Postgame quotes: Coach Scott Frost, 2021 Nebraska vs. Northwestern football

On Nebraska’s performance

“We were a lot better team than we have been. We have a lot of work to do still. This was one game. This is a world of, particularly you guys in the press, of exaggeration and hyperbole and this is one game, but that is what I know this group can do because we have talented guys in a lot of places. It is a good first step. We still have a lot of work to do. We can still get better.”

On the atmosphere inside Memorial Stadium

“Yeah that was incredible. That thing at the end of the third quarter. Wow. And I cannot believe with the score there that that many fans were there at the end. It just goes to show you there is no place like Nebraska.”

On Nebraska freshman running back Jaquez Yant

“I told him I was not going to play him until he got to a certain point. In the meantime, he has been learning the offense and what to do. He is a really talented kid. I hope this is a first step but he has got to keep doing things the right way.”

On Nebraska’s offensive line

“I still have to watch the tape, but man did we run it better. They are a heck of a team. They are really good coaches. We have not scored many points on them in a couple of years. Our night, not theirs but they will be back. I have to look at the tape to see, but it certainly seemed like we are generating more space for our running backs.”

On changes made from last week

“No you know nothing different. It was just emphasis this week was on low pad level. I do not know if that was the key or a couple new guys being there, but it certainly seemed better.”

On the start of the third quarter

“I didn’t not like it. I thought the defense could have gotten a stop in the first half a couple of times. You know you go up 21 points, you do not want to give a touchdown and get them back in the game. And then we got the turnover, which we need more of those. But they had a chance to score again. I just want to make sure the guys kept playing as hard as they were playing in the first half. I think they did.”

On new starters

“What I really liked about it was (Nouredin Nouili) was more attentive to everything we are doing this week than he has been. When you get your opportunity you have to take advantage of it. And what I liked about Teddy (Prochazka) is he did not seem nervous. He just seemed like this is what I am going to do, so again I have to watch tape and see how they did. I am careful talking around here about somebody playing well too much, because then they’re the next Dave Remington or Tommy Frazier the next day. But I certainly think it was a good start for them.”

On the first quarter

“I tell you what one of the keys to our offense is if we can generate some run game everything works, because then people are coming up. You can throw it over their heads. You are in second and short and second and medium instead of second and nines. That is just the key in football. You are the one that asked me about us not scoring in the first half the other day. Certainly turned around today. But this is one game.”

On red zone efficiency

“Coach Lubick has done a great job. And he has had as much to do with the play calling as I have. It has been a really good tandem effort. He put together a really good game plan. It helps when you score from far out sometimes. Because you can only go into a game with so many things in the redzone to call if you are working on everything else. We have needed more explosive plays and get some of those explosive plays to help us keep some things in our back pocket for the next drive or the next drive after that.”

On connecting with the 70-yard pass on the first play

“In football you are going to have an unblocked guy once in a while and it happens all the time, and good backs make people miss and good receivers go get the ball even if they are covered and some of those things started showing up tonight.”

On having it click after that play

“I think so, but we have been playing pretty well. Since the first game I was really down. Since then we have consistently been getting better and we still have a lot of work to do. The schedule certainly is not going to get any easier. We’ve got a bunch of ranked teams and elite teams down the stretch so we are going to have to improve from what we did tonight.”

On if the team’s emotional tank was low

“I said it to you guys that the team was more confident going into this week than they have been all year. They told me that. They said they are more confident, who they are right now than when they were at 0-0 because they know what kind of team they are and how well they have been playing, and we have done a few things and got ourselves beat a couple times in games we could have won. But the guys were really confident. This is the most confident I have been going into a game since I have been at Nebraska. I think that confidence played out how we played.”

On offensive line Turner Corcoran’s position

“Turner will do whatever he can to help us win and those are the kind of guys going on the team. Turner is a good enough athlete and player and he is smart enough that he could play all five positions. He has got a future in football. I am not sure what position that is going to be at, but being able to play multiple things is only going to help him with that. We will evaluate the tape and see if that is where we are going to stay.

On a response to William Przystup’s 84-yard punt

“For a team to be good everybody when they get their opportunity has to do their job. The biggest applause the whole night was the punt. After what happened last week I am really happy for Will. We need that every time. We need guys to step up and do what they are supposed to do when they are called upon.”

On Jaquez Yant’s game

“Let us not make him Mike Rozier right now. He had one good game. He can still really improve, and he is a lot quicker at 232 (pounds) than he is at 258.”

On what it will be like next Saturday night

“There is no place like this. It is special. These fans deserve a team that plays the way we played tonight. I could not find one empty seat in the stadium even all the way up on the balcony on the east side. So thank you again to Nebraska fans, and we are going to keep working to get better.”

Source: Nebraska Athletic Communications