Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[THE_WIZARD_]

You all realize I could kill you with my bare hands...and a large caveman club...

[hack]

Were I in your position I'd clarify that Wiz should not bother bringing the ones that look a lot like him...

[THE_WIZARD_]

[hack]

Credit to you for going out on the field dressed like that. Ignore the catcalls and be yourself, I say.

But I meant your daughters, actually.

[THE_WIZARD_]

Oh sorry. I misread you.

[*JD*]

I had envisioned them all as blonds, for some reason.

[THE_WIZARD_]

pssst....that's not really my daughter...that's my girlfriend...

[hack]

Oh, I see -- so your girlfriend is available on a web site for anyone to pay a fee and use?

[THE_WIZARD_]

Shoot me a price.

[entropy]

Oh, I see -- so your girlfriend is available on a web site for anyone to pay a fee and use?

Wiz is married to talents wife?

[entropy]

Huskers have moved up to No. 1 in the latest AVCA poll! Nebraska received 32 of 60 first-place votes after improving to 3-0 over the weekend. Go Big Red!!

[UMStan White]

You beat the number one team you deserve the right to take their place. Go Big Red volleyball! You've made a believer out of me!

[entropy]

Our new KSU...

[UMStan White]

Yeah that's sick.

[entropy]

Live updates from today's football press conference Reply

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I'll be posting live updates from Nebraska's first game week press conference of the season this afternoon from Memorial Stadium. Keep checking back here for the latest info from head coach Bo Pelini and the Huskers as they get ready to take on Southern Miss...

11:24 am - For those wondering, there was no depth chart released today. We expect one won't come out until later on this week, likely Thursday, Friday or even Saturday morning.

11:31 am - Pelini is now at he podium.

11:32 am - Pelini said there's a lot of unknowns going into this game, especially going against a team with a new head coach. Said making adjustments on the fly will be big on Saturday, and he's anxious to see how his team comes out in its first game.

11:33 am - He said there's a lot of guess work involved in scouting USM's offense, as they're not quite sure what to expect. He said they watched film from the staff's offense both at the college and high school level.

11:34 am - Pelini said going against a quality team like USM is going to be a nice challenge for his team to start the year.

11:34 am - He said running back Rex Burkhead will be tough to keep off the field, but they realize it's in the best interest of Rex and the team to cut back his workload. While they still have to get the ball in his hands, they realize the importance of getting other guys involved. Pelini admitted NU may have overworked Rex at times last season.

11:36 am - Pelini said Imani Cross has showed a lot this fall. Called him "a man" who's very mature physically for his age, and that he adds another dimension to the offense it may not have had in recent years. Said there's a chance Cross could play Saturday, depending on the situation.

11:37 am - Pelini said NU would play as many centers as needed depending on how things play out. While winning the game was obviously the top goal, he said he'd like to get guys as many reps as possible. At this point, he said Justin Jackson would be the starter if the season started today.

11:39 am - He said he likes the offensive line and that it had a good fall overall. They threw a lot at the line defensively, and the o-line responded well. Pelini said the o-line did pretty well last year, especially with the depth issues it had at times.

11:41 am - Pelini said he feels the team had a good fall, but was ready to see where exactly the team was against a live opponent. He said the first game gives you a starting point to learn what kind of team you're going to be.

11:42 am - With the strength of the non-con schedule, Pelini said winning the game took priority over worrying about playing time at certain positions. He said he'll handle the rotations as needed.

11:43 am - Pelini would not say who the No. 2 quarterback was at this point. He said the competition will continue this week and throughout the season. As far as Tommy Armstrong goes, he said it "all depends." If they need him to win, he said, Armstrong will play.

11:44 am - Pelini said receivers Jamal Turner and Taariq Allen have had very good fall camps. Pelini said Turner is much more ready to play this year than a year ago, and this past week of practice he's played some of his best football yet. Pelini said Turner is finally settling into the receiver position.

11:45 am - Pelini said he wasn't a big fan of the new rule that states if a player's helmet falls off he must sit out the next play. He said the only way to get around it is to make sure helmets are buckled up on every play, but you just have to hope they don't come off in key situations.

11:46 am - Pelini said receivers coach Rich Fisher has settled into the job very well the past year. Like the other new coaches, he said there was a bit of a learning curve for the offensive staff to get a good enough understanding of the system and how to work with each other.

11:49 am - As always, Pelini said there has been a big emphasis on reducing penalties this year. He said the team made strides in that area last year, but there was still plenty of room for improvement.

11:50 am - On Taylor Martinez, Pelini said the QB was very confident heading into the season and was "carrying a bit of an attitude" coming into the year.

