“It wasn’t just Roy (Helu), it was the offensive line, tight ends, the fullback. That’s just the way you finish, and that’s the way you come out and are able to put the game away.”

— NU coach Bo Pelini on the last seven minutes

“He was a leader — he gutted it up when he needed to.”

— Pelini on QB Zac Lee

“That was huge. It was a big play in the football game. We answered back very quickly. The stadium was juiced. We got the momentum back and got the points back on the scoreboard.”

— Pelini on Niles Paul’s 44-yard kickoff return after KU’s touchdown

“We did some things where we did not execute well. Especially in a couple spots, which I’m not going to name, but we didn’t play with correct leverages, we didn’t play to where our help was. We gave them some things that there is no way they should have happened.”

— Pelini on the NU defense

“They came out with a good scheme, and they came out with a lot of plays we hadn’t seen before. We had to adjust to it too. We found a way at the end.”

— NU linebacker Phillip Dillard on KU’s offense

“We needed a stop there on the third down and we got a penalty, which set us back. Those kinds of things hurt you. You can’t do that against a good team.”

— KU coach Mark Mangino on a key third-down face-mask call

“He wasn’t as big of a factor as he’s been in other games. He’s an awfully good player. We just tried to neutralize him a little bit and tried not to let him dominate the line of scrimmage.”

— Mangino on NU’s Ndamukong Suh

“He’s a great running back; we knew what he was capable of. We’ve played against him for the last couple of years. It’s just something that we’ve got to get fixed as a defense.”

— KU cornerback Justin Thornton on NU’s Roy Helu

“The ref made a good call. It definitely was one of those plays that you wished you had back. That’s why it’s so disappointing, because I felt like that’s one play I could have made in the game. They scored a touchdown on the very next play, and that hurts.”

— Thornton on his face-mask penalty

“It seemed like we could run the ball well, and our pass protection was good. They had a really good (defensive) line, so we were really proud of our offensive line.”

— KU tight end Tim Biere, an Omaha Westside graduate, on KU’s offensive line

“The guy made a good play. I sensed the end zone getting close and I started to get excited and completely forgot about ball security, which is the most important thing. I thought I had the guy beat, but he made a good recovery, got a hand in there and made a play. It turned out to be a pretty pivotal point in the game.”

—KU receiver Kerry Meier his fumble forced by NU’s Dejon Gomes

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share