Rutgers Head Coach Chris Ash
Opening statement
"Our players played extremely hard today. I am really proud of the preparation and the focus and the effort they put out there today. Bottom line is we just made too many mistakes to win a football game on the road. We struggled to stop the run, especially in the second half. We wore out in front. Anytime they can run the ball, and we can't run the ball that is when you can't win football games and that happened today. Gave up the long punt return when two boys gave up from the point of attack, and we missed two tackles, which led to points in the first half. When you do those things, you're going to struggle to win games. Defensively, I thought we were playing really hard and fast and we struggled to tackle at times against their running backs. Second half we wore out, just a lack of depth up in the D-line. We started to show up there in the third quarter. It was the penalties and drive that killed us. Even up until the end we had a third-and-seven stop and a late hit which gave them a first down and ended up putting points on the board. We talk to the team a lot, some games are lost and some are won, but that is the case we get today. We have to continue to work, we have to continue to drive. We need to prepare the way that we have and learn how to win on game day. That is really where it is at. Competing is not a problem, effort is not a problem, toughness is not a problem. Depth is a concern. We just have to help teach our guys how to win games and that starts with me. We have to continue to look at what we do in all situations and who we do it with and find ways to get better. We are a lot better football team. We continue to get better, everyday, every week. We just have to go out and perform and not beat ourselves on game day."
 
On what changed after the first drive
"We made some throws and dropped some balls. They were able to put some pressure on the quarterback, and put a blitz on the pass. We struggled to get the running game going. That's the biggest thing that we struggle to do consistently. There were plays there to be made, we just didn't make them. Our ability to pressure the quarterback affected his confidence to stand in the pocket and wait for some stuff to come open. We had two interceptions that were critical situations that killed us, too."
 
On Nebraska's 63-yard punt return in the second quarter
"It is different (than the Washington game). Similar but different. Two guys were blocking the point of attack. We did not have that against Washington. We had a good kick, it was not a bad punt at all. With Washington, we didn't want it, this one we did. We had two guys that were free at the point of attack and we just didn't finish the tackle. Both of our guards that were down there didn't finish the tackle the right way. When that happened some guys got out of the coverage lane and he was able to go and get out."
 
On the missed snap
"It was disappointing, the guy was in a critical situation. The quarterback was still going through his mechanics about getting the protection and the game set, but he thought he heard a clap and snapped it. The ball shouldn't have been snapped, and the quarterback wasn't ready for it. It wasn't the right time. He is a young guy. It is his second game. First time in an environment like this, he thought he heard the clap and messed it up."
 
On the pick six by Rutgers' Kiy Hester
"It was a great play actually. One that we have talked about all week. We brought a lot of coverage to that play. We actually talked about it in our walk-thru this morning. It was our potential first third-down call. Kiy made a great play, and he took it into the end zone. That was a great play of the game and it really felt like we were playing good defensively at that point. We stopped them and were able to punt the ball and pin them inside the five yard line and that drive broke our back. That was the difference, the 97-yard drive. We were playing good football until that drive, then we were tired and made some penalties in costly situations and that was really the game."

Rutgers Player Quotes

Rutgers Quarterback Kyle Bolin
On why he struggled with completion on passes as the game went on
"We came out with a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of momentum and it showed on the first drive, and then somewhere along the lines in those continuous drives, penalties and maybe dropped balls and just stalling out, bad throws, just momentum breakers, and it was hard to find that momentum throughout the game."
 
On what happened on the interception
"It's a play that we've ran, gives the tight end the option to break in or break out, I don't think we've ever broke in this whole entire- whenever we run the play we've always kind of looked to where he breaks out, so I mean, Nakia [Griffin-Stewart] did exactly everything that he was supposed to do. He read the route at the correct depth, he read the outside defender, he was outside of him and he turned inside, I felt pressure, and when I saw him nudge inside, I was expecting him to turn in, and he went out, so the ball just went right into the defender's hands. I'm not saying that it was Nakia's fault, because like I said, the way the route is taught, he did absolutely everything. It's just an unfortunate turn of events when we've been practicing one way, or every look that we've got is the outside look, and they just made a good play on it."
 
