Here is a full recap of today's weekly press conference.
Head coach Mike Riley is scheduled to meet with media at around 11:30 a.m. with players to follow...
***Mike Riley is up.
***Riley opens by giving his condolences to Army defensive back Brandon Jackson, who died in a car accident over the weekend.
***Riley said some of the positives from the Wyoming win were the explosive plays on offense, creating turnovers on defense.
***Riley said the biggest negatives were the penalties, many of which he said were easily preventable.
***Riley also noted that it was "almost like a flip game" from Week 1 in terms of the rushing/passing success. He said they weren't able to find consistency running the ball until much too late into the game.
***Riley said Drew Brown was "outstanding" on Saturday, especially with his kickoffs. Riley joked that they "made every really scared and alert with our fake punt... That was really a joke." He said the punt and punt return games continue to need improvement.
***Riley said Oregon was pretty typical from previous years in that they have lots of speed a good group of playmakers on offense. He said the quarterback Prukop looks "real comfortable" with what they're doing, which is reflected with their roughly 500 yards of total offense per game.
***Riley said the Ducks are running a bit of a different scheme under new DC Brady Hoke from what he saw at Oregon State, especially with their blitz schemes.
***Riley said he was informed right after he took the Nebraska job that Oregon was looming on the schedule. He said he was excited to renew the rivalry, and that while he "didn't necessarily like" the success the Ducks had, he had to admire what they've done.
***Riley said it's not just Oregon's team speed that makes its offense so good, but also the versatility and balance they have to hurt you with the run and the pass in a number of different ways.
***Riley said the penalty problems Nebraska has had over the first two weeks had to be eliminated, because they've changed the course of both games.
***Riley said Lamar Jackson (groin), Brandon Reilly (hamstring), Alonzo Moore (shoulder), Mick Stoltenberg (knee) were all questionable going forward.
***Riley said the plan offensively is to take Nebraska's strengths and match them up against what Oregon does defensively. Balance and versatility, especially a consistent running and play-action passing game, will be huge.
***Riley's message to the fans this week: "Let's go. Let's get it cranked up." He said crowd noise will be a big advantage for NU, though he noted playing in big games and environments are nothing new to Oregon.
***Riley praised the play of Kieron Williams over the past two games, and now with Nate Gerry back in the fold he feels really good about NU's safety situation.
***Riley said the punt return struggles have been caused by a few different factors, but there really haven't been many opportunities for good returns. He said he thinks there's a trend nationally of the number of good punt returns going down over the years. He said they obviously have a "great weapon back there" in De'Mornay Pierson-El, and they'd love to get that going.
***Riley said Caleb Lightbourn has mentally handled his situation this year really well. Riley said the botched fake punt was obviously a bad mistake, but overall Lightbourn has done well and Riley thinks he will be a very good player down the road.
***Riley said the scout team work this week would be tough because it's impossible to simulate Oregon's team speed. However, they can work on getting the defense in position to swarm to the ball and gang tackle, which can help negate one-on-one speed mismatches.
***Riley was asked how much Oregon's success over Oregon State played into his decision to leave for Nebraska. He said there was never a lack of confidence that they couldn't beat Oregon, and the Ducks consistently beat a lot of teams, so it wasn't just OSU. He said that really didn't have any role in taking the Nebraska job.
***That's all for Riley.
***Tommy Armstrong is now up.
***Armstrong was recruited by Oregon out of high school and it came down to OU, Nebraska and Southern Miss. He said Oregon being so far away from Texas/Mississippi played a role in his decision, but it was mostly about wanting to come to Nebraska.
***Armstrong downplayed the excitement and hype around this game, saying "it's just like any other week." He acknowledged that "of course it's a big game", but said the team needs to stay together, block out the outside noise, and focus on what they need to do to win.
***Armstrong said the screen passing game has been going well, but admitted it could be better at times. He said he needs to be more accurate with his screen passes, and the biggest key was the offensive line getting those first blocks to create a path for the running back/receiver. He said overall the blocking has been great.
***Armstrong said the offense takes just as much pride in the turnover margin as the defense. He said when they take care of the ball, their chances of winning go way up. He said their goal as a team is to win the turnover margin each week.
