Here is a full recap of Nebraska's weekly press conference this afternoon at Memorial Stadium, as the Huskers get ready to take on Maryland this week.
Mike Riley is scheduled to meet with reporters around 11:30 a.m.
***Ross Dzuris will start off.
***Dzuris said it hasn't quite hit him yet that Saturday will be his last home game as a Husker. He said the entire senior class is determined to finish this season out strong and make the most of the opportunities in front of them.
***Dzuris said with the seniors from Nebraska, "it's like I've known these guys my whole life." He said this group has gone through so many ups and downs in their career, and it's been fun to grow together through it all.
***Dzuris said the influence of Kevin Maurice will carry on to the rest of the young defensive tackles over the next couple years. He said he expects John Parrella to use film of Maurice as examples of how to play the position for a long time.
***That's all for Dzuris.
***Mike Riley is now up.
***Riley said the most encouraging aspect of last week's win was how Nebraska responded to "big, big adversity" from its past two losses.
***Riley said some things that have to be fixed were the mental errors and penalties, especially the personal fouls. He also called the 12-men on the field penalty "ridiculous".
***Riley said the two biggest differences from this year to last year have been in turnover margin and big plays on both sides of the ball, especially in not allowing them nearly as much as last season.
***Standouts from Saturday: Josh Banderas, Kevin Maurice, Lamar Jackson, Joshua Kalu, Tommy Armstrong, Terrell Newby, Sam Cotton, Tanner Farmer, Cole Conrad, Chris Weber, Brad Simpson, Luke McNitt, and Drew Brown.
***On Armstrong, Riley said the quarterback is dealing with a hamstring and they will evaluate him through the week. Ryker Fyfe and Zack Darlington will be the No. 1 and 2 QBs until Armstrong comes back.
***Brandon Reilly (hamstring) should be back, and Dedrick Young (ankle) is close to coming back.
***Riley made sure to note that Jerald Foster suffered zero setbacks in his first game back.
***Riley said Sam Foltz's family will be a part of Nebraska's Senior Day celebration before Saturday's game.
***Riley said Maryland's punter is a rugby style punter, so returns will be interesting this week.
***Riley said Armstrong's hamstring "is definitely" the main concern. He said the ankle injury was not an issue. Riley called hamstring injuries "one of those mysterious things", and Armstrong was limping "pretty heavily" on Sunday.
***Riley said Armstrong will no doubt do everything he can to play on Saturday, but in the end it will come down to "biology".
***Riley said the special teams have been "a 50/50 bag" this season, with some really good things and some bad things. Field goals and kickoff coverage have been good, punting and punt returns have struggled. Not getting De'Mornay Pierson-El more room on punt returns has been disappointing, and the punt team has "been less than 50/50."
***On the 12-men on the field penalty, Riley said it started with him making the decision to put the punt return team or the defense out there to defend against the fake. Another issue is whenever Pierson-El is on the field, they have to take Michael Rose-Ivey off since they both wear No. 15. After that, there's different personnel for dime, nickel and base depending on the down and distance.
***In the end, Riley said Bruce Read has nothing to do with the 12-men on the field penalty, as it was a mistake by the defensive staff.
***Riley said Read is the head of all special teams, but there are other coaches in charge of each individual special team, so it's not just him solely handling every kick and return unit. That said, it is Read's responsibility as a whole, and when Riley grades special teams as "50/50", that's a direct grade on Read.
***Riley said there were a lot of encouraging things about Nebraska's special teams, but also "some glaring" problems. The two blocked punts rank right at the top of those issues.
***Riley said he's "been totally impressed" with the players that have walked on to this program and made a big impact. He said you can't even tell who's on scholarship and who's a walk-on because they all give max effort every single day.
***Riley said the fact that this senior class bought into him and his staff immediately when they took over says so much about the character of that group. "I wish I had more time with them, because it will have gone too fast."
***That's all for Riley.
***Trey Foster is now up.
***Foster said it's crazy to look back on that 2012 Shrine Bowl and see how many of them ended up having key roles at Nebraska as walk-ons.
***Foster said "it's going to be a tough moment for us" to go through Senior Day festivities with Foltz's family. Lots of emotions.
***Foster said being able to play his first collegiate game with his younger brother, Jerald, was an awesome experience. Trey said Jerald actually gave a pre-game pep talk to the offense, and several members of the defense who wanted to hear it.
***That's all for Foster.
***Dylan Utter is now up.
***Utter is wearing a protective boot on his left foot, but he said that's just part of the grind of the season at this time of year. Everyone is banged up.
***Utter said the most important part of Saturday will be getting a win and finishing out an undefeated home schedule this season.
***Utter said Jerald Foster told him the day after his surgery that he would play again this season. "Specimens like him don't come around very often."
***Utter said he'll "be fine" and will play on Saturday.
***Utter said Armstrong's toughness sets the tone for the entire team, building a mentality that no one wants to lets their teammates down by having to miss any time with an injury.
