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Frost sees plenty of interest in Husker assistant openings; running backs a bit "beat up"
ByBRIAN CHRISTOPHERSON 75 minutes agoFrost talks time frame of coaching change decision
Husker head coach Scott Frost met the media Thursday before the team heads to Wisconsin for Saturday's game, as NU tries to snap a seven-game skid against the Badgers and win for the first time in Madison since joining the Big Ten.
Amid the pre-game talk, Frost did field a couple questions about his assistant coaching searches, including for that offensive coordinator.
"I've been really, really happy with the level of interest in guys we have wanting to come be here," Frost said. "There's going to be quite a bit of shakeup this year, so there's going to be a lot of guys out there. There's also going to be a lot of people trying to hire people, so that's one of the reasons I wanted to get a headstart on it and have an idea about it earlier on. We'll keep working through it."
In talking to possible OC options, is Frost already fielding their thoughts on other possible staff adds too?
"Yeah, potentially. If I was getting hired as a coordinator somewhere, I might have a guy or two that I felt strong about bringing with me. So we'll just have to fit the puzzle together."
What else?
– Frost agreed these are a big couple weeks for some running backs to make their cases, with one already having left the program over the bye in Sevion Morrison. "I think so. I think at a lot of positions where that's the case. We're beat up a little bit at running back, they're beat up a little bit at running back. That's football this time of year, particularly in this league. So there could be some opportunities for guys, and we'll see how they respond to that."
The beat-up guys seem to include Rahmir Johnson, who missed the last couple drives against Ohio State. "Yeah, we've got a lot of guys nursing some things," Frost said when asked specifically about Johnson. "Hopefully they're all ready to go."
– Veteran safety Deontai Williams has been getting work in after missing the last couple games, though Frost didn't say for sure what his status will be Saturday. "He's close. Probably going to be a decision right here at the end." Frost added that Myles Farmer has done some really good things as the replacement and continues to get better.
– It's definitely been a "different" game-planning week without four full-time offensive assistants. "Been a little more work for fewer people, but I like where we landed and the guys have figured it out. Again, we're not probably going to get a lot of plays because of the style of football they play. So we just got to make sure the ones we run count."
Wisconsin's nationally top-rated defense is on average facing just 56.9 snaps a game.
– Frost hasn't noticed his team dipping in enthusiasm after the bye week and the assistant coaching shakeup.
"It's been fun to watch. They're having a lot of fun being out there together on the field. They're excited about this game. We're playing a really good team. They know that. But they're excited to go play."
– Jim Leonhard, Wisconsin's DC, does a great job of getting the whole defense to "play with an aggressive attitude." Frost said they are big and physical and have a good player at every position. "They're tough to sustain drives against. They mix it up a lot more than they have before, so they're hard to dial in. They've just got really good players everywhere, and they know what they're doing. You've got to go earn what you get from them."
– Frost might handle some fourth-down decisions different this game, given NU's kicking struggles. "Yeah, potentially. Still got to make the smart football decision but if we have a chance to let it rip on fourth down, we probably will. But if the situation calls for us to hit a field goal, I trust those guys to get it done. Again, I'll say about Chase (Contreraz), I've seen him miss maybe three kicks in three weeks. So hopefully that was just a blip on the radar."
– Asked about Erik Chinander being nominated for the Broyles Award for the country's top assistant, Frost said, "Chins has done a great job, that whole staff has done a great job. I think they're getting everything out of the guys that they can right now. We've been really solid on that side of the ball. The best thing about that side of the ball is there's a culture of toughness and togetherness, and he's done a good job establishing that, and creating that, and maintaining that. So glad those guys are here. They're going to keep working to get even better, but Chins has done a great job."
– To close it out, Frost said, "There's not a lot of quit in these guys. I think that comes from relationships within the team. These guys are going to keep battling. They know how close they've been. They're excited about this game. It just speaks to the character of the players we have, and that's just continued to improve and get better. These guys will keep playing hard."
