Nebraska Head Coach Frank Solich
Opening comments
We are getting prepared to play a very good Troy State team who is I'm sure riding an emotional tidal wave right now, coming off their great win over Marshall. Winning the last three games in a row, they are certainly coming to town with a great deal of confidence, and really with a very excellent football team. As you look at them on both sides of the ball, its obvious that they are talented, play a very physical brand of football. They try to establish the run, and they will build off of that with some play action passes. They have excellent linemen, a real good combination of running backs, and a quarterback that can hurt you in the running game. They run option, so it will be a game of ball control, time possession and trying to establish great field position.
Defensively I think they're every athletic group, which has been obvious. Their free safety has intercepted five passes—two in the last game. They have corners who are very strong and physical. They roll them up a lot, and they will bring them a lot. So that has to mean something to you in the running game as well as the passing game.
They are similar to Southern Miss in some ways. If you're not careful, the game can come and go and you will look pretty bad statistically and what you're trying to do in terms of moving the football against them. Of course we played them in the past couple of years, but new coordinators on both sides of the ball brings a little different game plan in what this meeting will be all about.
I feel really very good about how our team has responded up to this point. They've played very well. The game on the road was real key for us. I couldn't be any more pleased on how they prepared leading up to kickoff and then what they got done after kickoff. A lot of variables still need improving. One thing that I was very glad to see was that on the offensive side of it we were able to produce big plays. We had six big plays with 20 yards or more, and that is a positive. As you know, when you study the game, our time of possession was less than their time of possession and our total yards were less. There are a couple ways you can win the game -- by controlling the football and putting points on the board and having defense play very well. Or you can do it by not necessarily controlling the football in time of possession, but by being able to make big plays. You see a lot around the country in some teams. The good thing about where we're at right now, we at least show that we have some potential to produce big plays in a game, and I think that is encouraging to all of us.
I would like to congratulate Kyle Larson for earning the Big 12 Player-of-the-Week Award. In a four-week period we have averaged one a week. We had two player win one week, but we have had four players win that award. I think that is special, it might be as many or more than any other team in the Big 12, and it reflects what this team has been all about in terms of playing and wanting to play at a high level. We are playing very hard and enthusiastically each week. We have a big challenge this week, no doubt about that. They (Troy State) will be a good football team that we will line up against. They will be physical and as I mentioned they'll want to keep their winning streak going on.
They are an experienced squad. Defensively, they may not have a lot of returning starters, but you start to look at the number of guys who played last season, and the number of guys who made plays in the Nebraska game, so they will be bringing a team to town that is in my mind an experienced football team, that has been through it before and won't be awed by anything. What we have to do is match that with what we are ready to do.
Troy State is a program that has been on the move. They have come through the different divisions of college ball. Coach Blakeney has done a great job and had great success everywhere he's been. His wining percentage I believe is over .700. So what you are talking about is no matter who've played against they've had the ability to get it done at a level to continue to move their program forward. And now of course they are definitely trying to make a mark in Division I football. Beating Marshall was very big for them. It would be big for anybody. Backing that up with beating Nebraska would be enormous for them, or as I've found out any program.
We've preached all along that we've got to get prepared every week. If we are going to have a chance and be a successful football team, and win football games, we can't look down the road. We cannot get complacent. We have got to prepare every week to play great football and then that has to carry over come game day. Our players understand that. Our coaches certainly understand that, and so up to this point we have had a football team that has prepared like that on a daily basis, and I believe they will continue to prepare that way. That's going to be needed for us to be able to line up and play the teams that we are going to play, not just this week against Troy State, but every week after that.
Control game versus Possession
Definitely both. You want to be able to control the time of possession, because there is that wear-down factor. Any time you have the ball offensively and you're going on long drives it is difficult for a defense to be able to sustain the effort that they are going to give through for four quarters, if you are going to put two or three of those together. But you want the kind of athletes on your team that are going to be able make the big plays at any given time because we're not just going to continually throughout the course of a season be able to control the ball the way you want to control the ball. It's going to come down to athletes making plays when the timing is right. Last week we needed those in order to get it done and our players stepped up and made those big plays.
As a former running back, what do you like about Josh Davis
His Toughness, his way of competing, the fact that he'll line up every play and you'll get the same Josh Davis every play. He'll be coming at you. You see great running backs around the country, they are not only guys that can go the distance with speed or make people miss, but they are guys that go into contact and are great at it. I've always had a softness for guys like Walter Payton and those kind of backs that go into the contact and get yards after contact. We try to make sure Nebraska is producing that kind of running back, a guy that can go into contact and make extra yards. Now we do want the guy to make people miss and go 80 yards. Don't get me wrong here.
