Oct. 1, 2011
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Postgame Quotes
Wisconsin vs. Nebraska
Oct. 1, 2011
Camp Randall Stadium – Madison, Wis.
Wisconsin Coach Bret Bielema
Opening Statement:
“On the injury front, Jake Byrne was just cramping up on both legs there. Kevin Zeitler looks like he may have aggravated that ankle injury he had at fall camp. David (Gilbert) last week on Tuesday just caught his foot kind of sideways and broke his foot. So he will be out anywhere from four to six weeks. He actually had surgery on Wednesday and has already started the road to recovery.
I am very excited about our guys and the way they prepared to come into this week. I was really excited about the way they worked during the week and handled some adversity in the first half today. I think that was critical. I think that crowd, that energy, that atmosphere helped. I’m sure everybody will have estimates on how many Blackshirts were in the crowd, but hopefully they enjoyed their trip here. It was a great start to Big Ten conference.
It was really a fun week to be head coach at the University of Wisconsin. Our players, I think, embraced the week and the chance to be on the national stage. I threw it out to our guys Friday night. You know this week I’ve heard about a big game, a big stage, all of these big things. All we have is a big opportunity and what are we going to do with it. I think they answered the best.”
On the defense:
“First off, Nebraska is pretty good. They were moving the ball, good tempo, we did have some busted coverages. I think you should know about our defense. We started today a defense that is down four starters from the start of fall camp. To me it’s a huge statement to us about where we’ve come, to have the depth that we’ve had in our positions. Dez (Southward) actually got knocked out of the game so we put in Josh Peprah, who has never really played at all there. Adam Hampton had been working at a second strong safety and he popped his hamstring Thursday. So our third string safety who was going to be our starter was basically playing on half a leg today. So this by week is coming at a great time for us to get healthy.”
On Russell Wilson:
“Every day his approach is the same thing. I told our guys today right before we took the field, I always kind of make the comment ‘Are we ready to have fun?’ I just kind of made the statement to them, the reason we’ll win this football game today is not because of the work week we put in this week. It goes back to last January and the way we prepared and the way we handle our work every day. I think Russell is great. I think that is what attracted him here. He likes that daily approach himself.”
On Montee Ball and James White:
“I think that in is this type of game, this physical of a game, Montee (Ball) was kind of gassed up to play in this game. I could tell all week he was very excited. He popped a guy in Thursday in practice and I was standing there with somebody and was like, yeah, I think Montee is going to be ready. James did some nice stuff too but you just go with the hot hand.”
Senior QB Russell Wilson
On the game and overall experience:
“You know, it was a great experience, playing here in Camp Randall, playing with these guys, it was an awesome experience and a blessing, and just it’s great to be out there and come out with a great win. That’s a great team. They really have a great team, and we have a great team too and it was a battle. We came out with the win though.”
On what’s harder, hitting a curveball or throwing a deep out:
“I don’t think either one is too hard.”
On playing so well on a big stage:
“It’s huge for our football team, huge for our football program. And the fact that we came out with a win, the fact that we played a great game and defense stepped up and made some great plays for us and got the offense the ball back. And to play a great game like that against a great team in Nebraska, is pretty awesome.”
On trailing:
“It was early in the game and we knew we were going to face some adversity, and that’s what we talked about all week. So we knew there were going to be some ups and downs, and we just had to keep working at weather the storms. And that’s my job as a quarterback, in terms of offense, just let the guys know, keep playing with confidence, keep believing in what we’re doing, keep executing and we’ll see where it goes.”
On playing better competition but the same result for the team:
“It’s our hard work, that’s why it’s possible that we can play a great game against a great team in Nebraska, and the fact that we came out with a win and the fact that our defense stepped up and made some great plays, and our offense just continued on course, it’s just trusting in what we were doing.”
What gets you rattled?
“Nothing. I’ve been so much in my life. Just ups and downs, with my dad, and just stuff in general. This is a great opportunity for me and I’m just blessed to have this opportunity and try to stay relaxed as I can.”
Senior WR Nick Toon
On the game tonight:
“Great win, great team win. Everyone went out there and did their job. We played a pretty clean game for the most part and came out with the ‘W’.”
On Nebraska shutting down the run game early on:
“We didn’t change anything, continued to do what we had been practicing all week. Things started clicking and we got it going.”
On his big catch:
“I just jumped up, the ball was kind of on my outside, and I was able to get both of my hands on it. I just reeled it in and secured it as I came down.”
On the atmosphere of the night game:
“We practice out there everyday, obviously not with fans out there, but the older guys here have played in a lot of big games. We just go out and do what we do, and when we do that, we have success.”
Sophomore WR Jared Abbrederis
On the team’s defensive performance:
“Any time we turn the ball over and give them a chance a score, it obviously hurts. I just try to let it go and move on from that. I was hoping to see the defense get a stop for me and have my back on that.”
On what happened when he fumbled the ball:
“I’m going to have to look at it, but I think (the defender) put the helmet right to the ball. I’m going to have to make sure next I really secure the ball.”
On how that play translated into the rest of his game:
“I think, just trying to do everything I can to help us win. I wouldn’t want us to lose that way, on a fumble on my part. I think you just have to play it play by play and work through it.”
On the offense having to come from behind:
“I think it was great. When you face adversity and overcome it, it’s obviously good for us. Next time it happens, if it does, we’ll be able to look back at what happened and what we did and just keep going forward. It was exciting to see us come back from being down.”
