Nebraska Football Press Conference
Interim Head Coach Mickey Joseph
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2022
Memorial Stadium
Opening statement
“I wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to everybody in this room and everybody through the state of Nebraska and all of the Cornhusker fans across the country. I want to congratulate all of the high schools that made it to the state games. There has been some nice crowds. It will be a busy stadium today. We have one mission left. One game. I expect and I know we will give full effort this last game. A lot of pride. Last game playing with some of their brothers. So, I expect them to come out and play tough and be resilient through the whole game."
On Iowa's offense
"It is similar. I think this side of the conference is similar. I think you are going to see big linemen. They are going to run the ball and manage the clock and play good defense."
On Iowa's defense
"If you look at their defense, if you look at their starting 22, there is not one transfer in there. So they have all been raised through the program. Like I have been saying at these press conferences, you have to raise them through the program. That coach has kept them in the program, so those kids have been in the system three years, four years, five years, and they have not changed their system. So that is why they make a good defense because they don't make mistakes. They line up right, and they do not bust coverages. They don't miss gaps. They don't make mistakes."
On recruiting during the season
"Not right now. Not until this picture clears up a little bit. One thing I am going to be able to control is getting this team ready to play for Iowa. After Iowa, these decisions are going to have to be made. But right now, I am just going to control what I can control."
On the last two and a half months as interim head coach
"The most enjoyable thing has been the kids and the coaches and the joy of coming back to Lincoln and coming back to the University of Nebraska and having this opportunity to lead this program. I think the toughest thing is we haven't really been able to get it done and finish the way we want to with wins. That has been the toughest thing. But I wouldn't trade these memories for anything right now. I am sure the guys feel the same way right now because we have really connected."
On what he’s learned as the coach
“I learned to stay off of Twitter. That’s the first thing you learn. The second thing I learned isyou have to adapt to the conference. Your team's got to look like the team that you play every week. You have to surround yourself with people that understand or see through your eyes and see from the balcony, not the basem*nt. It's not hard, but I'm just learning things like that and learning the ups and downs of a head coach. Everybody says when you're the head coach, it’s lonely. Well, I really don't get lonely because everybody's tugging at you. So you really don't get lonely, you're lonely because you want to be lonely. I'm not that type of person. I was able to do it my way. I was able to keep it real and say ‘next question’ to you guysand be respectful to you guys. That's the way I was raised, and that's the way I’ve always been. So I really enjoyed this.”
On why he stays off Twitter
“Because some of these dudes on Twitter – they should worry about their own jobs, not my job, because then I got tomake decisions. It's funny, some of the things they say. When I took over, they told me to stay off Twitter. That's what my brother Vance told me first thing. Shut social media down. Stay off it. I don't think he ever had it. So it was cool.”
On how he thinks he’s laid the foundation for the program going forward
“I think they’re better now than when I found them. I think they’re a better team, a more confident team. I know they haven’t gotten the wins, but I think they're better people right now. I think they can see the growth in themselves. And I can see the growth. I think that they know that you can build something. We're a couple of pieces awaybecause we play some close games. When we come back on Sunday, we identify what happened. We know we're a couple of pieces away that we need to get up in here to help us get over that hump.”
On what his concern was with the team when he took over
“Just the overall attitude and their want, too. So we attacked that – we're going to do it together. And I think it was more of them not meeting me on my side of the table and not meeting on their side of the table. We meet in the middlebecause that's what men do. We meet in the middle, and we agree to disagree. I think they understood that, and I also think that I was easier to approach. You'll be able to sit down with me and I was able to say, ‘oh, yeah, I was wrong with that. I shouldn't have done it that way.’ I think they understand thatbecause like I said, you're dealing with the “why” generation. If you say to knock down that wall, they're going to ask why. The only thing I asked you to do is what? Knock down a wall. They’re going to ask why, so you have to have an answer for them. They’re different, you know, and they need to have your arm around them a lot. I think they understand that I do care about them.”
