Notable quotes from Nebraska’s season opening win over Arkansas State.
Head coach Mike Riley on how the defense handled 48 plays on defense in the first half
“It’s crazy… it’s hard. You know, this game, like I said, we found out a lot about our team. It was hard, you know, we were having a hard time finding a way to stop mostly the bubble screen stuff out there and they kept plugging away. And like I said, I think the biggest factors in the game were the consistency of how we did that but also some individual plays that we did like that punt return. I mean, up to that punt return I don’t know if they even had had a first down. Had they? We kind of ignited them a little bit. Then we had what I thought were two bad penalties, that helped them a lot.”
Running back Tre Bryant on how it felt to get the bulk of the carries and work all night
“Like I said earlier, it felt good to kind of get in that rhythm. To hit the hole of a certain play over and over and see them try to creep into the hole so now you bounce it out to the outside, just setting things up and moving better, and that just comes with the rhythm."
Cornerback Lamar Jackson on halftime adjustments
“When Coach Diaco came down he wasn’t too frustrated, we just corrected a few little things. We fixed some errors and he asked us what we were seeing and we made some simple adjustments and he was happy about how we went out and played the second half.”
Quarterback Tanner Lee on his connection with fellow New Orleans native Stanley Morgan Jr. and the first touchdown
“I am extremely confident in Stanley in any situation. He’s got a great feel for getting open, his football IQ, knowing where and how to get open. I’m really confident in having him out there, he’s there, and he’s going to make the catches. First touchdown felt good, it was a play we practiced a lot, Stanley ran a good route and I knew he was going to come down with it.”
Wide receiver Stanley Morgan Jr. on his connection with fellow New Orleans native Tanner Lee
"He’s pretty cool. He’s real nice. He’s good. He always wanted to play with me. I guess this is his chance."
Offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf on what they did to keep Ja’Von Rolland-Jones in check
"We made sure we had him covered up. Some of our protection problems came on the inside. It wasn’t the edge rush. One time it was but we had a bust in the backfield and it was a nickel back it was a d-lineman. We had a good plan for him and we kept him in check pretty well."
Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson on playing the Huskers close
"People have been asking me all week what I thought, and I told them we were going to give Nebraska all they can handle. I think we had a chance to win this game and expect to win. So I'm frustrated that we didn't do that. You don't get that opportunity that often, and we had it and didn't .
Greg is the Recruiting Analyst for Hail Varsity and has covered Husker athletics since 2013. He has always had a passion for sports while growing up in the Chicago area. As he got older and had to hang up his cleats and sneakers, he realized his passion for sports went beyond just watching and attending games. He has covered many events from the Rose Bowl to championship boxing matches. If he’s not talking sports, he’s hovering over his grill. He is married to an amazing woman, Kim, and they have a dog that barks when Greg yells at the TV during games.
