as a returner, and also Marque McCray, so we’ve got talent back there. We just have to be able to plug them in during the course of the game."

 

On Cory Ross playing I-back and returning punts:

"You never really want to put a starter back there who’s carrying a heavy load, but we’ll be smart. We’ll sub accordingly when we need to. There’s a lot of talent back there. Josh Bullocks has worked back there with Coach Cosgrove, and he has experience and provides us additional depth. But of course you look at Kade Pittman and Marque McCray and some of the other players who have worked that role, and we wouldn’t be hesitant at all to put them in that spot."

 

On freshmen in the backup quarterback role:

"I haven’t really thought in terms of redshirting right now because of necessity of where we are in terms of the quarterback role. It’s important for us to continue keeping competition alive at that spot and as things change throughout the year, people get better, players emerge and elevate their role and elevate their performance, so we will take a hard look at that. I think (quarterbacks coach) Jay (Norvell) already alluded to the fact that when you get under the lights, it’s a different game. This is going to be a totally different game for some of our young players if they do happen to get in there. We’re going to have to manage it very intelligently. We’re going to have to be smart in terms of what they can handle. A young player like Ryan Goodman, when he enters the game, he’s got to have plays that he knows, that he’s confident in, and plays that he can execute. His package and his plays and his playlist are different from Joe Dailey’s. Let’s be honest, we’re not going to put a volume of plays on a young player like that and let him carry the load. We’re going to have to take the game out of his hands somewhat so he can get comfortable playing college football for the first time. Likewise for Beau Davis. Who is to say Beau Davis couldn’t be in this game as well? We’re going to look at that closely and see how the game plays out and see if we can’t get these players some playing time in the second half or late in the fourth quarter."

 

On the style of play for Saturday:

"We’re going to do what we do. Like Coach (Jay) Norvell has already indicated, we’re not so worried about what they do, it’s important in terms of what we do. We’re going to go out, we’re going to attack as aggressively as possible. We don’t take what defenses give us, no, we take what we want. We’re going to do that on Saturday. We’ll take exactly what we want during the course of that game. We don’t coach tentatively and we don’t coach cautiously, we coach aggressively. The players really understand the nature of that philosophy. It’s an upbeat, up-tempo, fast-paced offense, and if you’re going to have this type of system featured, you’ve got to adhere to the elements, and that’s playing fast. We’re not going to cut back in that regard."

 

On the Blackshirts:

"The Blackshirts is an infamous tradition here, and through the course of time we’ve spoken to a lot of people about it. Most notable is Charlie McBride. He has impacted myself and Cos (Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove) a great deal in terms of how he handled giving out the Blackshirt. With that being said, it’s a very simple procedure. It’s a very honored procedure for the players who receive them. They will be hanging on a hanger in the locker room when they come in this afternoon for practice. In addition to the eleven starters, there are three other players who will receive Blackshirts this week: Kellen Huston, Jay Moore and Ira Cooper. All three players have worked in the sub roles and have worked increasingly hard and have improved their game throughout the duration of spring and fall practice. Those are the deserving candidates of the Blackshirt. I think, philosophically, it’s an honor to wear one. It’s a tradition that we’re going to maintain and build upon, but it’s something we don’t want to take away from the entirety of the team. I think the players respect that. It is something significant, it is a special tradition here. It’s going to unify the defensive unit, but also it’s within the realm of the team concept."

 

On Kellen Huston and Jay Moore:

"They both fulfill the criteria of the Blackshirt, and that’s the ability to elevate the teammates around them. They play hard, their work ethic on and off the field. They’re a prime example in what you’d want in a defensive player here at Nebraska. For their roles and for their efforts, they’ve been awarded the Blackshirt for this game."

 

On the running back position:

"The situation here at Nebraska is that we have some talented running backs. We have some young running backs. We have backs who are just getting acclimated and exposed to a brand new system. We believe in the philosophy that if you have a dominant back, we’ll play him. We’ll run that horse as much as we can. But in the type of backs that we have here – we don’t have the big-bodied back that can carry the mail, so to speak, for 25-30 carries a game. The running game is really important to us. To have the backs featured when we do run the football, we’re going to have to utilize that committee. We’re confident that the backs we do have and the backs who we feature will do well and will be very good in their role. The running game is important. We have to prove that Saturday night, and we have to prove it every week. The running game in college football is of the utmost importance. You win by running the football and being physical. That’s how you establish your presence on the field. It’s going to be a key factor for us, especially at a game like this Saturday night at home."

