• last year
Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Welcome to the Gayriker Chronicles,
00:10 the people show.
00:12 We check the pulse of Husker Nation,
00:13 brought to you by DPS Concrete Construction,
00:15 your local concrete experts.
00:17 Check them out at dpsconstruction.net.
00:20 And I got a special guest today
00:21 before we dive right in and bring him on real quick.
00:25 This is kind of a mega show,
00:26 if we want to call it that,
00:27 hashtag mega show, at the end of this show,
00:30 I'm gonna be bringing on my twin daughters,
00:31 Dakota, Desiree, and we're gonna be doing
00:33 our preview and prediction
00:34 for the Louisiana Tech football game.
00:37 So at the end of this, stay tuned.
00:40 We're kind of combining two shows into one.
00:42 Let me know how it goes.
00:42 Until then, all right, do me one other favor.
00:45 If you're happy with the improved play
00:46 that we've seen so far from the black shirts this year,
00:50 hit that like button.
00:51 All right, but now it's time to bring on our special guest.
00:53 Now, for those who don't know,
00:55 all right, he's currently six foot four,
00:56 330 pounds, a junior defensive lineman, a black shirt,
00:59 a guy who earned a single digit number in the offseason
01:02 before he got to campus.
01:04 All right, I've always found this interesting.
01:05 A four time state champion of wrestling
01:07 in high school, never lost,
01:09 four year record was 166 and 0,
01:11 and was the number one heavyweight high school wrestler
01:14 in the country, Mr. Nash Humpmaker.
01:16 How you doing, my friend?
01:18 - Good, how are you?
01:19 - I'm doing good.
01:20 Now, right off the top, I'm curious,
01:21 what's the biggest difference
01:23 in the defensive philosophy from last year to this year?
01:27 - I would just say,
01:30 basically, I mean, we talk about it all the time.
01:33 We talk about attacking the ball.
01:34 We talk about being the most aggressive,
01:37 the most physical, and the most effort
01:39 defense in college football.
01:42 And I just, I think those things
01:44 are something the coaches really bring to life.
01:47 They are, they push us every day.
01:49 They challenge us every day to hold up,
01:52 hold those standards, and we push each other too,
01:56 each and every day to uphold those standards.
01:59 - Now, the defensive line has played well so far this year.
02:01 There were some question marks,
02:02 not a lot of returning guys,
02:05 little youthful, maybe inexperienced,
02:07 coming into the season, but you guys have played well.
02:09 The Blackshirts so far are number two
02:11 in the country in rush defense,
02:12 giving up 1.7 yards per rush.
02:15 What's the biggest reason you guys have played
02:17 so well against the run so far this season?
02:21 - I would just say the biggest reason
02:24 is just everyone being on the same page,
02:26 everyone just having that kind of nasty attitude about 'em,
02:29 just that, I mean, we're not good.
02:32 These guys can't block us.
02:34 No matter what team it is we're playing,
02:36 I mean, we go out there thinking that we're the best unit,
02:39 especially on the defensive line,
02:40 that we're the best unit out there.
02:42 And that's the kind of mindset we have going out there.
02:45 Just, like I said, everyone being on the same page,
02:47 everyone doing their jobs,
02:49 everyone just being aggressive and attacking the ball
02:51 with a lot of effort every single play.
02:54 - Now you guys are also towards the top of the country
02:56 in sacks, I believe with 14 so far this year.
03:00 What's the biggest reason you guys have been able
03:01 to get after opposing quarterbacks so well
03:04 so far through the first three games?
03:07 - It's just through a lot of scouting,
03:09 you know, guys watching films,
03:11 knowing what they're getting,
03:12 pre-snap, knowing what kind of sets they're getting.
03:14 And also, Coach White and his staff's done an amazing job
03:18 with getting stuff ready for certain teams.
03:22 It's been a lot of fun.
03:23 And it's just guys playing with that attitude.
03:26 Like I talked about earlier,
03:27 just one, saying that these guys can't block us.
03:31 - All right, now I gotta follow up with this question
03:34 from Coach Rule's press conference on Monday.
03:36 He said he would like to get more pressure
03:38 out of straight four-man fronts going forward.