***Utter said he wants this senior class to be the group that got this program back on track after last season. They had a lot of obstacles to go through, but they take pride in getting Riley's legacy started out right.
***That's all for Utter.
***Jerald Foster is now up.
***Foster said he knew early on that he had a chance to return to play this season, and that fueled him during a rehab that was "not fun." He said a month into his recovery was the hardest part.
***Foster said he never had a doubt that he would be back this season. He credited the trainers and his teammates for keeping his spirits up and allowing him to still be involved with the team even though he wasn't playing.
***Foster said he had "rust all over the place" in his first game back. He said Saturday was a great chance to get back into the swing of things, even if it took him until the second half to feel like he "was really playing football again."
***Foster said he was only "football sore" on Sunday morning.
***Foster said it was great to finally play a game with his older brother, but also just being able to be on the field with his other "brothers".
***Foster said Armstrong was one of the toughest football players he'd ever played with. He said when Armstrong came back onto the field after his ankle injury, he said: "Oh my god, you're back?!" That motivated the entire offense to drive down the field for a touchdown.
***Funny moment here where Trey asks Jerald to describe how big of an influence his older brother has been in his life. Jerald responds by saying Trey has been blessed with an exceptional younger brother.
***That's all for Foster.
***Brandon Reilly is now up.
***Reilly comes to the press conference wearing an authentic Jordan Westerkamp jersey.
***Reilly said his hamstring "is all good. No setbacks or anything."
***Reilly said early in his career Kenny Bell came up to him and told him to forget about the label as a walk-on going into his redshirt freshman year. Reilly has hung on to that advice throughout his career and used it as motivation to get where he is.
***Asked about his favorite moment of his career, he said the day he received his scholarship. He and Foltz got scholarships on the same day.
***Reilly said Westerkamp is one of his best friends on the team, even if "he's still a weird kid, though."
***Reilly said Westerkamp is usually a quite guy who keeps to himself, but if something needs to be said, Jordan will say it. "He should be more cocky for how good he is."
***Reilly said he's known that Banderas "is an animal" since they played together in high school. "I'm sure I'll be watching him play more in the future, too."
***That's all for Reilly.
***Kieron Williams is now up.
***Williams said a performance like the defense had against Minnesota was definitely a big lift for the defense, especially after what happened at Ohio State. But the focus now is getting ready for Maryland.
***That's all for Williams.
That's all for the up-front portion of today's press conference. Much more coming.
Mike Riley is scheduled to meet with reporters around 11:30 a.m.
***Ross Dzuris will start off.
***Dzuris said it hasn't quite hit him yet that Saturday will be his last home game as a Husker. He said the entire senior class is determined to finish this season out strong and make the most of the opportunities in front of them.
***Dzuris said with the seniors from Nebraska, "it's like I've known these guys my whole life." He said this group has gone through so many ups and downs in their career, and it's been fun to grow together through it all.
***Dzuris said the influence of Kevin Maurice will carry on to the rest of the young defensive tackles over the next couple years. He said he expects John Parrella to use film of Maurice as examples of how to play the position for a long time.
***That's all for Dzuris.
***Mike Riley is now up.
***Riley said the most encouraging aspect of last week's win was how Nebraska responded to "big, big adversity" from its past two losses.
***Riley said some things that have to be fixed were the mental errors and penalties, especially the personal fouls. He also called the 12-men on the field penalty "ridiculous".
***Riley said the two biggest differences from this year to last year have been in turnover margin and big plays on both sides of the ball, especially in not allowing them nearly as much as last season.
***Standouts from Saturday: Josh Banderas, Kevin Maurice, Lamar Jackson, Joshua Kalu, Tommy Armstrong, Terrell Newby, Sam Cotton, Tanner Farmer, Cole Conrad, Chris Weber, Brad Simpson, Luke McNitt, and Drew Brown.
***On Armstrong, Riley said the quarterback is dealing with a hamstring and they will evaluate him through the week. Ryker Fyfe and Zack Darlington will be the No. 1 and 2 QBs until Armstrong comes back.
***Brandon Reilly (hamstring) should be back, and Dedrick Young (ankle) is close to coming back.
***Riley made sure to note that Jerald Foster suffered zero setbacks in his first game back.
***Riley said Sam Foltz's family will be a part of Nebraska's Senior Day celebration before Saturday's game.
***Riley said Maryland's punter is a rugby style punter, so returns will be interesting this week.
***Riley said Armstrong's hamstring "is definitely" the main concern. He said the ankle injury was not an issue. Riley called hamstring injuries "one of those mysterious things", and Armstrong was limping "pretty heavily" on Sunday.
***Riley said Armstrong will no doubt do everything he can to play on Saturday, but in the end it will come down to "biology".
