Nebraska Interim Head Coach Mickey Joseph Previews Matchup With Indiana
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Mickey Joseph took over as interim head coach of Nebraska football on Sept. 11 after Scott Frost was fired following the Cornhuskers' home loss to Georgia Southern.
On Tuesday, Joseph spoke to the media to preview Saturday's matchup against Indiana, which will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.
Here's what Joseph said.
Opening statement:
Joseph: "Indiana on offense presents a lot of problems. They had 104 snaps versus Cincy last week. They snap it the third fastest of any team in the country, so that's going to present a problem for our defense. But at the end of the day it's Homecoming, it's a night game and we're excited to get back in front of our fans at Memorial Stadium.
On the challenges of playing against Indiana's uptempo offense:
Joseph: "Get the calls in. [Interim defensive coordinator Bill Busch] has got to get the calls in and we've got to execute the call ... Sometimes with a tempo team you're going to get a call in, so the next call you got to get your eyes over to the sideline right away and get the call. One word has got to tell you everything, the front, the coverage, the blitz, so we do a lot of one word things, but the linebackers have to really get the calls from the sideline and the safeties have to get the signals so we can get going."
On what winning Saturday's game would mean for his team:
Joseph: "I think it's important. Beating Indiana is the number one goal, but it's really important for this football team just to get some confidence that they can start something and finish it, and that's our goal, to beat Indiana."
On what he's done in practice to prepare for Indiana's uptempo offense:
Joseph: "Working with the scout team, getting them to line up quick and having the guys recognize the formation and then snap the ball. Recognize the formation, get your feet in the ground and then let's go, let's play football."
On offensive improvements he's looking for against Indiana:
Joseph: "We want to be more consistent, we want to keep the drives going, we got to be better on third downs and we talked about that. [Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple] understands that, the kids understand that also, but I'm sure that we will be better on Saturday."
On the importance of special teams on Saturday:
Joseph: "We've got to hold up on the outside and we've got to force the return. We're looking for one of those special teams to make a big play this week. We need one of them to make a big play, and we challenged them with that."
On his mindset while Nebraska is searching for a new coach:
Joseph: "We always talk about blocking out the noise. We're not going to worry about who the search firm is talking to because like I said before, Nebraska deserves to have a national search. Our interview is right now, the next eight games, that's your interview. So we can't do anything about that, and we also talk about control what you can control, and we can't control that. We're going to block out the noise, and we're going to focus on Indiana."
Related stories on Indiana football:
- INDIANA ENTERS WEEK 5 AS UNDERDOG: Indiana football heads to Lincoln, Neb. for a Week 5 matchup with the Cornhuskers at 7:30 p.m. ET. Nebraska is favored by 5.5 points, according to the SI Sportsbook. CLICK HERE
- ALLEN, BELL RESPOND TO OFFENSIVE LINE CONCERNS: Indiana football coach Tom Allen and offensive coordinator Walt Bell addressed concerns surrounding the Hoosiers' offensive line at Monday's press conference. CLICK HERE
- WHAT WENT WRONG AND RIGHT IN LOSS TO CINCINNATI: Indiana suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday at Cincinnati. The Bearcats used a 28-point second quarter to defeat the Hoosiers 45-24. CLICK HERE
