Coming off its first win of the season vs. Penn State, Nebraska got back to work on Monday to prepare for this week's home game vs. Illinois.
Here is a full recap of what the Huskers' coaches and players had to say during their Zoom press conference...
Head coach Scott Frost
***Frost said Saturday was a good step in the right direction with Nebraska's all-around special teams. There was still a lot to improve, but there was progress made last week.
***Frost said moving Nebraska to the West sideline was done because it keeps opposing coaches from seeing the staff's play signals from the box.
"It's really easy with us signaling things in to see from the skybox (on the East side)."
***Frost said Iowa transfer receiver Oliver Martin was eligible and would compete for playing time. Martin hadn't gotten many reps since he was ineligible to play, so he has some catching up to do.
***Frost said receiver Omar Manning still wasn't healthy, and they'd be "keeping our fingers crossed" that he can get on the field and stay on the field.
***Frost said Marvin Scott needed to learn the offense better "because he's earned the right to play more." Frost said Scott made the key block on Zavier Betts' touchdown, and he called Scott after the game to give him credit.
***Frost said he's been happy with the running back room as a whole. He said, "we'll always use Wan'Dale as a change-up" at running back.
***Frost said getting tight end Jack Stoll was a pleasant surprise, even though Stoll probably wasn't even "80 percent" recovered from the knee injury he suffered at Ohio State.
***Frost said you couldn't take coaching much better than how Luke McCaffrey does it, and he was receptive to all of the evaluation and criticism the coaches have given him on his first start.
***On McCaffrey's left-handed throw vs. Penn State, "I'm OK with it because it worked." He said he never wanted to curtail a players' creativity and playmaking ability, but they had to be smart about the chances they took on the field.
***Frost said, "Guys in this building can't sit back and relax" now that they finally won a game. Based on what he saw on Monday, Frost thinks his team is ready to build on that win as he'd hoped.
***Frost said the quarterback competition this week would be the same as it was last week, "and it's always going to be the same."
***Frost said there was a chance that the backup QB could still see the field in games, even though Adrian Martinez did not play at all on Saturday.
***Frost said Illinois "hit the crap out of us" in last year's win in Champaign. He doesn't put much stock into what the Illini have done so far this year because they'll always be tough and physical on defense.
Senior linebacker Collin Miller
***Miller said one of the main focuses for the defense last week was starting fast, as the first two games saw opponents march down the field and score right away. He said they did that vs. Penn State, and it “kind of set the tone” for the rest of the day.
***Miller said JoJo Domann played over 90 snaps vs. Penn State, and “I don’t think I saw him slow down for a snap.” Miller said Domann “takes a toll” on offenses because he never lets up and is always going 100-percent.
"Play 90 looked like Play 14 for him."
***Miller said it’s not hard to get the young defensive players locked in and prepared to play because they “love football” and are so eager to learn and get better.
***Miller said Illinois had played 3-4 quarterbacks this season due to COVID-19, which makes it hard to prepare for them because of how much the Illini change their offense around who’s under center.
***Miller said a Monday practice after a win “is definitely way different than a Monday after a loss.” He said that feeling could “get the ball rolling” for NU’s season the rest of the way.
"There's no better feeling in that locker room than after a win, so we need more of them."
Senior cornerback Dicaprio Bootle
***Bootle said he was "very proud" of how the secondary stepped up on the last two PSU possessions, especially with how they "locked them up" in man coverage in the red zone.
***Bootle said the experience of NU's defensive backs was starting to show up in how comfortable that group is now in the defense.
***Bootle agreed that the defense needed to start the game better than it had in the first two losses.
***Bootle said, "winning makes everything better," so Monday's practice was a lot different than previous Mondays.
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Ty Robinson
***Robinson said stopping mobile quarterbacks was about "holding our ground," and his role in that was controlling the line of scrimmage so his teammates could get freed up to make plays.
***Robinson on closing out the win vs. Penn State, especially with Ben Stille making the final sack: "The feelings and emotions that rushed through my body were unexplainable."