***Riley said the special teams have been "a 50/50 bag" this season, with some really good things and some bad things. Field goals and kickoff coverage have been good, punting and punt returns have struggled. Not getting De'Mornay Pierson-El more room on punt returns has been disappointing, and the punt team has "been less than 50/50."
***On the 12-men on the field penalty, Riley said it started with him making the decision to put the punt return team or the defense out there to defend against the fake. Another issue is whenever Pierson-El is on the field, they have to take Michael Rose-Ivey off since they both wear No. 15. After that, there's different personnel for dime, nickel and base depending on the down and distance.
***In the end, Riley said Bruce Read has nothing to do with the 12-men on the field penalty, as it was a mistake by the defensive staff.
***Riley said Read is the head of all special teams, but there are other coaches in charge of each individual special team, so it's not just him solely handling every kick and return unit. That said, it is Read's responsibility as a whole, and when Riley grades special teams as "50/50", that's a direct grade on Read.
***Riley said there were a lot of encouraging things about Nebraska's special teams, but also "some glaring" problems. The two blocked punts rank right at the top of those issues.
***Riley said he's "been totally impressed" with the players that have walked on to this program and made a big impact. He said you can't even tell who's on scholarship and who's a walk-on because they all give max effort every single day.
***Riley said the fact that this senior class bought into him and his staff immediately when they took over says so much about the character of that group. "I wish I had more time with them, because it will have gone too fast."
***That's all for Riley.
***Trey Foster is now up.
***Foster said it's crazy to look back on that 2012 Shrine Bowl and see how many of them ended up having key roles at Nebraska as walk-ons.
***Foster said "it's going to be a tough moment for us" to go through Senior Day festivities with Foltz's family. Lots of emotions.
***Foster said being able to play his first collegiate game with his younger brother, Jerald, was an awesome experience. Trey said Jerald actually gave a pre-game pep talk to the offense, and several members of the defense who wanted to hear it.
***That's all for Foster.
***Dylan Utter is now up.
***Utter is wearing a protective boot on his left foot, but he said that's just part of the grind of the season at this time of year. Everyone is banged up.
***Utter said the most important part of Saturday will be getting a win and finishing out an undefeated home schedule this season.
***Utter said Jerald Foster told him the day after his surgery that he would play again this season. "Specimens like him don't come around very often."
***Utter said he'll "be fine" and will play on Saturday.
***Utter said Armstrong's toughness sets the tone for the entire team, building a mentality that no one wants to lets their teammates down by having to miss any time with an injury.
***Utter said he wants this senior class to be the group that got this program back on track after last season. They had a lot of obstacles to go through, but they take pride in getting Riley's legacy started out right.
***That's all for Utter.
***Jerald Foster is now up.
***Foster said he knew early on that he had a chance to return to play this season, and that fueled him during a rehab that was "not fun." He said a month into his recovery was the hardest part.
***Foster said he never had a doubt that he would be back this season. He credited the trainers and his teammates for keeping his spirits up and allowing him to still be involved with the team even though he wasn't playing.
***Foster said he had "rust all over the place" in his first game back. He said Saturday was a great chance to get back into the swing of things, even if it took him until the second half to feel like he "was really playing football again."
***Foster said he was only "football sore" on Sunday morning.
***Foster said it was great to finally play a game with his older brother, but also just being able to be on the field with his other "brothers".
***Foster said Armstrong was one of the toughest football players he'd ever played with. He said when Armstrong came back onto the field after his ankle injury, he said: "Oh my god, you're back?!" That motivated the entire offense to drive down the field for a touchdown.
***Funny moment here where Trey asks Jerald to describe how big of an influence his older brother has been in his life. Jerald responds by saying Trey has been blessed with an exceptional younger brother.
***That's all for Foster.
***Brandon Reilly is now up.
***Reilly comes to the press conference wearing an authentic Jordan Westerkamp jersey.
***Reilly said his hamstring "is all good. No setbacks or anything."
***Reilly said early in his career Kenny Bell came up to him and told him to forget about the label as a walk-on going into his redshirt freshman year. Reilly has hung on to that advice throughout his career and used it as motivation to get where he is.
***Asked about his favorite moment of his career, he said the day he received his scholarship. He and Foltz got scholarships on the same day.
***Reilly said Westerkamp is one of his best friends on the team, even if "he's still a weird kid, though."
***Reilly said Westerkamp is usually a quite guy who keeps to himself, but if something needs to be said, Jordan will say it. "He should be more cocky for how good he is."
***Reilly said he's known that Banderas "is an animal" since they played together in high school. "I'm sure I'll be watching him play more in the future, too."
***That's all for Reilly.
***Kieron Williams is now up.
***Williams said a performance like the defense had against Minnesota was definitely a big lift for the defense, especially after what happened at Ohio State. But the focus now is getting ready for Maryland.
***That's all for Williams.
That's all for the up-front portion of today's press conference. Much more coming.
Last edited:
