Nebraska football presser notes: Players seem confident about facing Ohio State

Another week in the Big Ten and another day in front of the podium for Nebraska football players and head coach, Scott Frost

Nebraska football comes off what was originally the bye week with a 45-9 win over Bethune-Cookman. The game gave a lot of Husker players who normally don’t see game reps some much-needed experience. But now it’s time to strap on the helmet and go to work because Ohio State in Columbus is up next.

The Husker line on the game is Ohio State winning at home -22.5. Hopefully, the Buckeyes will be sleepy-eyed at 11 am when the game kicks off on FOX television

In today’s press conference, Linebacker Luke Gifford was commenting on playing in the Horseshoe this weekend and said, “It’s a cool place to play…We expect them to play their best this season yet.” Gifford is currently 4th in total tackles which is hard to believe given his scene-stealing defensive efforts. Mo Barry is still crushing the top of the list with 75 total tackles.

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Husker quarterback Adrian Martinez said he felt prepared to handle the environment in Columbus. He had taken an official to Ohio State before so he is familiar with the stadium. When asked what he was expecting, “Ohio State is a very talented team, they play aggressive, they play fast and we’re going to have to bring our A-game and be ready to play.”

When asked about backup Husker, Noah Vedral he said, “It’s great having Vedral able to play. It adds some depth to the quarterback room for sure.” Vedral got his first start last week after finally being ruled eligible to play by the NCAA.

Linebacker, Mo Barry took the podium and talked about what they are expecting from OSU. He talked about assignment mismatch, their RPO and how Ohio likes to stretch the field. “[Ohio State] will be prepared to play their best.” The Husker linebacker also admitted that “the 1st quarter is big for us. It’s gonna set up the rest of the game. If we can compete with them then some of that Purdue doubt is gonna seep in there.” I like how the coaches have these guys thinking about things.

Senior running back, Devine Ozigbo was sporting a Boston Red Sox hat and said he enjoyed watching them win as he’s from that area.  He knows their challenge is going to be staying disciplined and being physical. He said the O-line has the biggest challenge.

When he was asked about not having a bye week to rest up and how that affected him he stated, “I feel really good right now. Hoping to continue that through the next four games, and hopefully beyond.”

Defensive back, Dicaprio Bootle was asked what he expected to see Saturday. “The Ohio State wide receivers are probably the strongest groups we’ve faced to date, but we have athletes on the back end too…We can be great players too.” It’s pretty clear they are going into the game understanding what is in front of them but they are optimistic which is a good thing given how the season has progressed so far. Bootle admitted, “Everybody’s fired up (to play this week).”

Also of note, late Sunday night Bryce Benhart committed to Nebraska. This 4-star offensive tackle is from Lakeville, Minnesota and expected to be a HUGE grab for Husker Nation! Welcome to the Pipeline of the future Bryce! As always, GO BIG RED!

When head coach Scott Frost took to the podium Monday to speak about this week’s upcoming game against Ohio State. He had some interesting things to say of course. Nebraska is riding the wave of a two-game win streak after a disappointing start to the season. Let’s not forget that three of those games were decided by one or two bad plays. In order to become bowl eligible Nebraska would have to win out the rest of season.

When asked what he was expecting to see this weekend in Columbus, Coach Frost stated that Ohio State ” has their backs against the wall…I see their team coming out with their hair on fire. We need to survive that initial surge.”

He went on to say, “When you go in believing you’re going to win, you find ways to win.” Clearly, this is the message to the players this week.

Frost was asked about how the morale was during practice today with OSU looming. He responded, “if you came out to watch practice for the last 5 weeks, I don’t know if you would notice a difference. It speaks to their character, coming back out and just going to work…No pouting after a loss, and no patting on the back after a win.”

When asked about other positive things for the team he mentioned one player in particular. “What’s really improved is how Adrian Martinez is able to fit balls into tight windows.”

This is going to be key down the road, but I’ll admit I thought there were some plays I didn’t think throwing it into double or triple coverage was a good idea. It also seems at times that Martinez is looking only at the guy he’s going to throw to rather than looking a defender off first. Maybe that’s just me…

Coach Frost talked about giving up big plays in the past games but then said it was good to see turnovers on the defense for the Huskers after the last game after this weekend.

✊ @MJarzynka#GBR #Huskers pic.twitter.com/aOffbJdBaq

Another takeaway from the weekend was the great play by Senior defensive lineman Matt Jarzynka to tackle the quarterback for a loss. He’s a walk-on who has been at it for a long time without seeing the field. Coach  Frost said about Jarzynka “He busts his tail every day to make himself better, to make this team better. It was awesome to see some of those guys get rewarded for their hard work.”

As for recruiting news, he mentioned that they are right on track with recruiting but admitted they are still “on the hunt” to fill all those scholarships.

One last bit of news, our hearts are heavy in Husker nation as the news of the death of former coach Tom Osborne’s younger brother, Jack Osborne was reported. He died in a car accident that happened west of Hastings Sunday night. Our condolences go out to the entire Osborne family and relatives.