A couple players spoke at the podium after Nebraska’s 23-16 loss to Oklahoma. We heard from junior quarterback Adrian Martinez and senior outside linebacker JoJo Domann. They each gave their thoughts on takeaways from the close loss, how much the team fought and more.
Here are selected questions and answers from the duo’s time with the media.
Quarterback Adrian Martinez
On how he feels after the game
“You come to a school like Nebraska, you expect to win every game. Our guys aren’t into moral victories. We want to win games. Simple as that. There are definitely a lot of positives to take away from today. We will do that once we watch the film. But at the end of the day, we lost the game.”
On the plays he wishes the team could have back from the game
“Well, there’s definitely a couple because we had our chances to take them down. I’ll start with the first drive. We got a field goal and we had maybe four penalties on that one drive. That’s just unacceptable for what we’re trying to do. Then the opening drive of the second half, we needed to finish that one. At the very least come away with some points and we didn’t. They were fixable things, self-inflicted errors that we need to get corrected. You can’t make those when you’re playing a really good football team.”
On if he is discouraged or encouraged by the game result
“We’ll see what the tape says but at the end of the day, we lost the game. So, that’s, what matters. When you play for school like Nebraska, you have to win, point-blank, period.”
On how he handled the offensive line making mistakes on the first drive
“Those guys know [they messed up], a lot of those guys are their own harshest critics. Especially when it comes to something like that. We’ve definitely harped on it. They know. I know. There was more positivity today. Our guys like someone else alluded to, they were holding up really well up front. They were doing a good job in other areas. They know that and maybe it’s a little pat on the butt. ‘Got to get that corrected. Let’s settle in here.’ They did on that.”
On the biggest positive to take from this game into conference play
“We know the type of team we are. We can beat anyone any given Saturday, we just have to execute. Even today, we had some self-inflicted errors on special teams and on offense that we can clean up. “If we clean those things up, we’re coming out of here as the winning team. Knowing what we’re capable of and knowing that a lot of these errors were fixable.”
Outside linebacker JoJo Domann
On taking in the atmosphere of the big rivalry game walking off the field
“I love this game and everything that comes with it. Win, lose or draw, you play to win the game. I was just appreciating the moment. Appreciate the atmosphere. That was fun. It was a fun stadium to play in. I loved the grass. The grass was fast. The fans were crazy like Adrian [Martinez] alluded to. It felt like Iowa how the fans were just on top of you. It was a it was fun atmosphere. That’s why we play.”
On if this game gives the team confidence in a loss
“Yeah, we’re going to build on this. We’re not looking at taking any steps back. This was a game where our offense took strides. We have playmakers on offense. We had guys step up today and our offensive line stepped up today, Adrian, with his resiliency and the heart that he plays with, it’s so easy to rally around that guy. I love playing with him. Then as a defense we can be great. It’s really, if we choose to be great each and every moment out there. It’s a long game. It’s hard to stay engaged for three and a half hours with a crazy environment and stress on you. We love it though.”
On seeing a different level of resiliency from the team since Week Zero
“The resiliency of this team was amazing today. I’m so proud of how the guys rallied around one another and how we never put our head down. We understood that they had momentum at times, but we were going to keep fighting. We never rolled over and I’m proud of our guys for that. It’s a mental battle with the special teams. It’s all between the ears. We got some talented dudes that that care a whole lot. It’s just in between the ears. We got to be about it each and every day. Every moment so that when you’re on the big stage, it’s just second nature.”
