Nebraska Football
Postgame Quotes
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012
vs. Penn State 

Junior Quarterback Taylor Martinez
On how the team managed another comeback
"Like I said last week, we have a lot of heart. We know that we can come back from anything."

On whether or not the team felt comfortable down 20-6
"Kind of, I don't know. I wish we could get a lead, but I think once we realize were down by that many points we know we have to get it back up. I don't like it personally, and I don't think the fans like it either, but what happens happens."

On whether or not there is a specific reason his rushing totals have been up lately
"No, not really. We were playing the pass more. It just depends on how the game flows and if we need to run the ball. "

On when the team is down if it is thinking it can comeback or enough already
"I think it would be that's enough already. We need to start getting ahead early. Once we're in the red zone early on we need to get the ball in, instead of not scoring and kicking the field goal. I think that is what got us early on, so instead of kicking field goals we need to score (touchdowns)."

On what his mindset was after the fumble on the goal line
"I knew our defense was going to go out there and make something happen."

On whether or not he was paying attention to any of the other Big Ten games
"Michigan beat Northwestern in overtime is that right? I think Purdue beat Iowa."

On if he is aware that Nebraska is tied with Michigan in the Big Ten Legends Division standings
"Yes. I think for us we just look at it as a playoff system, like in high school. You have to win five straight. So now we won the first  one like the quarterfinals.  We just have to keep winning."

Senior Punter/Place-Kicker Brett Maher
On his 69-yard punt
"I was just trying to help the team out, and put them in a good position. Our defense was playing well the whole second half, and we were just trying to pin them deep. It ended up being a pretty big play in the game."

On how he has kept himself mentally sharp through the ups and downs of the season
"I just try to worry about the next kick. That is the only one you can control. You can't dwell on what happened in the past. This was probably the toughest conditions I have ever kicked in, so it was just a time when you had to control what you could control."

On if there was a sense of redemption getting the field goal after struggling earlier in the game
"I was just trying to help the team out I guess. It felt good, the field goal felt good. I don't feel like I need redemption necessarily."

On what Coach Pelini said to him after he went in for his last field goal
"I didn't talk to him. Everyone knew what the deal was. I was about to ice it. It was a pretty big kick, and I just went about it like a normal kick."

Jr. Defensive Back Ciante Evans
On having a couple minor injuries and how he feels
"I'm alright. It was just a minor ankle sprain, nothing too big."

On how tough it was to bring Penn State's running back down
"He was physical. He never stopped and just kept going and moving his legs. We had to gang tackle him. We figured that out after the first series."

On another comeback
"It's alright. I wouldn't call it fun, because some people get scared, but we're kind of used to it. It's almost a habit since we do it week in and week out. We all believe in each other so we go out and do it again."

On if he gets scared
"No, I never get scared. I'm not scared."

On if comebacks are something they could ever get used to
"You can, but at the same time you don't want to get used to it. You never want to get used to being down. If you believe in each other and we believe as a team and that's what it takes for us to win then I guess we'll do it again."

On what the biggest adjustment was they made
"We just told each other to talk, especially in the secondary. When we first got out there, we were off and didn't know the calls and checks and they were doing a lot of hurry up. So when we came in at half time, we calmed down. You get antsy at the beginning and we just had to calm down. That's what our biggest problem was."

On if he sees a difference in Daimion Stafford and more confidence
"Yes. He sees it all the time. He knew the route and knows his routes. He studies film and knows route recognition just as good as anyone in the secondary. I know he kind of stole the interception from me but he can have it."

On if trash talk fires up the defense
"We're not really feeding into it. Eric (Martin) and Daimion (Stafford) are the trash talkers. That's good for them to get hyped up because that's what we need but it's different for everybody."

Sr. Defensive Lineman Cameron Meredith
On what he saw on the safety play
"Basically, it was a coverage sack. The secondary did a really good job of closing him off and Baker (Steinkuhler) came and I crossed and got the safety."

On if he thought the referees were going to throw the flag
"I really didn't think about it until there was no receiver in the area. Everyone was making the safety signal, then I figured it was one and the referee called it."

On how much he likes the "rabbit" package
"It's fun. It's a different aspect with some of the faster guys we put out there. I've been playing tackle a lot lately and I feel pretty comfortable in there for both running and passing situations. Sometimes I find myself a little quicker than the guy in front of me and vice-versa. It's a fun package for all of us. It's a chance to get after the quarterback and pass rush with four ends."

On its effect
"I think sacks aren't the only thing that count as pressure. When you're in his face pushing the pocket back and he's making bad decisions throwing wise and he's scrambling then that's pressure to us. I think it's a good package for us."

On what adjustments the coaches made at halftime
"I think the hardest part in the first half was getting the call on the field. They started running a lot of hurry up and we were really flustered by it because we were trying to get a call. At times we were still standing up when the ball was hiked. Especially on that 3rd-and-1 which was the quarterback sneak. We knew he was going to do it but we were still waiting for the call. You never know what JP (Coach John Papuchis) wants to do. So the coaches put that on them, which I appreciate. They fessed up to it, which was nice, and we have to be faster too on our part though. If we see them on hurry up we have to go to our adjustments."

On if they went to a more simplified base defense in the second half"Yes definitely. We made it more basic for us so we could attack the hurry up. It helped us out a lot especially at halftime we knew that was the big problem. We said if they're going really fast then play over. It helped us out a lot."

On how important the communication is at halftime
"Halftime is everything. Adjustments we make throughout the game, but halftime is when we draw it up on the board and figure out what is going on both player and coach wise. I feel we adjusted well at half and realized that hurry up was a big part of their offense and their momentum. Changing that really helped us out."

On if they got in quarterback Matt McGloin's head
"I think in the second half we got after him a little bit. His decisions weren't as good as the first half. I thought we got after him good."

On turnovers
"Turnovers are everything. Offensively, you don't want them because it kills games and defensively if you create them then its a game changer. We had a pick and two fumbles. It just changed the momentum of the game for either side."

On what helped get the turnovers
"I don't think anything was different. We just made plays. I thought Daimion (Stafford) made a great play. He saw the ball and made a play on it. We're tackling better and putting our helmets where they need to be to cause fumbles."

On if he saw a replay of David Santos' fumble cause
"I was watching the big screen and it was really close to a touchdown. It looked like he took the tackle formation good and got the ball out."

On if the seniors are getting nostalgic
"Yes. It's sad and bittersweet. I've had a really good time here. It was the best choice of my life coming here. It's going to be sad stepping into the stadium and doing the tunnel walk one last time. I'm looking forward to it and it will be fun next week. I have a bunch of people coming in so it should be a good game."