On not having senior wide receiver Janarion Grant
"He's definitely a game changer, having him out there with his playmaking ability, every time he touches the ball. I think Hunter [Hayek] did a great job stepping in today, I think he caught the ball very well, ran with the ball after the catch, did everything that we asked him to do. As a freshman, that's very tough coming in and playing serious minutes on the road in a Big Ten environment, so hats off to Hunter. But having Janarion out there is definitely a difference maker."
 
On what not converting a third down did to the team
"It's tough, it's hard to win a football game when we have less than 200 yards in total offense, so, and that's not putting the blame on anybody, I'm not saying that it's my fault, I'm not saying it's the O-line's fault, I'm not saying it's the running backs' fault. Nebraska is a big physical defense and the schemes that they ran today were different than the schemes that we have been preparing for, because they haven't showed it at all this year. So they had a great game plan and we've just got to watch film and take notes and figure out what we need to do in terms of just to run the plays effectively and make sure that we convert on those situations."
 
Rutgers Defensive Back Saquan Hampton
On what happened on 97-yard drive by the Huskers
"Some plays that we left out there, we've got to tackle better as a whole, as a defense. We can't miss tackles in critical situations and make critical penalties in critical situations."
 
On whether Huskers became more confident and aggressive after junior defensive back Blessuan Austin was injured
"No, I didn't notice that they got a little more aggressive. I know that they did drop the ball though when we made some penalties, because we had them stopped on a few downs and we made some critical penalties that allowed them to make that drive possible."
 
On whether the defense got worn down throughout the game
"Yeah, we got worn down. We're thin on the D-line right now in terms of depth, so I think as the game got on, we got worn down as a defense."
 
On whether this game paralleled with Rutgers - Washington game
"Exactly what happened in the Washington game, we got to be able to not allow those big plays on special teams to happen, because then that just changes the momentum, especially being on the road."

Nebraska Head Coach Mike Riley
Opening Statement
"Well obviously it was really good to win. I am very proud of these kids. You know there was a lot of new faces and some of them first time out there today. They made some plays and then what was great was when adversity snuck up on us again. The guys just kind of came back and stuck to it and won the game. That was pretty special. That part of it was outstanding."
 
On considering a quarterback change
"No. Just by the fact that this is a three-point game, he's (Tanner Lee) played so much more, and we had a lot of faith that he would bring it back and he did. He made some real good throws after that. It had nothing to do with how we feel about Patrick (O'Brien) either. This guy (Tanner Lee) has been in the games and he sucked it up and made some throws."
On if Nebraska's identity in the running game was found
"I thought it was good, hard running. I was really proud, and we actually played differently than when we started the year. Three backs played, Devine Ozigbo played, Mikale Wilbon played, and I was excited about it. Mikale had (78) yards with a 5.6 average, and Devine had (101) with a 4.2 average. That's pretty good for two guys playing."
 
On if the three back rotation is a formula for future games
"Well, I will tell you this, that would be nice, but we are going to have to throw for more yards."
 
On defense carrying the offense
"I've seen growth since the first week, take out the first half of the Oregon game, come to the second half, and there has been growth. Lots of good teaching, lots of good football today. I think again that it was really telling how they drove down and scored right away and then really didn't again. There was the pick six and that was really about it. Pretty impressive. I thought the kids played sound and I thought a lot of the next-men-up had to step up. We lost Aaron Williams early, and we're already playing without Josh Kalu. We don't have two starters out there and Kieron Williams gets in there, Antonio Reed plays, and Marquel Dismuke goes in. There's a lot of new faces playing a lot of ball. I think that's pretty good."
 
On De'Mornay Pierson-El's punt return and the need for special teams in close games
"The way our recipe is right now is it's all tight. We all know in those types of games, anything can tip the scales. I was fearful that the interception was going to be the play that tipped them, but what ultimately did was the punt return. The other sequence that was I was really proud of was our 97-yard drive."
 
On Tanner Lee's performance after throwing second interception
"I have been there, done that before with a quarterback. I never did this before, but I have seen it with the home crowd with Derek Anderson and Matt Moore. What they did was just fight back and play. So I was just impressed."
 
On needing win this week
"Winning games are hard. I would suppose after last week, that game was…These kids are happy right now. They know it was hard, they know they played well, and they knew a lot of new parts played an important role. I'm pretty excited."
 