 

On David Horne:

"He’s one of those backs who continues to have the ability to come out of the backfield and do some things in the passing game. He’s an inside-the-tackles running back. He has good outside speed. He’s a back that primarily is going to work between the tackles and the inside zone game. He’s got good functional speed. He’s a good back in terms of his physicalness. He can pound it. There again, I think it’s all related to his role in how you feature him."

 

On any concerns with the team right now:

"Well, I don’t want to talk about the negative, and I’m not concerning myself with that. I’m trying to be as upbeat and positive as possible. I’ve always had concerns, but I’m really confident about where we are as a team right now. Let’s play the game and find out. Let’s turn the film on on Sunday morning and see where we need to improve and see where we need to go. There are always concerns on any team. You go into an opener, and you try to put your guys in position with plays and situations and series that they can function confidently and efficiently. I don’t want to be in a situation talking about what we can’t do, I want to be talking about what we can do."

 

On Terrence Nunn, Isaiah Fluellen and Mark LeFlore:

"It turned out a little bit differently. Terrence Nunn, we knew, had talent, but for him to come in and take a starting role was a pleasant surprise. And he’s earned it, to his credit. I’d like to see our other players emerge, like [isaiah] Fluellen and [Mark] LeFlore, and I’m certain that they will. They’ve been nicked and they’ve been on the pine a little bit, and in the tub because of their injuries. But they’ve fought through them, to their credit. Mark LeFlore, with that turf toe, is on the field every single day fighting through a tough injury, and he hasn’t been full speed. I can understand his frustration with that."

 

"I look at Isaiah Fluellen, who is a gifted athlete, who has good speed and has the ability to run deep and make big plays. He hasn’t been full speed this entire camp. One day he’s healthy, the next day he’s not quite where he needs to be. I know he’s frustrated with his health and looking for more consistency in being healthier as the weeks and the season go on. So those two experienced players could really help our offense, but they’ve been nicked and haven’t been full speed. I’m sure they’re frustrated and we’re hopeful and confident that they can return here in the next week or two and be at top speed to get us the competition and depth that we still need at that position."

 

On Kurt Mann and Gary Pike:

"Kurt Mann is an intriguing guy. He’s a smart, low-key personality type, but he’s got great ability to run the offense in terms of the communication up front. He’s a good athlete. He has range, he has size. He just needs that experience, and he’s going to get it on Saturday night. He was in competition battling with Gary Pike, who was backing up that role. My hat goes off to Gary Pike. This is a guy who has never played center. We put him in that role late last spring. He came into training camp and we plugged him into the center position. He’s come a long way. This is an individual who’s come out of nowhere to develop himself and worked hard to provide a contribution, and I respect that. But for both of those guys, it’s tough. They haven’t played and haven’t had the experience under their belts to control what we’re doing up front. From a communication standpoint, that’s a tough role. I’m really confident in those guys. They’ve worked hard. We had to give them a lot of reps coming into the opener and coming into training camp. They’ve accepted that role, and I’m really confident they’ll do a good job on Saturday night."

 

On the suspensions of four players and team rules in the future:

"I’m a fair person and I look at everything hard. I look at it in-depth before I make any type of conclusion. These aren’t simply knee-jerk reactions that come in here and strong arm the program or muscle up and try to show who is the boss. That’s not the intent. There were violations that took place in team policy. We have very simple rules. Those were violated, and there are consequences for that. The players were informed. They understand exactly the nature and content of the decision and why it was made. We’re just going from there. We spent a lot of time with all four individuals, and they have remorse for what they’ve done, and I accepted that. They’re paying a great price right now missing this game. I remind our players continually that it’s a privilege to play football here at the University of Nebraska, it’s not a right. They will adhere to the rules and the policies of the team, and of the university. That is something that is very important to me as a head coach. It’s important to our team in terms of our discipline and in how we go about our business."

 

They won’t be on the sideline, and they won’t be suited up, but they do receive a ticket to sit in the stands."

