Coach Scott Frost met with the media Saturday afternoon following the Huskers’ 31-27 loss to Purdue. Frost spoke about not being able to put games away, the potential of losing the team and more.
Here’s the transcript from his question-and-answer session postgame.
On the message in the locker room
“We had a long talk. Just that we all need to get better. Coaches, players, we all need to get better. The thing I know how to do as a coach to keep moving it forward is just work harder. Keep practicing harder. Keep trying to get guys better. I told them that I think the last two games are games we could have easily won and we didn’t for a lot of reasons. There’s stuff we all can do better. The guys are hurting right now.”
On starting hot but not taking advantage
“We gave too many chances away. Again, that’s on all of us to figure out how not to do that. The defense played great and gave us a bunch of opportunities to take control of the game. Collectively we made too many mistakes and should have really been ahead at halftime. Ahead by quite a bit. Instead, we found ourselves in the hole at halftime. Sooner or later that stuff has to stop.”
On his play calling
“In every single game as a play caller you have plays you wished you made differently. We will look at that and figure it out.”
On how Adrian Martinez played
“I thought Adrian did some good things. Again, I need to watch the film before I make a comment on something like that. I thought he did some good things and certainly missed some things.”
On not getting a touchdown after Darrion Daniels’ interception
“I remember that sequence. We studied it all week. We had a little shovel pass to Wan’Dale dialed up but we missed a block on the backer that took it away. Then on second down we ran an RPO. They switched it off. We need to hand that off or throw it away and not take the sack. Then we get it down to the one-yard line. At that point, I wanted to go up two scores so we kick the field goal. That wasn’t the only drive. There was other drives where we had chances. We missed blocks, throws. Coaches and I have to do a lot better job of continuing to put our guys in the best possible situations that we can. So we need to get better. At that point we just have to make some plays.”
On Cam Taylor-Britt
“He’s just really sick. We had a bunch of guys sick this week. It seems like it was going around. He’s the only one who got sick enough, we couldn’t even bring him on the trip.”
On the defense going back out for one last stop
“I’ve been in a lot of games at Nebraska already where if we make one more play we win the game. One more play right there. Again, the defense played well enough to have the game put away in the first half and the offense didn’t. Special teams made plays at times and at other times we didn’t. We have to get to a point where all three phases are playing well. That’s on the coaches, the on me, that’s on players, everybody. These are games we should win.”
On Wan’Dale not being in for final drive
“He was saying he was available and the trainer said he wasn’t.”
On improving
“There are three weeks left but we have to keep doing the things we know to get better. We have to block a little better, tackle a little better, throw the ball a little better, catch it a little better, cover a little better. Because at least three games this year where we didn’t do any of them a little better and the result is different. That’s all I know how to do.”
On keeping the team together
“The core of our team and vast majority of our team plays for each other and their brothers. I don’t think we will have any trouble keeping the team together. If we have one or two then we have one or two. I came back to Nebraska to get this fixed. I’m gonna do it. Regardless of what has to happen. If there is anybody that doesn’t need to be here, then that’s the way it has to be. I hope every single one of them stays on board and does what we need to do. We are going to get it there. I won’t let anything else happen.”
On Dicaprio Bootle
“He knows safety and corner. I have to watch the film. I’m trying to get play calls ready for the next series on offense. He knows both. I thought Braxton made some plays. Again I have to watch the tape. Certainly we’ve had some injuries and issues back there. This is a team that knows how to throw the ball. Dicaprio is one of those guys I’ll go to battle with anytime.”
On the team responding this week to being challenged
“I thought the physche of the team was good. We came out and played well for the most part. We just wasted opportunity. We have a lot of kids in that locker room that care and want to be great. They are going to be because they won’t accept any other result. Neither will I. Sometimes guys need a butt chewing and sometimes they need an arm around them. As coaches we have to do what it takes to get this thing turned.”