On difficulty of getting ready for game
"We talked about that the other day, and it's like I said. When something happens like that you really have to rely on controlling what you can control. We always tell the kids that. So you do this thing the way you're supposed to do. If you don't do that as a coaching staff, that makes us hypocritical. So the main thing for us was to coach our team, and make sure they were prepared to play. And low-and-behold we won the game. Maybe we can build on that."
 
On Stanley Morgan Jr.'s Absence
"He worked out, [Bryan] Riemers worked out. Neither one was deemed ready to play. So we played with the third next man at split end today."
 
On wide receiver Gabe Rahn
"I thought it was good. Gabe has been that guy at practice that has virtually played every position in the receiving, and he's played all the positions. He's smart, works hard. When given the opportunity, he's been on a lot of special teams. He's done a nice job."
 
On rotating backs
"We decided differently than we decided with Tre Bryant early, we decided to rotate today. Those are pretty good totals for two guys. This will be a topic (among the coaches) starting tomorrow."
 
On defensive back Aaron Williams' first-quarter ejection
"I don't really have an opinion on it. I think that it's not surprising right, that this day and age there is that kind of contact out in space you don't know what might be coming."
 
On Coach Riley's reaction to the game
"It's no different. I'm happy for those kids. One of the things that we always talk about and I stole this from John Robinson 'The game might be up for grabs for 3 hours and 27 minutes. We might have broken it at three hours or two hours and 54 minutes. Sometimes it might take 3 hours and 27 minutes to win the game.' It appears to me that all of ours are like that although we had a two score lead there at the end. I think that maybe you can learn a lot from being in those circumstances and of course winning today."
 
On Tanner Lee's interception
"We could have gotten paralyzed by that interception like we did a week ago. We could have. You heard it, it got quiet. I'm really proud of them for going out there and making some plays after."
 
On the upcoming road game at Illinois
"We are going to adjust and get ready to play Friday night."
 
On Nebraska's growth and continuing to see young players on the field
"A lot of new players played today. End the end as we grow, that will be good for us. Guys that have played and have been relied on to play offense and defense, it'll be good for us. You already mentioned all of those positions. Two top safeties aren't playing, our two best corners aren't playing so there's good guys stepping up and getting a lot of playing time that no one might have suspected."
 
On defensive backs Antonio Reed and Kieron Williams
"Kieron Williams did a nice job and stepped in with confidence. Antonio is playing with a cast on, its tough. The more Antonio plays, the better he's going to get, and he's going to end up being a really good player. As these guys play, as we wait to get Aaron Williams and Joshua Kalu back, we'll be stronger for it at some point."
 
On freshman running back Jaylin Bradley
"I think he got beat once for a hurry for the quarterback. I think what we'll find after we watch the film that in general he played real well."
 
On linebacker Luke Gifford
"It's really been kind of neat to see Luke's emergence as a well-respected, he's always been really well-liked. He's a great guy, But what he's done as a football player, earning the respect of the team definitely playing the best football of his life and that came from a lot of preparation and the physical development that he made happen in the offseason was a big key factor."

Nebraska Player Quotes

Sophomore Lineman Jerald Foster
On how the running backs' success impacts his day
"It was great. It is a whole lot different when you've got the guys giving it everything they have, and I'm not saying that they weren't before, but we were real live as an offense. Definitely better than we were the week prior. So I'm happy with the way that we worked with our backs, with our O-line, with everybody."
 
On how important the 97-yard drive was
"I would say that if we didn't have that pivotal moment in the game, we wouldn't have been able to do what we did with the win and everything. So us being able to get it together, drive the ball, and really impose our will with that 97-yard drive down the field, it was just a great time for us. I was happy to be able to be a part of it with my O-line, and we were just feeding off of each other throughout the whole thing."
 
On how Michael Decker did at center
"Oh, he did great. We've got two centers in Cole Conrad and Michael Decker. Two guys I believe in. They understand the game, they understand what they need to do, so whichever one is in there, I am going with whatever their call is. I'm not going to second guess them at all. They understand the game, and I'm happy to see Decker shine today."
 