 

On Greg Austin:

"Greg Austin is a real interesting story. Greg is an individual who, in my opinion, could have accepted a medical redshirt numerous times. He’s gone through a very tough surgical procedure. It has limited his ability to be full speed. He entered camp knowing that. He continued to go out and work and perform and battle at the spot. There’s no question in my mind, he’d be playing at a very high level, a very solid level. He’s been hindered because he has been sore. He’s been hampered a little bit because he does have some swelling that occurs after practice and going into the next day. We have to show the ability to back him down so he can recover. But I admire what he’s done. This guy has battled everything that you can even feasibly imagine to do what he’s doing right now. My hat goes off to Greg. He’s a battler. He fights, he competes, and he lives in that training room. There’s not a day that goes by where you walk by that training room when he’s not hooked up. It just amazes me to see him be where he is after the situation he’s been in."

 

On the coaching staff:

"Through the mock game situation, we couldn’t have portrayed a better game day environment than what we did last Saturday. We had the headsets set up, the sideline defense control. We had the coaches communicating in the booth for the duration of the practice. The lines of communications and how that will work on game day were taken through a dry run, and I thought that went very well. We went so far as filming the pregame warmup to see if we could possibly fix that if there was anything needed. We went overboard in that regard, and we wanted to make sure that everything was organized and the players knew exactly what to expect from the time they leave the facility on Friday to the time we arrive here at the stadium and go through the pregame."

 

On Ryan Goodman and Beau Davis:

"So much of it goes back to Ryan Goodman’s competitive instinct and his desire to be a great player, and to be great at anything he does. I didn’t expect him to play football because he was such a high-profile wrestler and was one of the top grapplers in the country. He was an individual who has the potential to be great as a collegiate wrestler. So I really felt that his focus was going to be toward wrestling. Little did I know how bad he really wanted to play football. He wanted it bad enough that he came here this summer to prepare with the team. He loves to train. He’s a tough-minded individual. He can vocalize everything that he needs to do in the huddle. He’s an interesting guy. He’s the ultimate competitor. His throwing mechanics may not be exactly where he wants them right now, but he’ll get there. Just to have a guy who can come in the huddle, command the offense, spit out the verbage, get the play out, get them to the line, put them in the right situation, snap the ball with confidence, make a decision with confidence, that’s huge to us. That’s really big."

 

"Beau Davis we were thinking about the possibility of gray-shirting him and having him possibly come in next spring, and he has just been a pleasant surprise. His ability to throw the ball with velocity and accuracy is one of those things you look for in a player. You can scour the country and you can’t find a guy who can throw ball with the type of arm that he has. But he needs growth, he needs maturation, he needs development and weight, but he continues to compete. Let’s be honest, there are frail quarterbacks who have played in the National Football League. You look at (Drew) Bledsoe, you look at (Tom) Brady, you look at (Joe) Montana, those guys have frail-type stature. Obviously Beau is a little less than those guys in terms of frailness, but he continues to work hard. He’s a guy who has a live arm. He can rope it. He’s got a razor down the red zones. He shoots darts when you ask him. He’s fun to watch. You can see the upside. He’s got tremendous upsides in his ability to throw the football. Now it’s a matter of trying to absorb everything he’s learned and make the right decisions out on the field."

 

On his feelings for Saturday:

"I’m excited about football. I’m excited now. I get excited to wake up in the morning and come to work and coach football. That’s the culmination of the week and the off-season. I’m fortunate to do what I do. I’m humbled by it, and it’s great to be around a great group of athletes and coaches who inspire you every day and motivate you to do what you love to do. That’s what I love about Nebraska. I’m around players who love to work, who love football, and can’t get enough of it. I’ve got some eager guys who love the game. When you’ve got that type of chemistry, who knows?"

 

On college football versus the NFL:

"These guys are different, and it is different because these players are young. They’re getting a taste of college football and a taste of a pro system within the college environment. There’s a uniqueness to that. And for any recruit who wants to attend Nebraska, I think you’d have to look hard at what we have to offer. I think our players get excited about what’s featured on a daily basis. We come in there, we try to inspire them and teach them and instruct them with a new package or a new play just to keep their attention."

 

Sophomore Quarterback Joe Dailey

 

On his readiness for the first start:

 

“I’ve been waiting for this all of my life. I’ve had all the time in the world to perfect this, so I think I’m well prepared, both myself and the team.”

 

 

 

On his excitement for Saturday’s season opener:

 

“I don’t even want to talk about it right now. I’m trying to stay focused and not get too excited. I’m trying to concentrate on the task at hand and that’s practice today.”

