I got in the game made. Some made some plays that if you could take back he would, but he can't so we'll just we'll just be there for him as he gets better this week. How much weight do you put on one game of Colorado film for preparation? Not just considering it's the first game of the season. Well you know, I think you both They have really good coaches. Okay so I think you go back and look at their coordinators. Okay, um You go back and look at Shaun Lewis at Kent State. Shawn's I consider him a friend. Um He's an excellent coach. He comes out of the Art Briles Dino Babers tree. So you know you're going to get the ball run from B gap to be gap. You know that They're gonna attack you on the perimeter. You know they're going to take 10 deep ball shots a game. They have the guys that can go down the field and Go up in their ball skills are elite. They forgot the quarterback who can make those throws, so it's really a perfect storm. Perfect hire. You know that offense style of offense with that skill set of guys that they have, plus the altitude and tempo in Boulder, right, So it's really well thought out. On defense. Um Obviously, coach Kelly, you know comes from the Saban tree. You know you're watching Florida State film You're watching. So you can't look at everything. Just what they didou know last week because obviously they were facing a unique offense and TCU. Um it's like two different worlds of what we played against last week compared to what they're doing, So, um, but we're studying everything right? You know, obviously they have a lot of new players that were watching. Um You know, but we have new players. You know, They're seeinour guys the first time, too, so lot of work's been done in the summer. A lot of work being done right now. The challenge of that tempo with their skill talent. Obviously tackling is always important, but how do you may be prepared to tackle those guys in space? Yeah You know, we We've been practicing versus tempo, all training camp. Because it's a good way to practice right on the fence. It's a good way to It's a good way to prepare a good way to get in shape. Um The things that we teach you to track, you know, track in the near hip, all the different fundamentals thate believe in. They show up in these games, right? What happened has intensity happens when it goes that fast. I started to get sloppy. And this is, you know for our guys. They're going to have to make this football. You know, this is this has to be football. This can't be about tempo. This can't be about altitude. This can't be about Playing a ranked opnentr beg othe road. It just has to be football. And if we do that, you know that's what we've done on training camp will have a chance. You know, there's obviously lots of questions about how would the 335 stack up to big people? I thought, you know, we handled the run game in the last game pretty well. This is the use of a whole unique challenge, right? Maybe more designed for 335, You know, um so we'll just have to play well, though it's just gonna be football. We have to play good football. Do with the extra two days that you don't really have after a game. Um This weekend to help give them to move on andet ready. And what did you see from the guys mentality? You were around them? Yeah I don't think there's any moving on. I mean, like, you know, like there's not like, you know, at the end of day, we're gonna play each week. You know, it was a great Kobe quote. We're gonna come back and do the journey all over again. Whether we win or lose and Um, you know, we're very free. We go through the opponent. We go through the last game. So Friday we came in. We got back late. Became in Friday afternoon. We went through the opponents went through the game. Excuse me, That's what we did. Well, this is what we didn't do. Well, everything is very methodical and an emotional, you know, Um, um, because there was a lot of good. You know, there was it wasn't like one of those like they were down by two scores. We scored at the end of making a one score game like we had the lead. Unfortunately we made some catastrophic errors down the stretch, right? And so Um, we learned from those we eliminate those mistakes. We have a chance to win that game. So e give the guys off. You know now, I was in here Saturday morning working and we had a ton of guys in here taking care of their bodies recove. It's been a long camp. And then brought him in yesterday and we started on Colorado. It's a little unique for us as coach like I went home and watched the game on TV because I didn't know what to expect. You know what I mean? Like what? You do not like you can watch it on tape. There's no no, This is the first game, so having a chance to watch the game was good to see the flow of the game. See them in action. And now yesterday we came in here and work with the of day and we'll get back to work tomorrow morning Surprised the rest of the nation was watching what Colorado did no. No. Um Coach Sanders is a football guy. And so while Well, you can watch all these peripheral thing where you can see like, you know, they show their practices. You can watch all this stuff on TV at the end of the day. Like when does he ever not been serious about foota head coach. Now he's won