***That's all for Tommy.
***Jordan Westerkamp is up.
***Westerkamp said it was a special moment to be able to catch Armstrong's record breaking career touchdown pass, and that it was another "special moment for us" in their successful history so far at Nebraska.
***Westerkamp said Oregon was a big game, but every week was a big game. He said a win would definitely get their name out there nationally, so they have to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity.
***Westerkamp said the contrast in play calling over the first two weeks was "huge" because it shows other teams they have to prepare to stop the run and the pass equally, because both could beat you.
***Westerkamp agreed with Riley's point that punt returns in general have gone down over the years. He blamed rugby style punts and an emphasis on directional punts to the sidelines for cutting down the number of returnable balls.
***Westerkamp was asked if he believed Nate Gerry when he said he was just tossing the ball back to the ref after his interception, when he earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. "Yep," Westerkamp said with a grin and a wink, followed by laughs from the reporters.
***That's all for Westerkamp.
***Alonzo Moore is now up.
***Moore said his shoulder felt good and there was no way he was missing this game.
***Moore said he's loved being such a big part in Nebraska's success over the past two games. He said he'll continue to do whatever he can to keep it going.
***That's all for Moore.
***Kieron Williams is now up.
***Williams said communication was big every week, but especially against an offense like Oregon. He said it was important not to "psyche ourselves out" and put too much into the challenge OU presents, so they have to go in with the same mindset and focus as any other week.
***Williams said having a guy like Tanner Lee as the scout team QB helps the defense because of how well he's able to locate the ball and how he makes every practice feel like a game with how good he is.
***That's all for Williams.
***Nick Gates is now up.
***Gates said the chemistry on the offensive line is much better than it was back in fall camp, and they're a few steps ahead of where he thought they would be at this point.
***Gates said Oregon made his final five schools back when he was going through the recruiting process.
***Gates said he shouldn't have done what he did on his personal foul vs. Wyoming, but he was just trying to be physical. He said he's not going to change the way he plays, but he has to be more careful in situations like that.
***Gates said it was great having o-line coach Mike Cavanaugh back on the sidelines, but added that: "We get yelled at a lot more. When he's up in the box, you can take off the headphones."
***That's all for Gates.
That wraps up today's press conference. We'll have much more up soon.
Head coach Mike Riley is scheduled to meet with media at around 11:30 a.m. with players to follow...
***Mike Riley is up.
***Riley opens by giving his condolences to Army defensive back Brandon Jackson, who died in a car accident over the weekend.
***Riley said some of the positives from the Wyoming win were the explosive plays on offense, creating turnovers on defense.
***Riley said the biggest negatives were the penalties, many of which he said were easily preventable.
***Riley also noted that it was "almost like a flip game" from Week 1 in terms of the rushing/passing success. He said they weren't able to find consistency running the ball until much too late into the game.
***Riley said Drew Brown was "outstanding" on Saturday, especially with his kickoffs. Riley joked that they "made every really scared and alert with our fake punt... That was really a joke." He said the punt and punt return games continue to need improvement.
***Riley said Oregon was pretty typical from previous years in that they have lots of speed a good group of playmakers on offense. He said the quarterback Prukop looks "real comfortable" with what they're doing, which is reflected with their roughly 500 yards of total offense per game.
***Riley said the Ducks are running a bit of a different scheme under new DC Brady Hoke from what he saw at Oregon State, especially with their blitz schemes.
***Riley said he was informed right after he took the Nebraska job that Oregon was looming on the schedule. He said he was excited to renew the rivalry, and that while he "didn't necessarily like" the success the Ducks had, he had to admire what they've done.
***Riley said it's not just Oregon's team speed that makes its offense so good, but also the versatility and balance they have to hurt you with the run and the pass in a number of different ways.
***Riley said the penalty problems Nebraska has had over the first two weeks had to be eliminated, because they've changed the course of both games.
***Riley said Lamar Jackson (groin), Brandon Reilly (hamstring), Alonzo Moore (shoulder), Mick Stoltenberg (knee) were all questionable going forward.
***Riley said the plan offensively is to take Nebraska's strengths and match them up against what Oregon does defensively. Balance and versatility, especially a consistent running and play-action passing game, will be huge.
***Riley's message to the fans this week: "Let's go. Let's get it cranked up." He said crowd noise will be a big advantage for NU, though he noted playing in big games and environments are nothing new to Oregon.
