MINNEAPOLIS - Here’s a quick recap of what Nebraska head coach Scott Frost had to say following the Huskers' 34-7 loss at Minnesota on Saturday night...
***Frost said, based on a "great" week of practice, he thought his team came in ready to play on Saturday night. However, once the game started he saw Nebraska get "pushed around" on both sides of the ball all night.
***Frost said he had "a long talk" with his players after the game and reiterated that "things are never as good as they seem and never as bad as they seem" and that there were going to be some "ups and downs" as NU rebuilds as a program.
***Frost said he wanted the team get away for a couple days this week before returning to work. Part of that is to get some much needed physical recovery, but also to help the Huskers regroup mentally for the second half of the season.
***Frost continued to be blunt about his disappointment in the way Nebraska was dominated up front on offense and defense. "I don't like like not being the more physical team."
***Frost said Minnesota really used 3-4 run schemes, which Nebraska had prepared for all week. But because of how much push they were getting, how hard their backs were running, and how long they were holding blocks downfield, the Gophers ran those plays over and over with consistent success.
***On offense, Frost said he was proud of how Noah Vedral stepped up and "played with some guts." Vedral left the game in the fourth quarter after getting "nicked up" but he said he was OK afterward.
***Darrion Daniels said he didn't think it was as much a matter of Nebraska's defensive line getting physically dominated as it was the Huskers constantly being out of position on their run fits. He said those mental errors left big holes for Minnesota to run through all night.
***On the fake punt call, Frost said "we had to try something" to get a spark. However, he said Minnesota was ready for the call and he probably shouldn't have gone with it at that point in retrospect.
***Frost said they still needed more "reliable weapons" on offense, especially when more and more guys keep missing time with injuries. With Adrian Martinez out, JD Spielman dealing with a lingering injury, and Wan'Dale Robinson leaving the game with an injury, NU just didn't have enough firepower.
"We've been waiting for guys to step up for a long time now, and it just hasn't happened yet," Frost said.