both places. So they've got elite players, elite skill players in the elite players up and down the front. They've had a great time. Have a great quarterback. You have a chance to win, so I wasn't surprised at all football guy. What goes into that He's won erythg. Hs one and everything he's done in football. It's one of the player he's one as a coach. So I think everyone everyone maybe thinks like outside. Not me. Everyone else thinks like. Well this is this is all a show and that he's he's the most serious person about football like his poster was on people's walls r because he's one of the hardest practicing hardest playing people that's ever played the game, right so Um why would we think that hism wouldn't be the same? You know, CJ CJ Whites on our staff was a strength coach for him. He told us like early on like, Let me tell you how they're gonna practice. Let me tell you what they'reoing to do so The utmost respect for coach stands like when he was When he was headquartered, Quote, Headquarter Treaty. Christian, I recruited quail and Jones out of their football guy like he's It's like all the other stuff, the commercials and all those things. Those are extra things you get to do when you're elite football, but Um Yeah, I'm not surprised at all. You know, I mean, I think everything he's ever done in football has been successful at and so he's being successful here. Already Dialect Travis Hunter When you know he's going to play both sides and His skill set. And what do you think about him? Playing three snaps and Well, um, He's one of thmost conditioned athletes I've ever seen. So you know, God bless him. Um He has his long speed is unbelievable. You know his ability to His ability to accelerate at 30 yards is something that's hard to simulate and practice. Um I think the he just his ball skills.is You know, he goes up and even though one was foot landed out of balance and his ball skills, So that's that's really gonna be the theme of the week again. With this offense, they're going to throw the ball down the field 10 times a game minimum. You have to play the ball, You know, I'm saying and He can go up and get the ball Y sawim dng on offense you so I'm doing on defense, and he took the ball out of the young man's hands on the flat route. In the end, it was like he got the ball first. He took it out of his hands. But if you watch them practice all summer on the stuff that they put out. I mean, that's he's got those kind of ball skills. So, um, he's a competitor. If you had an added challenges tie out for the first half, But how did you feel about just the other guys stepped in? You kind of want that can watch tape it and you rotate it up front. They played well, but you know, Ty was at a different level when he was playing, you know, he got to the quarterback four or five times. Um you know, obviously, unfortunatel will happen for the first half. I told him you're playing to be playing the second half when you get back there, so you better rest up. So um but, yeah. Ties ties ties level of football. Thought in the first half. You know why he was playing was Was really impressive, so, but we played. A lot of guys were able to get some guys in some guys for two or 345 place some guys for more, but we'll need all that versus this tempo will need all that versus. Um you know this opponent Please read with this. The physicality and attack tackling you guys played with both on defense and special teams, you know? Again I'm kind of an incrementalist. I'm kind of a process guy. Um so I can say two things that mean them like crushed that we lost the game the way we did for the guys, right? Not for me for the guys. Um upset fr them at the same time recognizing how much better the football is than early last year, and some proud of that for them, like Hey, look, Look, Look No we have to make You know too. turn the ball over four times and have two false starts inside the five and versus a Big 10 opponent and have the lead is outrageous, You know, So we have to clean all that up, but also recognize the things that are better. So my mind is just very simply the way the way I think you bld a ogram that's built to last. It's not just a flash in the pan is you just keep improving the things that aren't good, you know that are approved so Early in the game. You know, I walked out on the field. I was like, Hey, guys, they're they're They're four or five right now. On third down, it's just about third down. It's not like very good. Are we back? It's just third down, right? And so we got better at third down as the game went on, Tony adjusted, So, um, you know, I'd like to see us make those steps in our passing game this week. I'd like to see us make those steps obviously, in protecting the football this week and taking the ball away, so But I thought we were really physical. I thought we ran to the ball hard. And Ihoug you couldn't like, you know, we played for four or 56 linebackers. You know, like we rotated guys in and there was no like, Oh, he's in college differently, right? You know, Javan goes in jamon Jamon is really coming on playing well. McKay bear was unbelievable. And special teams that he gets in on the defense and you see him play well, right and then You're playing MJ. You're playing