The Nebraska football team practiced for a little under two hours on Wednesday inside the Hawks Championship Center and outside on the Ed and Joyanne Gass practice fields.
Following practice, Offensive Coordinator Troy Walters met with the media and talked about how the offense will look to build off its second-half performance against Purdue.
“That’s what we want to do,” Walters said. “We want to be the type of offense that puts stress on the defense. We play fast, we take shots, we’re in and out of formations and personnel groupings where we keep them off balance. We showed the offense that when we do things the right way, everybody’s on the same page, and we’re fundamentally sound and disciplined, these are the results. We can go down and score on anybody.”
Walters talked about how important perimeter blocking is to the offense.
“It’s a huge part of our offense,” he said. “Most of the run game, we have perimeter passes off of it, and so if you can’t hold up on the perimeter, you’re probably not going to play as much as you’d like to. We have this saying ‘no block, no rock,’ and the guys have to understand that we’re a team, and as the receivers, we’ve got to be able to block the perimeter. We have to protect our brothers who catch the perimeter screen and we’ve got to block for the running backs. Big plays are created because receivers are getting after it downfield.”
Walters also touched on the challenges his unit will face against the Wisconsin defense.
“They’re a reflection of their defensive coordinator (Jim Leonhard),” Walters said. “We were both actually up for the Broyles Award, so we hung out at that award ceremony, and he played 10-12 years in the league. As a player, he was undersized and played with passion and enthusiasm. That’s what they do.
“They’re fundamentally sound, they’re not going to beat themselves. They’re tough, and they really reflect their entire coaching staff. So we’ve got our work cut out. We know where they’re going to line up. It’s just a matter of us executing, doing our jobs and not making the dumb mistakes and having the penalties and turnovers. If we do that, then we give ourselves a chance to win.”
Walters also spoke about the sense of urgency senior receiver Stanley Morgan Jr. has played with.
“He’s done a great job,” Walters said. “He’s everything that you want in a senior and a player that’s played up to the standards we expected of him. He’s passionate, he loves Nebraska, he loves his teammates and he wants to win. So every time we come into that locker room after a loss, it hurts him. You can see it in his eyes and in his words, but he’s stuck with us. He’s not going to quit, he’s not going to throw in the towel. He’s been a great role model for the younger guys, and he’s just done an excellent job.”
The Huskers will be back on the practice field on Thursday morning. Nebraska faces off against Wisconsin this Saturday, Oct. 6 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis. at 6:30 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised on BTN.