Noteable Quotes from Nebraska vs New Mexico State
By now you have probably checked the boxscore and read the recaps. Now take a closer look at what the Nebraska and New Mexico State players and coaches said after the game.
Here they are. In their own words.
NU Coach Bo Pelini
On New Mexico State's 3-3-5 defense
"I don't know much about it. I thought our offense did some good things. I liked that I saw our running game, I like that I saw the offensive line, the running backs - I thought the offense played good football tonight."
On Lydon Murtha's return
"It was good to see the big man back out there. He's a heck of a football player. He brings an attitude with him and a physicalness. He makes us a better football team when he's in there. I like our tackles. Murtha just has a lot more experience than some of them."
On Nebraska's defense
"I'm really happy with how our secondary played. Linebackers - I thought the pass rushing was good. We didn't have to blitz a lot. There was a little bit of high tempo and our kids did well. I think overall we played well. I think we're getting better as a football team, but, as I just said to the team, we have a long way to go yet."
On significance of blocking New Mexico's field goal in the first quarter
"I thought it was good. What I liked is the way our guys hung in there. They (New Mexico) gave us some things that we haven't seen from them all last year. We looked at every game of theirs from last year and they gave us some different things on the first drive and it took us a minute to adjust. Our guys, even when they have their backs to the wall they played well in the red zone and made some plays when they needed to. That's what you're going to have to do. That's a pretty good offense (New Mexico's) and a pretty experienced offense we played today. They spread you all over the field. They're going to get their yards, but what matters is points. I don't count up the yards, it's all about points. We made the plays when we needed to."
New Mexico State Coach Hal Mumme
On the team's first drive that ended in a blocked field goal
"It was kind of the story of the whole night, really. We looked like we were playing our first game. They looked like a very good football team playing their third game. We knew that would be a difficult chore. We were hoping we could get on top early, and have a shot, but when we didn't do that, our mistakes took too big a toll."
On Nebraska's running game
"They do a great job. They've got a veteran offense, they've got a really good quarterback, good running backs. We have a new defense, and we didn't have an opportunity to really iron out any of these wrinkles before we had to take on somebody like that. (Marlon) Lucky is a really good back. (Roy) Helu is a really quick guy, he's a good player. (Joe) Ganz does a good job with the bootlegs and play action, and keeps all that gelled. Tip of the hat to Coach Pelini for getting it together so fast here."
On quarterback Chase Holbrook's rhythm in the opening drive
"We started out pretty well. He had a really good opening drive, we'd probably like to have back a play call or two inside the five yard line there. Our coaches have to get over the first-game jitters too. I just didn't do a good job right there. I put them in a bind, and then we got a guy who'd never played before at right guard, and he goes in there and gets blown up by their really good tackle, so we get the thing blocked, and so instead of all of it being a positive, it turns out to be a negative. We certainly didn't need to start that way."
NU Quarterback Joe Ganz
On being the third Husker to run, catch and throw for a touchdown in a game
"It's pretty cool (to be in the same category as Eric Crouch and Johnny Rodgers). It would've been better to be the first, but I'll take the third. Those guys aren't bad company. I was trying to get Marlon Lucky to break a tackle so that we could do it in the same game, but he just wasn't strong enough. That would've been something special. (Marlon) made a great throw. I had great blocking on my touchdown run. And on the pass, Mike (McNeill) made a great play. Niles (Paul) made a great block on that play. I really didn't have to do too much."
On taking momentum into the bye week
"It was important for us to win and to play well. It was a total team effort. All three phases (offense, defense and special teams) played well tonight. Alex (Henery) missed the field goal, but he's been perfect in college, so it's not that big a deal. Other than that, I thought it was a total team game. It's exactly how we wanted to play. It gives us confidence that all three phases brought it tonight. Now, we can get rest Sunday and Monday, go back to work on Tuesday, go against each other a little and get a jump on Virginia Tech."
On his pass reception for a touchdown from Marlon Lucky on a throwback pass
"It was a left-hash call. I knew that, when we got to the red zone fringe, we'd call it, and it was a good call. They were in an all-out blitz. The cornerback kind of knifed, almost read it. Nate (Swift) and Todd (Peterson) have been schooling me on my releases. I gave him a little shake, went outside and got free. It was a great call. We ran that play with Zac Taylor against Colorado in 2006, but Zac is slow and I think he only got 10 yards downfield with a defensive end covering him. We ran that play in practice this week, and it went well. The first time we ran it, Marlon threw the ball out of bounds. We ran it again on Thursday, and this time, Marlon made a better throw. Today was perfect. He hit me right in stride. Marlon is money when you turn on the lights, especially throwing the ball."