chief. So if we can do that, as we get into the stretch of big 10 play, um you know, we'll have a bunch of guys that can play and help us with that all play to the same standard this week. We'll just have to be able to do it versus excellent skills. Sam asked, and then versus tempo. What's up? Um what is showas a pass catcher and what's he able to contribute in that area? Hinrichs is like, you know, he's about £230. He runs 45. He's competitive. Um so we had some more things in for them. I think you know one of the again and I never want sound like excuses. But you know, one of the things that kind of wead three drives in the first half. The first one, you know, kind of came in with, like, Hey, we're gonna start this way. The ball starts at the one yard line. Just kinda never got that rhythm going until that. Really the third drive. You saw us get into a rhythm, right? You saw us, you know, start to kind of get in and out of things that you know was kind o cal. Unfortunately we fall started didn't get the ball in the end zone. But Heinrich can help us in a lot of different ways. So you know he's the backup quarterback, but he's also g to a guy that's going to help us. You know, play some other positions. He can catch it. He knows every position because he is the quarterback. Um so hopefully can help us a lot as we move forward, Even he had previously played nickel. Guys have kind of moved him inside. What do you like about his game? What did you see in him? That gave you so much trust that he could play that many staff Um he's practiced really well, because he didn't do anything in the spring. Um His father was here, You know, obviously form you know, former Husker Husker legend was here. The oneay he was talking about, like, you know, he was kind of laughing like he thinks he's a corner coach. Move him inside, you know, and Javan bought into it. We said right before the spring. We're gonna play you because he was able to do some things at the end of spring Gonna move you into have you played backer and he was all for it, which was great step. So I mean, every NFL scout that comes here they all kind of sit there and say, Okay, coach tell me who 33 is because he's big, fast range explosive. Um but he's had to learn how to play right. You said to learn how to play the game. How to learn how to play the different things that we you know that that that you see at that position so But the other guy with that speed playing linebacker is awesome. But he's got a tenacity and physicality that I like You got a great personality. And he was he was another guy was excellent Special teams. Samantha. You guys got the big new game on Fox this week. And so probably the big storyline is going to be about the compare and contrast of how you're going about trying to build this thing and how Sanders i trying to build this thing out of Colorado. You call yourself an incrementalist guys. And you've spoken about kind of what Your methodology is for building a program, but I guess What kind of your compared contrast? If you were to look at both programs and how they're going about it? Yeah. I'm sorry to the Sierra. I respectfully market. You know, I can't talk about anybody else. I just for me, Um You know? Guys in the portal. We have a relationship with, you know, we have respect for we know or something. They fit us obviously will take some of those guys. We're going to try to recruit high schools as much as possible. Specifically, local guys. Um, you know, It's always taking me a couple of years to get the program up and running, you know, and usually I feel like when it's done. Like you know, we got the temple. We lost the championship game we wanted the next year they want they want for a couple years after that, with a new coach. I went to Baylor.e lost the championship game in year. Three covid here your for those same kids, you know, won it won the big 12 went the Sugar Bowl, so I only know how to kind of do it One way. The rules are a little different now, But you know, I respect anybody. That's just trying to figure out how to win. You know what I mean? Like, you know, so tre's different ways of doing it. So um However, however, Coach Sanders is doing however, look fickle is doing it, however. Everybody's doing it. Um, it's not really for me to say for me. It's just Hey, this is how we're doing it. And um, this recruiting class that we have right now to us. As like, as I said last week is a really big oe for us as we move forward, But obviously, you know,hey' they're. So what they're doing is working. He was the first week of the new clock timing rules. Do you think that impacted maybe the tempo of the game or the number of total plays you can run? Kind of? I was starting to say that and I kind of got like I forgot to say it. But like that first drive, you know, And th tha just, you know, only having three drives in the first half. You can kind of feel a little bit of that. That won't really be a factor this week because I think they're going to snap the ball. It You know, within 8 10. Seconds of what we do. Um you know, I used to go at Baylor to go against Cliff Kingsbury and those guys, So have some have some experienc wit guyss fast, You know, Um, um It's a great way to play football. So um, um, the