Nebraska Cornhuskers College Football Pregame Quote, 09/06/2021

On Markese Stepp’s play:

Yeah I think for him it was just a matter of getting healthy. He showed up with an injury I didn’t expect and it took him a while to get healthy and I’ve seen constant improvement with him and it seems to continue.

On scholarship versus non-scholarship players and the transfer portal:

Potentially. I think we are just seeing the tip of the ice burg with the transfer portal there’s going to be a lot of that. We definitely want people that fit us from a football standpoint and from a culture standpoint. I love the way our locker room is right now and I never want to upset that. It’s going to be an interesting year because we are going to have a lot smaller signing class than normal because of the change in eligibility through COVID. We will see where we fall with number of freshman and transfers this year.

On disadvantages when recruiting players to Nebraska :

Will see. We have a lot of advantages here. We have some uphill battles to fight but again I think when people come and see Nebraska and experience game day and see the fans here and get to know what Nebraska is all about we have a great chance to get anybody that visits here.

On Stepp figuring out the rhythm of playing at Nebraska:

I think you just improve with reps and you improve with game reps. Running backs are no different than anybody else. I was pleased with several of the backs on Saturday. I thought we made a step forward with that position group.

On Adrian’s performance:

I thought he played a really good game. Made the throws he was supposed to make. Made good decisions. We had the one ball on the ground but other than that he didn’t miss much. That’s what we’ve been seeing at practice and expect it to continue.

On transfers leaning on each other:

You’re just more ready for everything that life and football throw at you when your 21 years old instead of 18. I’m sure it helps those guys to have some peers that are new to the program too, but every one of those guys that transferred in did a great job of being mature and getting to work and training like a pro and learning the offense defense and special teams’ schemes. I think we picked some of the right guys and they’re going to play a big role this year.

On the play of the offensive line:

I thought we made a big step from week one to week two. There is still room for improvement but definitely thought they played a better game.

On what about Buffalo stands out:

Their kids know how to win. They played for a conference championship last year. I think they’ve got talent. I’ve watched their defense more than their offense. They’ve got good pass rushers and all-conference linebackers. Good guys up front and some fast guys in the back. They’re very sound in their scheme. Very aggressive in their scheme. They look really well coached. They looked like world beaters in game one. Our guys are preparing and know we have a challenge next Saturday.

On our punt returning:

We’ve got to make good decisions back there. I’m not the type of coach that’s going to fire someone from a role if they make a mistake but the mistakes have to quit. The one on Saturday was a little tough. If that’s a bounce in the open field we want him to field it. That was probably not the right time to try to do that but Cam gives us the best opportunity for a big play back there too. We will make that decision as we go forward but I trust Cam.

On Logan’s play:

I thought Logan did some good things. The biggest thing for me was the moment didn’t look too big for him. He looked ready for it and went out and executed the offense. Made some good plays with his arm and his legs.

On concerns with Buffalo’s new staff:

We have one game. Hopefully we can do a good job with that. They got ahead in fast and did some things late in the game that they didn’t do in the first 20 snaps. It’s going to be a little bit of a guessing game. I experienced a game with their defensive coordinator before and he did a really good job and they whipped us. I know he’s going to have the guys ready and we are going to try our best to guess what kind of scheme they are going to be running.

On Frost’s memory of 9/11:

It was a tough time for the country. I was in Ohio. I had just gotten released by the Jets and picked up by the Cleveland Browns. I got up in the morning at a hotel to head into work and turned on the T.V. and saw what was happening. It doesn’t seem like it was 20 years ago. I’m really proud of Orah and our team and the video they put out and have gotten a lot of good messages about that. He’s really talented. Having D Jacks on the team and being a part of that is pretty special. It’s something that should be remembered and honored. The little bit that we can do to honor it is worth it.

On McKenzie Milton:

I didn’t get to watch. I was in the office until midnight last night game planning so I didn’t get to watch. I looked at my phone and saw a bunch of messages about it. Kenzie’s like family. He’s family to me. He went through something hard and I’m glad to see him having some success again. He deserves it.

On Omar Manning’s growth with the offense:

Omar is talented. It’s just a matter of being out there and when he’s out there he’ll make plays. He’s done a really good job of that through fall camp. With Oliver down last week he got even more reps and I thought he took advantage of it. When he’s out there we’re a better team.

On Cam’s rough first couple of weeks:

I don’t think he’s had a rough first couple of weeks. He’s played really well on defense. He’s had two bad plays. If you look at any other player on our team they’ve had two bad plays in two games. I wouldn’t characterize it as a rough start. We’ve just got to make better decisions on punt returns.

On Broc Bando being out:

No. Broc had an illness and it shouldn’t be long.

On the work to get injured players back on the field :

Yeah all those guys. Oliver and Casey and Travis. They’re all getting close.

On Teddy Prochazka’s play:

Teddy has had a really good camp. Anytime you’re an early enrollee gives you an advantage. He got a lot of reps early. He’s got a ton of potential. You’re starting to see that shine through. He did a really good job in the off-season turning his body into a guy that looks like he’s been in college for four years already. It won’t be very long before he’s helping us so the more reps we can get the better we are.

On Marques Buford and what he’s done to get on the field:

When you get to know the roster the guys that travel and going to get the chance to play are the guys that are helping on special teams. Marques has done a great job on defense but he’s also taken special teams seriously and contributed on that. That’s going to give him opportunities on defense. He’s another guy with a bright future.