NU Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh
On the emotion of playing in the red zone
"We really, just like our coaches always tell us, buckle down and make sure nobody scores on us. That's one thing we pride ourselves on. We want to hold them to field goals or nothing at all. We definitley feel as a team we come together even more. I'm not saying we don't when were down on our 20 yard line, but we definitely come together that much more to hold them to a field goal or nothing."
On the New Mexico State fumble return to the two yard line
"It was tough. We really thought we had it (shutout), espically (Zach) Potter. I know he wanted it bad, but that's the way it ends."
NU Defensive Back Lance Thorell
On the last time he received that much playing time
"Not since high school. I have to get used to this soreness now. It was awesome being able to be out there and play."
On the night he had
"I trust everything these coaches tell us to do and all these packages they give us. They get us in the right position. If you read your keys and do what you're supposed to do, you will make the play every time."
On how much the defense improved tonight
"Since last week, a pretty big step. Last week we didn't play our best and tonight we didn't play our best either, but it was a lot better than last week."
NU Defensive End Zach Potter
On wanting the shutout
"We definitely wanted the shutout, especially after we got the field goal block in that first drive. It's just unfortunate that the quarterback exchange wasn't that great and they got down to the one. Defensively, we'll probably still consider it a shutout because we had our backs against the wall (in the third quarter)."
On the injury to Pierre Allen
"I hope I'm not next week. Clayton (Sievers) and I knew we were going to play a lot of snaps this week. Cameron Meredith stepped in tonight and played really well. He practiced well all week. Us three really stepped up to the challenge after losing Pierre and losing Barry (Turner) last week. Now, we're looking for another fourth guy again."
NU Tight End Mike McNeil
On his touchdown catch
"I just had a over route on the backside and caught the ball, then the guy dove and I made a little move. Came back to my high school days with a little wide receiver action. It felt good."
On if this game was important because of the bye week
"It's nice to put together a good game before the bye week because now we have some time to relax and it's good to play well. We definitely got the running game going which we needed to. The tight ends blocked a lot better this week than last week. It was a good feeling to play a lot better."
On the difference between last week and this week on the offense
"We did run a lot better. When you get the running game going, then things start clicking and you start playing well. Like the first game, when you get on a role you just keep going and I think that's what happened tonight."
New Mexico State Quarterback Chase Holbrook
On failing to score on the opening drive
"Of course we wanted to score. It's a letdown when you don't score, when you have a drop like that. At the same time, we knew we had to go out and play. They didn't really do anything different. We just didn't execute."
On if this being the first game affected their performance
"I can't speak for anybody else, but for me, it really wasn't that big of a deal. The mistakes I made had nothing to do with it being the first game. I played like a freshman. There's really no excuse."
On why the offense wasn't clicking
"I probably missed five open receivers. That's a big deal. We had guys open and I didn't hit them. It's hard to say exactly, but that's one thing. I've got to hit open guys."
On the offense's game plan
"We wanted to push the field a little more vertical. Their DB's are pretty good. We tried and part of the problem was I didn't hit (the receivers) when they were open."
On the fourth quarter interception by Nebraska safety Matt O'Hanlon
"I've got to hand it to the secondary. They tricked me. That's what I was talking about playing like a freshman. That was something I should've seen and I just didn't see him back there. They showed blitz and I had Chris Williams, our inside guy, manned up and I thought that he was going to get him off the line and (O'Hanlon) rolled and he got me. It was just a stupid play on my part."
New Mexico State Running back Marquell Colston
On the team's performance in their first game
"It's football. Their guys are just bigger. They seemed a little bit faster. I just looked at it as another football game. Maybe the crowd was the only difference. You rarely get to play in front of a crowd like this."
On the play of the Nebraska defense
"They played awesome. Overall, they played a good, solid game. Their linebackers played like they've been playing. I guess they said they were new, they were young, but they played like they've been there. They're really smart."
New Mexico State Free safety Derrick Richardson
On if he was surprised how much Nebraska ran the option
"No. We've seen the option in their previous games and they usually only run it until you stop it. We didn't stop it that well early today, so that's why they continued running it."
On what the Husker defense showed the New Mexico State offense
"We prepared a little more for the pass. In my mind, I knew they were going to try to ram it down our throats, try to run the ball on us. They ran a lot more than we expected, I'll put it that way, because the last few games they threw a lot more. That just goes from us not stopping the run."
On how the team handled playing the 3-3-5 defense for the first time "I would say fairly well, but we have a lot of work to do. We were very rusty. Nebraska's a great team and assignment-wise, we played terrible on defense, I think."
Want more?
Bo Pelini transcript, audio | Hal Mumme transcript, audio | NU Player transcript #1, #2 | Joe Ganz audio | Zach Potter audio | New Mexico State Player transcript | Chase Holbrook audio | Derrick Richardson audio | Marquell Colston audio
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