On why he works well with Bill Busch
“Because we worked together at LSU, and I knew that we played good defense at LSU. I know we didn't do a lot, but we were sound, scheme wise with what we're doing, and I know he would do things that I wanted to do on defense – with the tight front end and playing some zone coverage and mixing it up and setting some blitzes and setting the heat. He understood that. Busch and I worked together for a couple of years, so we’re able to share notes and compete against each other. And I knew he was going to compete. I know if I was wrong with something, he was going to walk into my office and say, ‘Hey, I think we should do it this way.’ And if I say ‘no, we need to do it that way,’ he would have jumped on board and done it. But he wouldn't let me just do something that didn't make sense. And that's why I appreciate Bill Busch.”
On if he’s had conversations with Trev Alberts about his future at Nebraska
“No, I think that's probably over the weekend or next week sometime.”
On how much he had to meet his coaching staff in the middle, like he did with players
“It's the same thing with them.I let them coach their position. I'm not a guy that’s going to come into your position room and just take over. You let them coach their position and you watch their position, then you evaluate them and if you see something wrong. Then you bring it to their attention. You don't beat them with the pen. So that's meeting in the middle.”
On what the Iowa rivalry means
“Yeah, we talked about that. I know it's a rival game, so I know they're going to be up for it. They're gonna be up for it and they're going to come out and play in full force this game.”
On what he can say about Donovan Raiola having to deal with injuries up front
“I think Donny’s going to be okay. It's football. It's going to have injuries and you got to coach through it. I thought Donny’s done a great job with that offensive line this year of piecing it togetherbecause he's missing a couple of pieces. I think those guys up frontcame out every practice and every game, and they gave everything that they had and that’s all you can ask.”
On his approach to limiting penalties
“Well, you have the refs in practice and you talk to them – if you think you see it, throw it. You try to get your kids to not have pre-snap penalties. That's what hurts youis the pre-snap. If it’s a holding call or pass interference, that's an aggressive call, but the pre snap penalties hold you – jumping offsides, lining up offsides, things that I saw.”
On his feelings about the guys he’s coached with this season
“They've been great. They've been giving everything they have when they come into the office. I'm sure they’ve got to take care of business and make phone calls, but they've been very professional throughout the time that I've taken over and I really appreciate that from them.”
On how Casey Thompson threw the ball
“Casey threw the ball better today. He was a little rusty last week, but today I thought he really threw the ball well.”
On if he’s had any conversations with Casey about his future
“No, I haven’t. The only thing Casey and I talked about is that he's going to graduate. He's going to get his master's in December and I congratulate him on that. It's not going to be my decision about these kids' futures. They have to make the decision with their family. Casey comes from a strong family that understands the business, so they'll make the best decision. Casey wants to stay here at the University of Nebraska.”
On if he feels more connected to Casey than other players since he brought him in
“No, I feel connected with all of them. I’ve just known Casey a little longer, just like Trey (Palmer), but I love all my players and I connect with all of them.”
On his message to the players after the Wisconsin game
“I think the message to them was, let's sit back and wait and see until we hear anything and once we hear something, then we'll act on it. Right now, everybody relax and clear your mind. Ifyou get a phone call, show up.”
On what Iowa LB Jack Campbell does well on defense
“He does everything well. He plays the run well, plays the pass well. He gets them lined up. He's a really good football player, a really good football player.”
On Quinton Newsome’s growth as a leader
“He was very quiet when I first arrived in December. But as the months went on, he's gotten better and more vocal as a leader. So, I'm happy where Quinton is right now.”
On the importance of recruiting in Nebraska, especially with the state championships happening, and Westside's kicker
“I think, when you look at the kid, you know he's a no brainer. Don't dance around it and pull the trigger on it, and keep him here. Make sure that you keep all the good players in the state of Nebraska.”
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