On Josh Davis' career at Nebraska
There are probably moments that he was down. That is the way football is. You are not going to be able to stay at an emotional high throughout your career, maybe through even a season is tough to do. But yet Josh (Davis) has been so great at being team oriented that really none of that has even showed that is going to be reflective to his teammates. I think he has just been outstanding as far as his attitude and his work ethic. The fact that he has hung in there and now has gotten major chances and has produced in those major chances.
On Nebraska assistants being mentioned in regard to other job openings
That's college football and that's pro football. And when there is success, coaches from those programs are looked at and there are coaches that move on. That is the name of the game. I'm all for our coaches to be successful in this profession and to reach whatever goals they may have. And I think that is great. It's good for our coaches, and it's good for our program.
Are you satisfied with how well the team has played?
There is a long ways to go and we all know that. Up to this point, I'm so satisfied with the approach of this staff and our players and I believe that will continue. If you look around college football, it is obvious there are challenges for every team out there.
Was Nebraska underrated at beginning of season"or overrated now?
We were rated where we were rated for a reason. And I think that is understandable. We've been able to remain undefeated for four games, and I think we've played some good teams, some very physical football teams. Where we are at right now is where we deserve to be. And our players want to make this a special season, but we are only going into our fifth game, so we understand that.
Jammal Lord's confidence after Southern Miss game?
It should've helped Jammal Lord a great deal. He had an excellent week of practice leading up to the Southern Miss game, and he responded very well. There were people calling for everyone to be replaced. For him to (face) all that and to get done what he got done last game, I'm very proud of him. And I think he should be proud too, but he isn't satisfied, he wants to keep getting better. I think he is a guy that believes in himself, if he didn't, a guy like him would have caved in a long time ago with the pressure that was on him and the scrutiny. But he held up, his players helped back him and I think that is extremely important.
Did Southern Miss game help him relax?
I know he prepared extremely well that week. He threw the ball very well. A lot of time there is carryover value there. I think it was good for all of us to get away from home to play a game and win it. But I don't think Jammal was overly excited about it anymore than that we wanted to start the away schedule off right.
Academic Excellence mentioned on ESPN
It is pretty well recognized around the country with what Dennis LeBlanc and our academic staff has done over the years here at the University of Nebraska. You go through Tom's (Osborne) career and how important academics was important to Tom and that has just carried on over. We are just fortunate to have guys like Dennis and Keith (Zimmer) involved in our academic program. They do a great job. Our players know exactly what is expected of them on the football field and in the classroom, and they respond as well as any players in the country.
On Linebacker Demorrio Williams
Demorrio Williams is a junior college player for us from down at Kilgore. He was a player that, after we were able to watch tapes on him, it was clear to us he was a truly instinctive player with a great deal of speed. Now did he fit the prototype of linebacker, 6'3-6'4, 235 to 245 pounds, no. But what you have to understand a little bit what a player can do for you when he can't fit the true mold. There are a lot of examples of that around the country. So we knew he was a football player that could have a good impact on our football team. That has surfaced here his senior year. But he was an outstanding athlete when he showed up. The coaches have done a great job helping his athletic ability show.
Can you compare Williams to any previous players
Terrell Farley was a player for us that made an awful lot of plays. And in ways some people might compare those two. Demorrio could play for anybody, and he probably could get it done as a BUCK, as well as a WILL. But the real key is when you get a guy that gets the ball as well as he does you try to protect him as much as you can, so he can race to the ball. And at WILL you are able to that.
What is the biggest difference from last season?
It would be chemistry. It probably has something to do with X's and O's, but it is probably more how the chemistry has fit together and how this coaching staff has fit together. That has been maybe big as an issue for us as there is. X's and O's enter into it. You can get out-coached, but if you have good talent and their attitude is great, and they believe in themselves, you are going to have a chance regardless of the schemes, if the schemes are at least sound.
On redshirt freshman receiver Isaiah Fluellen
We got a note from someone in Germany who is a very big Husker fan and told us about what Isaiah was doing on the track. We knew he had speed. There were those track times that were legitimate. So we investigated it, our track coaches said he had the speed that his times were showing. So we sent Coach Brown over there, we all have our (recruiting) areas, but that area was kind of an extension. Isaiah is a receiver, so it seemed to make sense for Coach Brown to go over there, and once we found out what his interest level was, we got over there a few times. We saw him practice basketball, saw his ability to leap, saw he had good hand-eye coordination, and that is all we need to know to get a receiver. He has been able to make a major contribution. He gives us a deep threat. I feel very comfortable about our young receivers. We have other young players on our football team that have speed and ability to go deep. But Isaiah and what he accomplished this past week was a big step for him and a big step for us.
Courtesy: Scott Bruhn/NU Media Relations