clock rules last week. You could definitely feel them right? Just how short the first half was and took us a little time. Unfortunately, getting rhythm What do you want? How's Tommy Hill practices He split time. Offensive defense. Yeah Like last week. He was on defense because we're coming off that injury, so he was on defense that had a couple of plays on offense. You know, we really knew that that that shot that we took to him. We knew that he would get open in that formation. We knew he would run by the guy. Um We just, You know, we just knew it was going to be there and it was, you know, just weren't able to quite connect on it. So that was just kind of a one off thing. He had another play that we had for him that we were going to have up that we didn't hit, but I think as we move forward, um, seeing the kind of shape that Tommy's in and the mental, you know, you know, 's a really smart football player and his mental toughness. I really like you where he's at so Um, he he's already last night. He's asking me like when you can when you can do on offense, so you will be remain to be seen as a game plan today, but maybe he'll have some other roles on offense. I also like when you go back and watch him play offense last year onef th best blockers he came in, and he was, you know. Blocking the heck out of people like you know, you have to be careful now what you're allowed to do, but you know he's kind of blocking the way the old Husker wide receivers block so I'd love to love to utilize them in the blocking game as well Get and Thomas Zigoni more involved, as you know, have a catching I'm sure you would like to see those guys more involved, especially for Billy right now, Um, I think of the 60 players We called nine. He was the first guy in the progression. But some of them like you know, just you know, either they took that away or there was pressure or something like that. So You know, you call icaug a play for Thomas down the in the goal line. You thought it was gonna be a touchdown and just, you know, kind of kind of get banged by the guy and wasn't open. So um, um, um really, Billy, we have to get going. We have to find a way to get him involved because he's too good of a player to competitive of a guy Thomas as well,m, again talk about things we want to prove upon just I think the overall passing game this week For us to have a chance versus a team that can score like this. You know, we're going to have to make some more plays. So you know, we got through the first week we identified that we need to improve this. Hopefully we can make some strides after watching the game back to the offensive line. Grayed out. How important will that you've been givene Colorado plays with in order to try to sustain drives when you have Yeah, That's the offensive line played. Well you know, actually had the back to back sacks on the one drive, there were less about getting beaten more about a miscommunication. Unfortunately you know, just two guys working together. Um you know, t, you know, I thought I thought I thought Had we not fumbled the ball five minutes. You know, we would have been able to really kind of started. We started. I felt like we were starting to really start to wear down the opponent. I think with the greatest respect for them, I thought we were gonna be able to run the ball out and finished with you know when you only have three drives in the first half, and when you have four turnovers, it's really hard to wear down your opponent, you know? So um, all that being said, you know, there was a good first game. We know where we are. We know we have what we have to improve upon. Colorado has really good skill upfront. Their edge rushers are really twitchy Explosive guys, Um just, you know, we slowed that we tried to slow that down a little bit last week with some quarterback draws. You know, even even when I only get two or three yards, it does slow down. The pass rush, and, um so you know, we'll have to do a lot of different things. First Colorado because they are so talented upfront, someone else had someone that ability to do to control t souboar to get first downs. Hold the ball more important against an opponent like this that has such a contrasting style. What you do temple wise in comparison to Minnesota. Working pretty similar, um Well. Make sure understand your question. You're sayi jus holding the ball? Yeah, Yeah, yeah. I mean, like, you know, when we played, we played Minnesota. We knew that they were averaging like a 34 to 35 minute time of possession specific against the Oscars of the last couple of years, So they have it close to even was a step in the right direction. With four turnovers say we have two turnovers. We probably have it for 33. 