11:51 am - Pelini said he was excited about the offense, saying it was going to be "a formidable group" this season.

11:55 am - That's it for Bo. Players soon to follow.

11:56 am - Martinez now at the podium.

11:57 am - Martinez said having so many weapons to work with on offense would make his job much easier this season. As for spreading the wealth with touches, he said he'd leave it up to Tim Beck to divvy out the football.

11:58 am - He said the whole offense was excited to show how far its come from last season. He said some of the biggest differences would be better execution and a wider variety of plays and tempos.

11:59 am - Martinez said he's noticed more time in the pocket during practice, which he credits to overall improvement from the unit.

12:00 pm - Martinez said if it were up to him, NU would be about 60/40 in terms of passing/running play calls. He said it was because he was that confident in the passing game and how far it's come this offseason.

12:01 pm - He said he expects NU to rotate a lot at receiver on Saturday.

12:02 pm - That's it for Martinez. Will Compton is next.

12:02 pm - Compton said the defense has prepared for as many looks at possible from USM, but it will likely have to be a situation where they have to react on the fly once the game gets going. Said communication and adjustments would be huge. Right now, he thinks USM will be mostly spread based.

12:05 pm - He said Michael Rose, Thomas Brown and Zaire Anderson have all impressed this fall. He also mentioned David Santos, Trevor Roach and Sean Fisher as guys who have played well. He said Santos has worked with the ones, and Anderson has as well in pass defense packages.

12:07 pm - Compton said this year feels a little different because NU will be challenged right out of the gate.

12:07 pm - Compton said NU's defense let the fans down this year, and that expectations are higher than ever this year. He said the goal is to be the best defense in the country, and with the players they have, he said it was possible.

12:09 pm - He said getting the quarterback, getting off the field on third down and capitalizing on opportunities were some of the biggest points of emphasis for the defense this year.

12:12 pm - That's it for Compton. Rex Burkhead up now.

12:13 pm - Burkhead said he wants the ball in his hands as much as possible, but understands he needs to share the load this year. He said Ameer Abdullah, Braylon Heard and Imani Cross were all great players and would give him more than enough help.

12:14 pm - He said USM had a ton of speed on defense, especially on the d-line and the secondary.

12:16 pm - On his Heisman chances, Burkhead said he doesn't care much about any of that stuff. He said he only cares about winning championships, especially a Big Ten title.

12:17 pm - Burkhead said the o-line has made big strides from last year. He credited the leadership on the unit for its progress.

12:18 pm - He said Justin Jackson brings lots of energy and intensity, and he was one of the best leaders for the offense.

12:18 pm - Burkhead said he had no idea how many carries he would get on Saturday, nor did he really care.

12:20 pm - On Cross, Burkhead said he's "one of the most freakish freshmen ever." He said Cross was going to be a great back in a couple years.

12:21 pm - More on Cross, Burkhead said he's "hungry" to get better. That includes watching lots of film and working on the little things - like ball security and pass protection - to get better every day.

12:22 pm - That's all for Rex. Ben Cotton up now.

12:24 pm - Cotton said one thing he knows for sure about this team is everyone was excited to show just how far it's come since last year.

12:25 pm - Cotton said NU is well aware of how good USM is, and with so many unknowns about them it's been tough to know exactly what to expect on Saturday.

12:26 pm - Despite so many players competing for touches, Cotton said no one was worried about stats and that everyone was only concerned with winning and playing well as a team.

12:27 pm - Cotton said the team didn't come anywhere close to what it expected it would be last year, and that has fueled the players - especially the seniors - all offseason.

12:28 pm - Cotton said Justin Jackson was a vocal guy who makes sure to get everyone around him going and ready to play. He said Jackson's intensity was one of his best attributes.

12:30 pm - Cotton is done. Daimion Stafford up now.

12:31 pm - Stafford said he came in a little heavy last year, but has made big improvements getting into much better shape over the past year. He also said he's made big gains mentally in terms of learning the defense and his responsibilities on each play.

12:32 pm - He said the biggest goal for the defense was to "get off the field." That means getting stops on third down and creating turnovers.

12:33 pm - Stafford said Harvey Jackson has shown the most difference in his work ethic this fall. He said his emergence has made both him and PJ Smith better because of competition.

12:34 pm - Asked what it was like to tackle Burkhead, Stafford said "That's a pretty hard task." He said if he can tackle Rex, he can tackle any back in the country.

That's all from the up front portion of today's press conference. We'll have much more from today's press conference and practice this evening throughout the day in our Monday practice notebook, Husker Buzz, and HOL HD video package.