 

 

 

On his desire for showing the full offensive arsenal on Saturday:

 

“I don’t think we need to. The plays we have drawn up for this week are designed for this defense, and we don’t have to get too intricate. The plays that we have in for this week are going to attack the defensive weaknesses.”

 

 

 

On how the West Coast Offense fits his playing style:

“You guys got a chance to see me in the spring game, and I did pretty well. I went against the second-string defense, but that’s not a knock against anyone. They’re a great defense, and we’ve got a great offense. I say we wait until Saturday, and we’ll see how our grasp on the offense is, and we’ll go from there.”

 

 

 

On Willie Amos’ switch from safety/cornerback to wide receiver:

 

“He’s played defense his entire career. I think he should have been on offense when he started out, because now he has an opportunity to go forward with his speed, run past people and make moves on people. It’s going to be great to watch Willie run past a few of these corners and throw the ball deep to him.”

 

 

 

On his confidence level:

 

“You have to be your biggest fan. You have to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, then who is going to believe in you?"

 

 

 

On the Huskers’ cracking the top 25:

 

“We’ve got all the talent in the world. We’ve got a great bunch of guys and just like anyone who takes over a new stable, you have to go with the horses you have. You have to make adjustments, and that’s exactly what Coach (Callahan) has done. He’s made adjustments, and he’s tailored the offense and defense to the players that he has. I think we’ll be in the top 25 relatively soon.”

 

 

 

On freshman wide receiver Terrence Nunn:

 

“He’s a young guy like a lot of the guys playing in this offense. The repetitions that he gets this week and in the future will help. He’s got great athletic ability, he’s very fast and he’s got great hands. If you ever need a big play threat, that’s who you go to.”

 

 

 

On the speed of the game:

 

“You play the game in the mind 100 times before you actually go out and play. It’s a matter of understanding each play. The more you understand each play when you go out there and see it against a certain defense, it makes more sense. I think that’s what’s been very important for me these past three weeks. I’ve come a long way, and I still have a long ways to go, but I’m happy with where I am right now in the process.”

 

 

 

On his favorite play:

 

“I like every play we have in the playbook, to be honest with you.”

 

 

 

On his one thought for this Saturday:

 

“All my preparation that no one knows about, come Saturday or Sunday. Once people see how we played, they’ll start to take us seriously. Right now, I don’t think they’re really taking us that seriously.”

 

 

 

On reaching his dream of being a starting quarterback:

 

“I really haven’t had time to think about it. I’ve been more concentrated on preparation and what we have to do at practice today. It’s just a matter of being prepared every day. I really haven’t been thinking about how big of a deal it is. Maybe it might hit me when I step on the field on Saturday. Until then, I really don’t expect to be thinking about it.”

 

 

 

On how many plays he has learned:

 

“What’s a number, to be honest with you? You guys won’t understand it. I can say ‘300’, but that’s just a number. You really have to see it to be able to comprehend it. It’s not just me that has to learn it, it’s everyone else on the offensive side of the ball. If you could only see, you’d be surprised, believe me.”

 

 

 

On offensive lineman Kurt Mann:

 

“He’s doing really well. I like all of our guys up front. They’re all great guys, they’re all big guys and they all know what they’re doing. It’s just a matter of getting repetitions and being experienced. Kurt’s come a long way. We were both No. 2s last year and we’ve both come a long way.”

 

 

 

On what he knows about Western Illinois:

 

”They’re not going to back down. They always put top-15 teams on their schedule because they want a challenge. They want to be the best and that prepares them for their conference. I know they’re going to come in here ready to play, and that’s good because we need competition like that.”

 

 

 

Fabian Washington:

 

On Willie Amos as a receiver

 

“He’s amazingly fast. Anytime he lines up on my side, he’s somebody that when he comes out you look for them to throw the deep ball to him.”

 

 

 

On who’s faster between him and Willie:

 

“That’s a good question, but I’d say him.”

 

 

 

On Western Illinois’ offense:

 

“They’re mostly going to pass the ball around. They’ll run the ball on first down, but after that the ball’s going to be in the air. As for their personnel, they have a lot of little guys, but they’re fast and shifty.”

 

 

 

On Western Illinois’ inexperience at quarterback:

 

“We’re going to take advantage of their inexperience at quarterback. We’re going to blitz them and try to intercept them a couple times.”

 

 

 

On Western Illinois:

 

“They’re good. I looked at them last year when they played LSU. They pushed LSU until they took over the game in the fourth quarter. I think they’re going to come in thinking that they are going to beat us.”

 

 

 

On this year’s defense compared to last year’s defense:

 

“We’ll just have to wait and see. I think we can be a better defense than last year.”

 

 

 

On freshman Cortney Grixby:

 

”Cortney has been learning the defense fast and coach has been throwing him in there with the No. 1s and 2s to get him some good repetitions and some realistic repetitions. I think he’ll get a nice amount of playing time on Saturday.”

 

 

 

On Nebraska having the third-most all-time victories in Division I:

 

“That’s nice, but I’ve only been around for two years. This year, we’re just trying to add 13 more wins.”

 

 

 

On being omitted from some preseason watch lists:

 

“I know at the end of the year my name will be on all the lists. I know I’m one of the best cornerbacks in the country, and I think I’m the best cornerback in the Big 12.”

 

 

 

On the Bullocks twins at the two safety positions:

 

“When you have safeties like that, you can take some risks and they’ll back you up in case you get beat.”

 

 

 

On if the team will play more man or zone coverage:

 

“I think it will be a lot of man, but there will be some zone. They have a rookie quarterback, so we will try and mix it up. We will try to confuse him a little bit and try to pick off a few balls. You can’t just play all man.”

 

 

 

On where the secondary ranks in the nation:

 

“I think we have the best secondary, by far, in the nation. We bring back a lot of experience from last year. A lot of people say Lornell McPherson hasn’t played a lot, but he’s played in 38 games and is very experienced.”

 

 

 

Junior Wide Receiver Ross Pilkington:

 

On the emergence of freshman Terrence Nunn:

 

“I think Terrence kind of caught us all by surprise. He’s a young kid that came in from out of state, and right when he got here he wasted no time in starting to make big plays and that has really gotten everybody’s attention. He’s been a blessing for us, and he’s just going to continue to make big plays.

 

 

 

On a top 25 ranking:

 

“We definitely weren’t given anything at the beginning of the season. We’re going to have to earn that respect with the nation with our new offense and new coaching staff. I think after a few strong games and strong performances, that will happen.

 

 

 

On the receiving corps:

 

“We’ve got a lot of depth and a lot of different type of guys. We’ve have guys that can go across the middle, a lot of guys that can go deep and a lot of guys that can catch the ball. I think that’s really going to be beneficial in our offense. With Joe back there firing it around, it should be fun to watch.

 

 

 

On Joe Dailey’s throwing abilities:

 

“Joe throws a great ball. His velocity has gotten a lot better over the summer and through camp. His accuracy is unbelievable. Once people get a chance to see what Joe can do, a lot of eyes will be opened, and a lot of people are going to be surprised. He’s coming out of nowhere, and he really didn’t get a chance to show off his arm last year. This year, in this offense, he’s really going to have a chance to show what he can do.”

 

 

 

On Nebraska’s history:

 

“I think that we’re going to continue to rack up the wins. Even though it’s a new era, we’re going to be able to keep winning consistently and keep that tradition alive.”

 

 

 

On the possibility of a 1,000-yard receiving season:

 

“I don’t really want to look at that right now. I just want to take it one game at a time. We haven’t played a game yet, so I don’t know how many times we’re each going to touch the ball. As the season goes along, I think it will be a little more of a fair question to ask.”

 

 

 

On excitement surrounding the season opener:

 

“We’re all excited. We all got together and watched the USC game this weekend. Everybody is itching to get out on the field this weekend. Everyone is kind of sick of practicing and sick of hitting each other and wants to hit somebody else. Everybody is really looking forward to this weekend and getting back onto the field and into the stadium.”

 

 

 

On Western Illinois:

 

“I know they have a lot of great athletes, and I know that they’re not going to be scared of anybody. They went into LSU last year and gave them a game all the way into the fourth quarter and that’s what we’re expecting. We’re not expecting them to hand us anything, and we’re not going to take them lightly. Anytime you have a team that is going to come in and not be intimidated by Husker Nation, they’re going to put up a good fight. We’re going to try and just play our game and knock them out early.”

 

 

On what it takes for the offense to be successful:

 

“Pass completions. I think as long as we go down the road and complete passes, avoid turnovers and march down the field one or two times and have some success, I think that’s really the key.”

 

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