34 minutes. So again, we're heading in the right direction. Not good enough, but heading in the right direction. What I found versus a team like this is again just making football like Don't even I don't even think like the temples there. Don't think about it like If they're going really fast, and we can force three announce, then then they start starts to weigh on thr defense. If they're going rlly st, and they're going one first down to first down three. I have such a unique perspective because I was at Dale or after Coach Briles and I would hear the guys talk that had been in that office and say, Hey, get two first downs, and it's a touchdown like they just want to get on the field against you. And where you down. So for our guys, we're just gonna try to make it football. You know again, try to take try to win when we can on the deep balls that they're going to throw, try to stop the run because they will run the football. Um tackle. Well I think for us on offense, you know, just about, you know, converting third downs. It'll always come back to me the third down like for only the first half. We weren't doing a great job ofhat as we started converting third downs. Also we put some points on the boards and things happen. So um, we'll try to make it football. Um, as best we can do well. Get your team to block out. Whatever's going to happen n that stadium for the first time of his game. What do you guys working, work on and talk about as ipu out whatever they'reand going to have, because it's probably going to be some sort of celebration. Yeah again, You know, I'm saying because this is exactly what saying the team I'm saying, like making football right? Like all that's what it is right, But it's still going to come down to blocking and tackling. And, you know, I think they went dow The went down to TCU last week and what everyone thought it was, you know, going to be all this stuff. They played football. They went out there. They caught the ball that made people they play good football and they won the game. So like we're just gonna try to make a football like We're lucky we had, unfortunately lost last week, but we had it was a game one of theeason and the other team did a gold out like how often does it happen? The first game of te year? Right So, like we recognize every game we play in every every game, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and it's gonna be a big game. And so for a team to do that, in the first game of the year, it was really, really loud. I thought, you know, Minnesota had great student sectio Obvuslyll over. One of our mistakes happened down and their student section which was unfortunate for us, we have to learn from that. But last week happened maybe to prepare us for this week, you know, or maybe prepare us for the future but will be a significantly better team after these first two weeks of being on the road and these two environments when we come back home, and then we go on the road late in the year, but in terms of preparing for it Football like we can't lock in and just play football, then You know, nothing I say will matter. You know it's the pregame pageantry. All that stuff. It'll all be over. It'll be a It'll be football once the game kicks off, you know the history between these two schools. Obviously I'm being history guy in colle fooallover. You've seen it over the years Have you been doesn't feel different this weekend. People come up to you, maybe even before the season about the Colorado Games for Atlantic County is a different deal. Yes certainly before the year no one not really know what I'm here all the time, so and there's nothing but cows, but where I live, so we're not, you kw, s I don't think that you know, no one really sees me very often right now, just in season, but Um, Obviously, I respect that that tradition right and that history and that legacy Um, as I was going through the job and looking at the job, you know, and trust Trav and I were talking to my wife and son and I would sit down and watch on YouTube a wat all tu know, over the years, you know. Coach Osborne coach McCartney called solid, You know, Coach Barnett all the different games that happened and, um so we understand the legacy. Um So you know when, when you have a legacy behind you, you have to live up to it and you have to build on it for the future. We also recognize likence the ball is kicked. We're going to have to play, you know. And we have to play for 60 minutes. Anything else from coach? What do you think here Quarterbacks play? I mean, obviously had a great game. But what did you think of just watching him Move around work. I thought he was in complete control. You know, I think there's a lot of freedom. Probably in that system, where he, um You know the guys uncovered. He's just going to raise them and throw it out to him. Um I thought his deep ball accuracy was excellent. I thought his pocket movement was excellent. Um So. I thought he you know, he played like a guy who's played a lot of football and trust his receivers. And you know, you look at it, you know to have four receivers over 100 yards receiving means he doesn't just Trust this one player, right? I mean, You know, I think when you when you look at the game the what if game breakers, But you know the tailback. You know, Edwards really broke the game open with some explosive plays, and so But he was in command. He was in control, and so we'll have to. Again It's not like you just taking away one thing, right? You're talking. There's four years had over 100 yards rushing. You have a quarterback threw for 500 yards. They're going to run the ball. There's a temple. There's a lot of things. Um you know, we're still going to show up. Our defense wile there. We'll play and Um See what we can do. Thank you. Thank you.
