As always, these are not verbatim, I type as he speaks.
• Hopefully we’ll try to use some momentum from the game at Northwestern, the kids handled some adversity in the game pretty well. Hopefully that will carry over to Nebraska, they have the most sacks in the Big 10 at 17, they are very good at 3rd down, they average 34 points a game and 500 yards. They have the fastest skilled people in the Big 10, as well as their running game.
• Mitch Leidner is feeling a little under the weather, if could go either way. To play in the game, you gotta practice. We’ll have to have both QB’s ready to play.
• Martinez is as talented a QB as we’ll play against in the Big 10. Their speed all around makes him even better. You can’t cheat guys in the box.
• Our secondary players are a little banged up, we’ll leave Brock at Corner, then get him some reps at Safety in the next few days.
• Is Ed Olson a starter? I don’t know I didn’t ask that, I should have asked.
• Kill has been in the office for a few days, for a few hours a day. He’s building up what he needs to get back.
• Don’t know the convos he’s had with recruits, but Kill’s condition is no surprise to the recruits.
• There’s a chance Kill could stop by practice this week.
• I would be surprised that he would be heavily involved in the coaching for NE. But guessing he’ll be there.
• Hageman did a great job, we blitzed more in that game, and it gave Rasheed a lot more one on ones. We need to do more things like that so they can’t always double team him.
• Whoever’s got the hot hand (at QB) is the one you play, that’s going to give you the best opportunity to win.
• Nebraska has one small leak, in their run defense. It will be critical that we can run the ball against them.
• Phillips’s going to run to avoid contact, and Mitch is going to run you over.
• The good thing about the running backs, is there is 3 there, who starts, and Coach Kill will tell you the same thing, that will be determined on Thursday. Whoever has the best practice during the week is going to determine the tailback. When there’s multiple good competition.
• We don’t believe in gamers, guys that say they’re going to play on Saturdays. We don’t believe in that.
• Once we got back, I went to bed (laughing)! It gives me appreciation of all of the things you need to do as HC. It’s good that I’m not married and don’t have a family, I wouldn’t have time to spend any time with them.
• I think anytime that someone would approach you to be a HC, you look at the option, but it would have to be the right situation at the right place. It would be really hard to go into Coach Kill’s office after 19 years and tell him I was leaving after all he’s done for me.
• I stayed away from the kids on defense on the sidelines. I did have to take one timeout late in the game where I was talking to the kids, and realized we didn’t have time to snap the ball. When you’re calling the defense, it’s a lot faster, and the guys are a lot bigger than when you’re up in the press box.
• Don’t get me wrong, I like being in the box, and having a Coke Zero, and having all my charts in front of me.
• David Cobb is no different than a lot of kids, it takes some time to mature ,and bang with the big boys ,we’re very pleased with his development, like we are with several kids. You have to be a pretty special player in college to play before your 3rd or 2nd year. We all enjoy winning, that’s the only way we’re going to keep our jobs.
• We felt all along that we were better than we were a year ago, that doesn’t always result in wins. NU had a few injuries. To go on the road, they’re still a good FB team, that was a good win for him.
• Marcus Jones is practicing.