***Robinson said the last time he played that many snaps were probably his junior or senior year in high school. He said he fell asleep as soon as he got home after the game and didn't wake up until his alarm went off the next morning.
"I can tell you this: Right after the game, I went home and laid down, and I don't even remember closing my eyes."
***Robinson said Ohio State was the best offensive line NU has faced this season.
***Robinson said the pass rush needed to improve, but they took a step in the right direction against Penn State with the number of sacks and pressures they got on Saturday.
***Robinson said he roomed with Luke McCaffrey last year. "That man is a ball of energy," and that attitude was infectious to everyone around him.
Sophomore center Cam Jurgens
***Jurgens said his foot injury was "pretty sore" on Sunday, but he gauged his decision to play based on how he felt through the week.
***Jurgens said getting early momentum on both sides of the ball was a big difference on Saturday. However, the second-half struggles resulted from the offense not "keeping our foot on the gas."
***Jurgens admitted he needed to be more focused on every play to avoid bad snaps problems. "You expect a field goal kicker to make every kick and the center to make every snap."
***Jurgens said Robinson was "a beast" physically, but Robinson was also "a strong kid mentally" who was always pushing himself to get better. In terms of overall strength, "the sky's the limit for him... He can do anything anyone in the nation can do."
Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey
***On what he most wanted to improve upon, McCaffrey said running more "efficiently" and making better decisions in the zone-read running game.
***McCaffrey said Robinson had "all the traits you're looking for in a player." But more than anything, McCaffrey said Robinson had "that switch" he can flip between being a fun guy off the field to locking in as a tenacious competitor on the field.
***McCaffrey said his "energy" definitely comes from his mother. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who has the energy that she has and shows."
***McCaffrey said coming off a win provided so much "positivity" within the locker room, but now they had to make sure they carried it over to this week so they can do it again.
***McCaffrey said the way Wan'Dale Robinson stepped up and played so much after running back after Dedrick Mills went down was as important to Nebraska winning on Saturday as anything.
***While McCaffrey earned a lot of praise after his first college start, he said there were plenty of things he needed to improve going forward. "When it comes to evaluation, I consider myself my harshest critic."
Here is a full recap of what the Huskers' coaches and players had to say during their Zoom press conference...
Head coach Scott Frost
***Frost said Saturday was a good step in the right direction with Nebraska's all-around special teams. There was still a lot to improve, but there was progress made last week.
***Frost said moving Nebraska to the West sideline was done because it keeps opposing coaches from seeing the staff's play signals from the box.
"It's really easy with us signaling things in to see from the skybox (on the East side)."
***Frost said Iowa transfer receiver Oliver Martin was eligible and would compete for playing time. Martin hadn't gotten many reps since he was ineligible to play, so he has some catching up to do.
***Frost said receiver Omar Manning still wasn't healthy, and they'd be "keeping our fingers crossed" that he can get on the field and stay on the field.
***Frost said Marvin Scott needed to learn the offense better "because he's earned the right to play more." Frost said Scott made the key block on Zavier Betts' touchdown, and he called Scott after the game to give him credit.
***Frost said he's been happy with the running back room as a whole. He said, "we'll always use Wan'Dale as a change-up" at running back.
***Frost said getting tight end Jack Stoll was a pleasant surprise, even though Stoll probably wasn't even "80 percent" recovered from the knee injury he suffered at Ohio State.
***Frost said you couldn't take coaching much better than how Luke McCaffrey does it, and he was receptive to all of the evaluation and criticism the coaches have given him on his first start.
***On McCaffrey's left-handed throw vs. Penn State, "I'm OK with it because it worked." He said he never wanted to curtail a players' creativity and playmaking ability, but they had to be smart about the chances they took on the field.
***Frost said, "Guys in this building can't sit back and relax" now that they finally won a game. Based on what he saw on Monday, Frost thinks his team is ready to build on that win as he'd hoped.
***Frost said the quarterback competition this week would be the same as it was last week, "and it's always going to be the same."
***Frost said there was a chance that the backup QB could still see the field in games, even though Adrian Martinez did not play at all on Saturday.