On what it showed about Tanner Lee leading the 97-yard drive
"It just shows that that guy, he really does play by next snap, where the snap before doesn't matter, it's about the next snap. I am happy, having a quarterback in Tanner, having somebody that understands the game, as serious as he is to keep us going. Putting it on his back is easy. It definitely is. As an offensive line I feel like we definitely get our encouragement, we get our push and the grind from that guy. He definitely helps us go forward."
 
On running back Devine Ozigbo
"He runs the same. He's been running like that since he got there, so I am just happy to be able to see him showcase himself. Our backs did great. [Jaylin] Bradley, young guy coming in putting in yards that he needed and of course Mikale [Wilbon] doing what he does best back there. So between the three of them, it was a great show."
 
Junior Quarterback Tanner Lee
On how the running backs affected the offense
"It's huge and I think that's the reason we won the game. We got behind our offensive line, they wanted to take over the game, and that's exactly what they did. So that was huge for us."
 
On his thoughts after the pick-six
"That was tough. I made a dumb play there, that's for sure. I think the biggest thing was we got the ball back inside our own five and we went 17 plays and finished with a touchdown. That was the most important thing for us right there, we got it done. So that was good for us and our offense."
 
On the offensive line
"Aw man, I think they were just relentless. I didn't really see anybody getting tired, they just wanted it. That was a huge reason why we won."
 
On how important it was to be back on the winning side
"It feels great to get back on track. Got our first Big Ten win of the season and we will come in tomorrow on a short week and get ready for another one."
 
On junior running back Devine Ozigbo
"He has got to be tough to tackle. I am glad I don't have to. He is just so consistent, just a bruising back and it's huge to have that on your team, especially in games like today where you can kind of milk the clock a little bit and just give the ball to him and pick up first downs and get the tough yards. That was big. I am happy for Devine."
 
On what Head Coach Mike Riley told him after his second interception
"Coach Riley has been great with all this, especially this week getting ready to play. After that play he just told me to stay with it and stay settled in and play the game and do what those guys are teaching me. So that was good to hear."
 
Junior Linebacker Luke Gifford
On his interception at the end of the game
"Pretty good. It's been a long week. We've worked hard this week so it was a good way to finish it off."
 
On new faces on defense
"You always preach the next-man-in, and we have a lot of confidence in those guys, so I was proud of those guys and how they played today. They played their butts off. They did a good job."
 
On team motivation and preparation
"I think maybe just a combination of it all, more just the way the rest of the season has gone and how much we just wanted to get better and win. That's really the thing that's driving us, and I thought we came to work Monday and really went at it, and the rest of the week was a good week of preparation. We played like that today."
 
On giving up points on the opening drive
"It's a lot like the last couple of weeks when we had a drive here or there and you know Arkansas State early in the game we had some problems, but it wasn't anything big. It was just tightening down and executing at a high level. We started to do that I feel like."
 
On losing defensive back Aaron Williams with a first-quarter ejection
"It's nice to have a guy like Kieron (Williams) who comes in and has played a lot of football and he's a veteran too. He hasn't played as many snaps this year, but we have a lot of confidence in him and he can play."
 
On his personal improvements as a player this season
"This defense really fits me and just my physical ability, I think I've grown a lot. I've gotten a lot bigger and stronger. The game has just really slowed down for me. Sometimes it clicks when you're young and sometimes it clicks when you're older. For me, it kind of started this year."
 
On satisfying Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco and not giving up the lead
"We showed signs. Last week we had that one drive where we had an opportunity to shut it down and we didn't. Then this week we give up that drive to start the game. We knew it was it. We were making sure it was the last drive that they were going to get. Then soon as we got that lead back this time, we pointed to last week and said, 'That's not happening. It's not happening this week. We have to make a stop and once the offense gives us a lead, we were going to keep it.'"
 
On post-game celebration
"I'm obviously not trying to focus on that. You can always hear it. Coach Riley always talks about how we can control what we can control. The guys in the locker room just really bearing down and going to work. We did do a hip-hip hooray. It did have a lot of meaning to it. It was good."
 
On getting to the third down
"It's awesome. I get a little gitty when I hear the call and we get excited for it because I know we can really get after it so it was fun today."
 
Senior Linebacker Chris Weber
On new players on defense
"We always preach next man in and we have a lot of confidence in those guys. They played their butts off an I'm proud of them."
 
