Nebraska Weekly Press Conference
Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Pre-Iowa State

Steve Octavien
Senior, Linebacker

Opening Statement
“First and foremost I just want to apologize to all the fans for the comment I made last Saturday. I was just very frustrated in the way the defense had been playing for the last three weeks. We have given up a lot of yards. It is frustrating as a defense when you have the crowd booing. We feed off the crowd’s energy, so it is very difficult in that aspect. Coach (Kevin) Cosgrove is taking shots and the reason he is taking shots is the way we are playing. He is lining us up in the right way, and we are not trusting it and doing our own thing. We are playing bad. I was just very emotional. I truly apologize for all the comments I made. We have great fans. It was just a mistake and something that was very unchristian for me to say. I truly apologize for that.”

On his play

“I haven’t really been playing as well as you guys think I have been playing. I haven’t been playing that well. I could play a lot better. As a defense we have to step it up. We have to shut down the run, the pass and overall we have to get enthusiastic. We have just been playing bad. I understand where Corey (McKeon) is coming from. I really haven’t been playing as well as everybody thinks I have been playing.”

On Coach Cosgrove’s lineup rotations

“He is calling the right defenses. It’s not like it is the wrong call or anything. You sit there and you study. It’s not like they are going to put us in the wrong place. As a defense, we are not trusting our reads. We are just not doing our jobs. We are all doing our own things and that is very bad. That is a lot of the reason things have been messing up. It is not Coach Cosgrove’s fault. It is not like he is going to line us up in the wrong place for us to lose. That is one thing, we have to come together. We have to start trusting each other and believe in our ability. We are a really good defense. We just have to start believing and playing that way.”

On whether or not he is having fun

“I am having fun. We are 3-1. We could be in a lot worse situation. I am having fun. We are having fun out there. We feed off the crowd’s energy. We are just as good as the crowd, so if the crowd is very loud and they are pumped up, that is when it becomes a lot of fun. When the crowd is booing and stuff, it is very difficult to go out there and play. I am pretty sure you guys can imagine how hard it is when the fans you love are booing. It is pretty difficult to play. We feed off their energy.”

On the reason the defense has lacked enthusiasm

“Truthfully I am not sure yet. That is something that we are all going to get together and talk about this week. We are coming into conference play and we need to buckle down. It is time to play some better football.”

On what kind of meeting will be held

“As this point I really couldn’t tell you, but I know we are going to get some things done.”

On wearing the Blackshirts at practice this week

“From what I heard, everyone is wearing their Blackshirts this week.”

On matching ISU’s enthusiasm

“I expect that from them. I am pretty sure they want to come in here and win this game. It would be a big boost for them right now, because I know things aren’t going so well for them. To match their energy we have to come out this week and practice hard. Know where we are at and truly believe we are one of the best teams in the country. We just need to come together and play like the Blackshirts do.”

On what he’s seen of Iowa State quarterback Bret Meyer

“I watched a little bit of him on film. I watched some of the Toledo game. He is a good quarterback. I have seen him play the last two years. He is efficient. He gets the job done. He scrambles a lot.”

On if home fans should ever boo their team

“I guess that they have the right to, but I don’t know. It is pretty difficult for an offense or defense to play, and play well, when the fans are booing. It is very difficult and I guess they have the right, but it is hard.”

On understanding why the fans booed

“We understand why they booed. We were playing bad enough for them to boo. I didn’t think they would boo.”

On having a good game to wash this away

“Offensively and defensively we need a big breakout game. A solid performance on offense and defense. We haven’t reached maximum performance and that is where our goal is.”

On life on campus after a tough game

“I really don’t know. No one says anything to me. I know the comments and I have heard a lot of things on the radio about what was going on, but when I go around no one says anything to me. I know what they are thinking, though. I don’t get any comments.”