Spring Game press conference nuggets

Here is a full recap of what Nebraska head coach Scott Frost and his players had to say following the Huskers’ annual Red-White Spring Game on Saturday…

***Frost said today was a “culmination” of the spring and a chance to play in front of fans again. He called the game an “awesome environment,” and it was more about the event of the day than it was an evaluation for the coaches.

***Frost said one of the biggest goals of the game was to get out of it healthy, and he thought they were able to do that without any significant injuries.

***Frost said it was “ugly” on offense in first half, but some of that had to do with the “thud” format in the first half. He NU was “dreadfully simple” with how it called its inside running game, and it was hard to evaluate that element because plays were whistled dead on contact.

***Frost said the pass rush had been “a highlight” all spring. Considering how thin NU has been on the d-line this spring, Frost thought guys like Garrett Nelson and Caleb Tannor, Jimari Butler, and Blaise Gunnerson had all taken “giant leap” during spring ball.

***Frost said quarterback Casey Thompson and all the quarterbacks had “a lot of learning” to do this spring, which had led to some of inconsistency he’d seen on that side of the ball.

***Frost said the offense hadn’t really hit much “situational stuff” this spring because of the condensed offseason calendar.

***Frost said quarterback Chubba Purdy missed a lot of time to injury, but he responded by ending the spring with some really good practices.

***Frost said the young tight ends had really come along after being “pressed into duty” after the injuries that racked up at that position.

***On potentially adding more offensive and defensive line depth this summer, Frost said NU would look to add pieces if right players are available.

***Frost said Anthony Grant had really good spring, as did Jaquez Yant and Rahmir Johnson. Frost said it was hard to evaluate the running game in the first half, but the second half had as much push and downhill running as he’d seen all spring.

***With spring ball now in the books, Frost said the team would get some time off to focus on academics. However, the Huskers planned to “push everything up” with their summer conditioning schedule.

***Frost joked that maybe the loudest applause of the day was after Brian Buschini’s 63-yard punt. “I would’ve been clapping too if that hadn’t been inappropriate,” he joked.

***Frost said Trent Hixson had a really good spring at center, as did Ethan Piper. He said Hixson had “taken a giant leap forward” and he feels good about that position going forward.

***Thompson said that all he was concerned about today was running the offense effectively and to come out of the game healthy. He also wanted to complete all his passes, but he came up just short, finishing 3-for-4.

***Thompson said the first-team offense scored around 20-30 touchdowns and he only threw 4-5 interceptions all spring. He felt the offense improved every day during spring ball and had some of their best practices toward the end.

***Thompson said he wasn’t worried at all about the offense, saying they just needed to be more consistent. He said the offense had plenty of other live scrimmage work against the defense this spring and they held their own.

***Asked what it was like being a running back in the “thud” tackling format, Johnson said: “It’s trash.”

***Johnson thought the running backs showed a lot this spring, and he was excited to see the group continue to develop this offseason.

***Johnson said new running backs coach Bryan Applewhite’s motto for the room was to “build dominance and burst pipes.”

***Nelson said one of his biggest goals this offseason was increasing his speed and explosiveness. He said he gained around 10 pounds of muscle lost four percent body fat, and his play today showed the quickness he’s gained.

***Nelson thought the defense was building a real sense of “togetherness.” He felt this was the closest team he’d been on in college, both in relationships and accountability.

***Nelson said Butler had come a long way since last year and had matured a lot as a young guy.

***On how the offense getting nine first downs on 12 drives in the first half sat with him, Nelson said with a grin: “It sits pretty good.”

Nelson said the defense had raised its standard, and as a leader he wanted to make sure there was no drop-off.