***Frost said Illinois "hit the crap out of us" in last year's win in Champaign. He doesn't put much stock into what the Illini have done so far this year because they'll always be tough and physical on defense.
Senior linebacker Collin Miller
***Miller said one of the main focuses for the defense last week was starting fast, as the first two games saw opponents march down the field and score right away. He said they did that vs. Penn State, and it “kind of set the tone” for the rest of the day.
***Miller said JoJo Domann played over 90 snaps vs. Penn State, and “I don’t think I saw him slow down for a snap.” Miller said Domann “takes a toll” on offenses because he never lets up and is always going 100-percent.
"Play 90 looked like Play 14 for him."
***Miller said it’s not hard to get the young defensive players locked in and prepared to play because they “love football” and are so eager to learn and get better.
***Miller said Illinois had played 3-4 quarterbacks this season due to COVID-19, which makes it hard to prepare for them because of how much the Illini change their offense around who’s under center.
***Miller said a Monday practice after a win “is definitely way different than a Monday after a loss.” He said that feeling could “get the ball rolling” for NU’s season the rest of the way.
"There's no better feeling in that locker room than after a win, so we need more of them."
Senior cornerback Dicaprio Bootle
***Bootle said he was "very proud" of how the secondary stepped up on the last two PSU possessions, especially with how they "locked them up" in man coverage in the red zone.
***Bootle said the experience of NU's defensive backs was starting to show up in how comfortable that group is now in the defense.
***Bootle agreed that the defense needed to start the game better than it had in the first two losses.
***Bootle said, "winning makes everything better," so Monday's practice was a lot different than previous Mondays.
Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Ty Robinson
***Robinson said stopping mobile quarterbacks was about "holding our ground," and his role in that was controlling the line of scrimmage so his teammates could get freed up to make plays.
***Robinson on closing out the win vs. Penn State, especially with Ben Stille making the final sack: "The feelings and emotions that rushed through my body were unexplainable."
***Robinson said the last time he played that many snaps were probably his junior or senior year in high school. He said he fell asleep as soon as he got home after the game and didn't wake up until his alarm went off the next morning.
"I can tell you this: Right after the game, I went home and laid down, and I don't even remember closing my eyes."
***Robinson said Ohio State was the best offensive line NU has faced this season.
***Robinson said the pass rush needed to improve, but they took a step in the right direction against Penn State with the number of sacks and pressures they got on Saturday.
***Robinson said he roomed with Luke McCaffrey last year. "That man is a ball of energy," and that attitude was infectious to everyone around him.
Sophomore center Cam Jurgens
***Jurgens said his foot injury was "pretty sore" on Sunday, but he gauged his decision to play based on how he felt through the week.
***Jurgens said getting early momentum on both sides of the ball was a big difference on Saturday. However, the second-half struggles resulted from the offense not "keeping our foot on the gas."
***Jurgens admitted he needed to be more focused on every play to avoid bad snaps problems. "You expect a field goal kicker to make every kick and the center to make every snap."
***Jurgens said Robinson was "a beast" physically, but Robinson was also "a strong kid mentally" who was always pushing himself to get better. In terms of overall strength, "the sky's the limit for him... He can do anything anyone in the nation can do."
Redshirt freshman quarterback Luke McCaffrey
***On what he most wanted to improve upon, McCaffrey said running more "efficiently" and making better decisions in the zone-read running game.
***McCaffrey said Robinson had "all the traits you're looking for in a player." But more than anything, McCaffrey said Robinson had "that switch" he can flip between being a fun guy off the field to locking in as a tenacious competitor on the field.
***McCaffrey said his "energy" definitely comes from his mother. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who has the energy that she has and shows."
***McCaffrey said coming off a win provided so much "positivity" within the locker room, but now they had to make sure they carried it over to this week so they can do it again.
***McCaffrey said the way Wan'Dale Robinson stepped up and played so much after running back after Dedrick Mills went down was as important to Nebraska winning on Saturday as anything.
***While McCaffrey earned a lot of praise after his first college start, he said there were plenty of things he needed to improve going forward. "When it comes to evaluation, I consider myself my harshest critic."
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