03:41 What's the biggest way you feel
03:42 you guys can improve upon that?
03:44 - I would say the biggest way to improve on that
03:46 is just communicating up front
03:48 and like you said, just continue to scout,
03:50 get scouting, just keep playing with that attitude
03:53 that they can't block us.
03:54 Keep doing what we do,
03:57 just keep getting better every single day.
03:58 - Now Tony White, as everyone knows,
03:59 new defensive coordinator brought in the 3-3-5 scheme, okay.
04:03 But just in general, what sticks out the most to you
04:06 about new defensive coordinator Tony White?
04:09 - He's awesome.
04:11 He's a guy that, when it's time to play football,
04:15 he's locked in, he's in his hats, he's doing everything.
04:18 He can win a football game,
04:19 but outside of football, he's awesome too.
04:21 I mean, you can go in there and talk to him
04:23 whenever you want, anytime of the day.
04:25 He's just a really good person,
04:26 really easy to get along with,
04:28 and just a really good dude.
04:30 - All right, ladies and gentlemen, do me a favor.
04:33 If you're a diesel mechanic, CDL driver,
04:36 concrete finisher, okay,
04:38 looking for work in the Omaha Metro area,
04:41 DPS Construction is the employer for you.
04:46 Quality work, quality company,
04:48 and if you're looking to have work done,
04:50 hit them up at dpsconstruction.net.
04:53 All right, I know I asked you this
04:55 when you first committed to the team years ago.
04:57 Gonna be honest, I don't recall your answer,
04:59 so I'm gonna ask it again.
05:01 The nickname Polar Bear, how did you get that nickname?
05:04 - Just in high school, some of the wrestling,
05:08 I think some of the moms on our wrestling team
05:12 just one day kinda said it kind of randomly or whatever,
05:16 and it just kinda stuck.
05:17 And then my dad was hashtagging stuff, the Polar Bear.
05:21 Of course, Husker fans just ate that up,
05:24 and it just kinda stuck from there.
05:26 I just kinda embraced it, and I love the nickname.
05:30 - I was gonna say, those are the worst nicknames to have,
05:32 that's for sure.
05:33 All right, dude, now we know you're strong,
05:35 we know squat's a big time lift in your repertoire.
05:38 How much do you squat?
05:39 Now I'm not talking about going down like five inches,
05:41 I'm talking 90 degrees.
05:43 How much do you squat?
05:45 - I'm probably like 675, 80 pounds,
05:49 something around there.
05:52 - All right, now, you can say yourself if you want to, okay?
05:57 But who is the strongest guy on the Huskers team right now?
06:00 - Yeah, probably me.
06:04 - All right, who else is in that conversation?
06:07 - Aiden Piper, Hunter Towsky are two really,
06:11 really strong dudes as well.
06:12 I would say they're right up there with me.
06:15 - Now I'm curious,
06:17 because we are a more physical team this year.
06:20 We appear to get stronger as the game goes along
06:23 way more often than not,
06:25 and that all starts in the weight room
06:27 with strength and conditioning.
06:29 So talk to me about the biggest change
06:31 in the strength and conditioning program
06:32 from last year to this year.
06:34 - Just the way we do things.
06:39 We do a lot of, we do focus on,
06:42 obviously we're lifting and running all the time,
06:45 but we focus on a lot of mobility.
06:48 Having Mitch, also our sports science guy,
06:50 has been awesome with helping us with recovery
06:54 and stuff from that aspect.
06:56 Gives us a lot of different tools in that aspect of things,
06:58 and I think that's, the team's benefited
07:01 from having him and his knowledge
07:03 on the recovery aspect of things.
07:04 - All right, so the single digits,
07:08 you're one of the guys who earned a single digit.
07:10 What did you think when Coach Ruhl first explained
07:14 this new single digit tradition to the team?
07:17 What were the thoughts that entered your mind?
07:18 And then when you got one of those single digits,
07:20 what did that mean to you?
07:23 - Yeah, no, when I first heard about it,
07:24 I thought it was really cool.
07:25 I thought it was just a really cool way
07:28 to show the guys on the team
07:29 that I've really bought into what he's saying
07:33 and kind of what we're all about now.
