Scott Frost set the tone just moments after Nebraska lost by 46 points to Michigan on Saturday afternoon.
Practice in the lead-up to the Huskers’ trip to Ann Arbor was not nearly good enough. Monday was fine. Tuesday was just OK. Wednesday a little worse. Thursday? Unacceptable. By that time, it’s too late. Too many hours of opportunity have passed to get the train back on the track in time for kickoff.
It might not have mattered anyhow against the powerful Wolverines, a far superior outfit in 2018. But it darn sure matters with Purdue coming to Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Just ask, well, about anybody in the program this week.
“We started off the week really well last week and then it got progressively worse on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,†head coach Scott Frost said. “I’m not sure why. Hopefully it doesn’t happen this week. Our best week of preparation was the Colorado game week as a whole. I talk about being better every single day, but we weren’t better in preparation the last two weeks.â€
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Almost every player and coach who’s talked with reporters this week has been asked in some way, shape or form why that is or what they’ve observed. Many of the answers vary slightly, but most include pointing to some sort of slide as the week goes on.
Posed a question about whether a new structure — NU’s physical work is largely completed by Wednesday, and then Thursday and Friday are both walk-through and detail days — was taking time to adjust to, junior linebacker Mohamed Barry acknowledged the change but said it just takes a mentally strong response.
“You’ve just got to put emphasis on it,†he insisted. “It’s up to you, individually, to know that … now that the load, psychically, is off your body, you have to work your mental. You have to watch more film than you ever have at the end of the week. Everyone can do a better job of that and I have to do a way better job of that, too.
“Playing linebacker, you should make everyone around you comfortable because you have suggestions, you have to know formations better than anybody else on the field. So that’s a step that everyone can take, but in the inside linebacker room we have to take that, too.â€
In an effort to help make sure the Huskers responded this week, Barry addressed the team before practice on Monday and again Tuesday.
“I just got in front and said, ‘Hey, they’re saying that we can’t practice hard on Tuesday,’†Barry said that day. “’So bring it today (harder) than you ever have.' It’s as easy as that. It’s just an ultimatum.â€
Senior safety Tre Neal has played in this system and in this practice structure for two-plus years now and said Monday that if you don’t know your assignments inside and out by Thursday’s practice, there’s a problem.
His position coach echoed that sentiment this week.
“Thursday is a mental day. On a day that’s mental, you can’t mess that up,†secondary coach Travis Fisher said. “I don’t think they’re tiring out during the week. I think the focus is dying out. What we’ve got to do is coach them harder. I’ve got to do a better job of coaching those guys harder and have those guys ready to go on Thursday.â€
Said offensive coordinator Troy Walters of the coaching staff, “We have to be the standard. So if players see us panicking and losing faith and believe in the system and this program, then they're going to do the same thing. … We feel like we can accomplish everything we want to accomplish, and the goals are still out there. And it’s day-by-day. We’ve got to take it day-by-day, get better as coaches, get better as players, get better as trainers each day, then if we do that we put ourselves in a position to win on Saturday.â€