On Russell Wilson:
“I think everybody, obviously, can get better, but he had a stellar performance. He’s a great player and it’s exciting to watch. He makes a lot of plays for us. He keeps plays alive which, obviously, helps out a lot.
“He’s got really good agility, making people miss, getting in the open field. If he doesn’t score a touchdown he’s going to get a first down.”
On having next Saturday off:
“It’ll be nice, but I’m looking forward to getting back, getting to the next game, and keeping the season rolling. Obviously, any time you get a break it’s nice to get everybody on the team healthy and get a little extra work in for the next game.”
On the atmosphere tonight:
“It was great. Our fans, I think they’re one of the best (crowds) in the nation. They do a great job. I was on the field before the game during warm-ups and I said you could just feel the energy. It was great.”
Junior RB Montee Ball
On the message of the win in Big Ten play:
“We’re really focused this year, really focused. Our bodies, staying in the playbook, watching film, and all that stuff. We really wanted to showcase that we are the powerhouse team in the Big Ten.”
On his performance:
“Coming into the game, I didn’t expect 30 carries. I expected it to be even, like we have been doing. But like what Coach (Thomas) Hammock said, he was going to go with the hot hand and I felt good today, I felt ready. I was really focused and I really wanted to run physical.”
On embracing the opportunity this week:
“We really embraced it because these past games it was hard not to focus on this team and now, this week, we were able to focus on them. Just to get out here and really show the world what we are capable of doing and that the sky is the limit.
On people saying the team is a national championship contender:
“That’s looking way, way far into the future. But really to get there, we have to stay focused on every opponent we come up against. We are going to keep the one-game mentality and make sure that we stay hungry.”
On the play fakes by Russell Wilson:
“We really emphasis really stretching the fakes, making sure that he shows the ball and stuff like that to suck in the defense. What we did in practice, we carried forward to today.”
Sophomore LB Mike Taylor
On the start of the game for the defense:
“The first quarter they were running the ball on us pretty well and we came to the sideline and kind of adjusted, talked about what we’re supposed to do and all that. We came back, did what the game plan was and we did alright.”
On keeping Nebraska under 100 yards rushing:
“That was the talk all week was how good runners they are. On defense that’s the first thing we had to do was stop the run and make them throw it. When we could do that, we could get some interceptions.”
On his interception:
“It got the ball back to our offense. It was a 14-13 game and we got the ball back to our offense, we know what they can do. They punch it in and they kept going, we kept going. We built our momentum from there.”
On the offense's control of time of possession:
“When we have an offense that can do that, keep them on the field, it’s kind of like a second defense almost. If we don’t let their offense on the field, they can’t score. So hats off to our offense.”
Senior FS Aaron Henry
Stepping up in the hype:
“Like I’ve been saying all year long, it’s never about our opponent. It’s always about Wisconsin. We truly feel like if we can do what we’ve been coached all week to do—limit the mistakes, limit the penalties, we can go out there and have a successful game. Hats off to Nebraska. They have a phenomenal football team. Their offense is amazing. But we got the best of them tonight.”
On interceptions as a turning point:
“There was definitely a slugfest. But Mike (Taylor) had his interception, we were just trying to force Taylor (Martinez) to stay in the pocket and throw a little bit, and I thought if we did that, we would be in a great position. And he was on a roll-out, and any time the quarterback is throwing back across his body, that’s never good. He was throwing back across his body and Mike was there, and he picked it up. I was just trying to get a couple blocks for him.”
“My interception, it was definitely a turning point, both of our interceptions. But the offense was able to capitalize, when we did get interceptions, so that was a plus as well.”
On game plan:
“When I say the game plan was simple, it was just simple so guys can go and fly around and coach put us in a good position to just go out there and be successful.”
Senior CB Antonio Fenelus
On what kind of statement the team made:
“We set a pretty good statement. With the defense, we felt like we were going out there and holding them to only 17 points.”
On his interception changing the game:
“I think it was great momentum for our defense — offense as well — coach came in at halftime and cussed us out pretty bad and told us we had to go out there — and on the first play, (we got) a pick, so it was all good.”
Nebraska Head Coach Bo Pelini
On the second quarter:
“We didn't make plays. We had guys in possession... I thought we got away from some of the things we were doing well offensively. Penalties were putting us back. I thought we got out of rhythm offensively because I thought we started on a good rhythm. Defensively, we didn't make plays. I'm embarrassed by how we played defensively. I apologize to the fans of Nebraska, because that was a joke. Plain and simple.
We hurt ourselves offensively with penalties. I thought we were doing some good things offensively, but obviously because of how our defense played, it kind of changed the game.”
On his initial impressions of Big Ten football:
“I'm very familiar with Big Ten football. That's (Wisconsin) a good football team. They played well, we didn't. I give them all the credit in the world; they played well. We knew that they were a good football team coming in.”
On Russell Wilson:
“Russell Wilson is a good football player. He hurt us with his feet and his arm; he did a good job.”
On impact of the crowd:
“It should be a good crowd when they're (Wisconsin) making plays out there. It's a good environment.”
On not running down the clock when down 20-14:
“No. We went into the game saying that we were going to be aggressive, and we didn't. One, obviously we shouldn't have turned the football over. Two, if they did get the football, you better be able to get off the field. And we weren't able to do either. That was a big turning point in the football game, I thought.”