On it being a long week
"With how the beginning of the season has gone, we want to get better and win. That's really what is driving us. I think we came to work on Monday and really went at it."
 
On adjusting after the opening drive
"Like the last couple weeks, we've had some drives here and there. The first drive wasn't anything big, it was just tightening down and executing at a higher level."
 
On Aaron Williams getting ejected
"It's nice to have a guy like Kieron (Williams), who comes in and has played a lot of football. He's a veteran who hasn't played as many snaps this year, but we have confidence in him and he can play."
 
On his improvement
"I think this defense fits me. I think physically I have grown a lot, got bigger and stronger. The game has slown down a lot. Sometimes it clicks when you younger and sometimes when you're older. For me it's happened this year."
 
On the defensive progress
"We've shown signs. Last week we had that one drive to shut it down and we didn't. This week we had that drive to start the game and we know that was it. We made sure that was the last drive they were gonna get."
 
Reaction to the last 48 hours
"You try not to focus on that, but you can here. Coach Riley tells us to focus on what we can control. It's about the guy in the locker room barring down and going to work."
 
Junior I Back Devine Ozigbo
On how he feels
"Good. It took a while but its good."
 
On his performance after not being on the field a lot
"I definitely wanted to prove something for myself and just show I could do it. And now everybody can say they wished me good luck and it's just one thing to say it has been built up for a while."
 
On why he thinks he got these opportunities
"Unfortunately, Tre (Bryant) couldn't go, so that definitely opened up a window and then once I got some opportunities for me. Once I got the opportunity I just tried to do as much as I could with it."
 
On if he was expecting to get so many carries
"Towards the end, it just kind of developed, but coach definitely told me that just depending on how the first couple of drives went I would get a drive. But, he couldn't exactly tell me when so it just depended on what the circumstance was but I guess just towards the end it just definitely opened up."
 
On if he thinks his position could end up being a by-committee
"I definitely think so , we definitely have the guys in the room who are all worthy of playing, so I feel like to keep them from playing would be a detriment to the team instead of helping it. So, it could turn into something, but definitely going to just keep it."
 
On his relationship with the other backs
"We were on the sideline talking about lightning and thunder being with (Adam) Taylor and Jaylin (Bradley) was stepping in and doing some pretty good things. Another good thing is that we are communicating amongst each other pretty well so we've gotten every single look of every run, we can bring it to the sideline and say this is what we saw, this is how they kind of played it, this you might want to hit next time you run it if you have the chance. So that definitely opened the mix up for each other."
 
On who is Thunder and who is Lightning
"I consider myself lightning. Whichever one is out there I feel like we both bring to the table."
 
On the first three games
"It definitely wasn't easy, it was something that… I know I wear my emotion on my face, it didn't really hurt my practice or my play, but you could just tell I wasn't in a good headspace. But, talking to my teammates, talking to my family back home, to my friends back home. It definitely got me right. I definitely focused on practicing, and it didn't really matter what happened. I would just go out there no matter how I felt, trying to do right what I could. It definitely was tough, but you know good things come to those who wait."
 
On the crowd
"That's one of the craziest things to ever happen. I'll remember that forever. I definitely do feed off of that, it is just one of those things you can't really describe. It's just kind of crazy how they do that, and I just appreciate them so much."
 
On his headspace and when it was good
"Going through fall camp, I was fighting for the spot, and then come to find out right before the first game I might not be able to play as much. So I kind of got a little down but probably midweek in preparation for Arkansas State I was like, 'I might not be where I want to be right now but if my number is called I definitely got to be ready to prove myself right.' I think I should be out there, so definitely earlier that week."
 
On if he talked to someone
"I talked to, like I said, my teammates, my brother, a big influence was my dad, all my buddies back home, my friends and my mentors back home, I just talked with them, going over things that really helped."
 
On what he thinks was keeping him off the field
"I don't know, I tried to do everything they asked me to do and I feel like I did a pretty good job of it, but they just had a different plan and that's the coaches decision."
 
On if there was a hole in his game
"I don't know, I thought I had improved on a lot of things but I don't know, it worked and I'm here now, so I can't really think about that. I'm just going to work on moving forward."