***Riley praised the play of Kieron Williams over the past two games, and now with Nate Gerry back in the fold he feels really good about NU's safety situation.
***Riley said the punt return struggles have been caused by a few different factors, but there really haven't been many opportunities for good returns. He said he thinks there's a trend nationally of the number of good punt returns going down over the years. He said they obviously have a "great weapon back there" in De'Mornay Pierson-El, and they'd love to get that going.
***Riley said Caleb Lightbourn has mentally handled his situation this year really well. Riley said the botched fake punt was obviously a bad mistake, but overall Lightbourn has done well and Riley thinks he will be a very good player down the road.
***Riley said the scout team work this week would be tough because it's impossible to simulate Oregon's team speed. However, they can work on getting the defense in position to swarm to the ball and gang tackle, which can help negate one-on-one speed mismatches.
***Riley was asked how much Oregon's success over Oregon State played into his decision to leave for Nebraska. He said there was never a lack of confidence that they couldn't beat Oregon, and the Ducks consistently beat a lot of teams, so it wasn't just OSU. He said that really didn't have any role in taking the Nebraska job.
***That's all for Riley.
***Tommy Armstrong is now up.
***Armstrong was recruited by Oregon out of high school and it came down to OU, Nebraska and Southern Miss. He said Oregon being so far away from Texas/Mississippi played a role in his decision, but it was mostly about wanting to come to Nebraska.
***Armstrong downplayed the excitement and hype around this game, saying "it's just like any other week." He acknowledged that "of course it's a big game", but said the team needs to stay together, block out the outside noise, and focus on what they need to do to win.
***Armstrong said the screen passing game has been going well, but admitted it could be better at times. He said he needs to be more accurate with his screen passes, and the biggest key was the offensive line getting those first blocks to create a path for the running back/receiver. He said overall the blocking has been great.
***Armstrong said the offense takes just as much pride in the turnover margin as the defense. He said when they take care of the ball, their chances of winning go way up. He said their goal as a team is to win the turnover margin each week.
***That's all for Tommy.
***Jordan Westerkamp is up.
***Westerkamp said it was a special moment to be able to catch Armstrong's record breaking career touchdown pass, and that it was another "special moment for us" in their successful history so far at Nebraska.
***Westerkamp said Oregon was a big game, but every week was a big game. He said a win would definitely get their name out there nationally, so they have to find a way to take advantage of the opportunity.
***Westerkamp said the contrast in play calling over the first two weeks was "huge" because it shows other teams they have to prepare to stop the run and the pass equally, because both could beat you.
***Westerkamp agreed with Riley's point that punt returns in general have gone down over the years. He blamed rugby style punts and an emphasis on directional punts to the sidelines for cutting down the number of returnable balls.
***Westerkamp was asked if he believed Nate Gerry when he said he was just tossing the ball back to the ref after his interception, when he earned an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. "Yep," Westerkamp said with a grin and a wink, followed by laughs from the reporters.
***That's all for Westerkamp.
***Alonzo Moore is now up.
***Moore said his shoulder felt good and there was no way he was missing this game.
***Moore said he's loved being such a big part in Nebraska's success over the past two games. He said he'll continue to do whatever he can to keep it going.
***That's all for Moore.
***Kieron Williams is now up.
***Williams said communication was big every week, but especially against an offense like Oregon. He said it was important not to "psyche ourselves out" and put too much into the challenge OU presents, so they have to go in with the same mindset and focus as any other week.
***Williams said having a guy like Tanner Lee as the scout team QB helps the defense because of how well he's able to locate the ball and how he makes every practice feel like a game with how good he is.
***That's all for Williams.
***Nick Gates is now up.
***Gates said the chemistry on the offensive line is much better than it was back in fall camp, and they're a few steps ahead of where he thought they would be at this point.
***Gates said Oregon made his final five schools back when he was going through the recruiting process.
***Gates said he shouldn't have done what he did on his personal foul vs. Wyoming, but he was just trying to be physical. He said he's not going to change the way he plays, but he has to be more careful in situations like that.
***Gates said it was great having o-line coach Mike Cavanaugh back on the sidelines, but added that: "We get yelled at a lot more. When he's up in the box, you can take off the headphones."
***That's all for Gates.
That wraps up today's press conference. We'll have much more up soon.
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