07:37 And when I got selected, I was super grateful.
07:40 I felt honored that my fellow teammates voted for me.
07:45 It was just a really good feeling.
07:48 - All right, man, you got Louisiana Tech
07:50 coming up this Saturday.
07:52 All right, this is a team that can put up some points.
07:55 All right, they were down, I think, 17 last weekend.
07:57 Came back, made it interesting in that game.
08:00 So what is the biggest key or biggest couple of things
08:04 to stopping or slowing down
08:06 Louisiana Tech's offense this Saturday?
08:09 - Like you said, getting pressure in our four-man rushes.
08:12 Just continuing to attack the ball,
08:15 trying to force turnovers whenever we can,
08:17 and just playing with the best effort out there.
08:20 - All right, I appreciate you joining me, my man.
08:22 And until next time, Husker Nation,
08:24 go Big Red, and always remember...
08:28 - Throw the bones.
08:29 - All right, now I've always wanted to do this,
08:32 so I'm gonna do it right now,
08:34 because following this immediately, okay,
08:37 is the preview prediction with me and my twin daughters
08:39 for the Louisiana Tech football game.
08:41 So here we go.
08:42 Swipe, and voila!
08:43 Just like that, we're here,
08:46 and I've even got a new shirt on.
08:47 I've got some beautiful guests.
08:48 And shout out to my wife, Angie Carriker,
08:51 for editing this show.
08:53 She does a phenomenally, phenomenal job.
08:56 But I am now joined by my twin daughters.
08:58 All right, what's your name?
09:00 - DeJay.
09:01 - All right, and what is your name?
09:01 - Dakota.
09:02 - And who's the older one?
09:03 - Me.
09:04 - By how long?
09:05 - Six minutes.
09:06 - Six whole minutes.
09:08 All right, ladies and gentlemen,
09:10 this is the preview prediction portion of this mega show,
09:14 okay, of the Carriker Chronicles.
09:16 My twin daughters, Dakota and Desiree, are joining me now.
09:19 What sports do you two play?
09:21 You're in second grade.
09:22 What sports do you play?
09:23 - I play soccer, volleyball, and basketball.
09:27 - All right, and do you have a favorite?
09:29 - Volleyball.
09:30 - Volleyball.
09:31 - No, soccer.
09:31 - Soccer, ooh, all right.
09:32 You have to go.
09:33 All right, what sports do you play?
09:34 - Soccer and basketball.
09:36 - And baseball?
09:37 - And baseball.
09:38 - She kicks the boys' butts, by the way.
09:39 She doesn't do softball, she does baseball.
09:41 She's out there kicking the boys' butts.
09:43 Are you Husker fans?
09:44 - Yes.
09:45 - Are you being raised right?
09:45 - Yes.
09:46 - Why was there hesitation there?
09:48 All right, can you say hi to the fine folks at home?
09:50 - Hi.
09:52 - You say, "Go Big Red?"
09:53 - Go Big Red.
09:54 - All right, now I noticed neither one of you
09:56 mentioned football.
09:57 Can we talk a little football?
09:59 - Yeah.
10:00 - Is that all right?
10:00 - Yeah.
10:01 - Okay, awesome.
10:02 We're talking about Nebraska versus Louisiana La Tech.
10:05 All right, so Nebraska's defense,
10:07 just got done chatting with Nash Hutmacher.
10:09 Obviously you all know that 'cause you just watched it,
10:10 but Nebraska's defense, okay, tied for 76 in the country
10:14 when it comes to defending the pass.
10:16 They're giving up 238.3 yards per game.
10:19 Now that's up, or that's an improvement, I should say,
10:22 'cause they were 106 in the country
10:24 going into the Northern Illinois game.
10:26 All right, now they are 76, so they're getting better.
10:28 They're improving.
10:29 Okay, again, just talked about it with Nash,
10:32 one of the top run defenses in the country,
10:33 and they've been able to get after the quarterback
10:35 through blitzes so far this year,
10:38 but that's gonna lead to one of my three keys
10:40 as to how Nebraska can ensure a victory.
10:42 They're a large favorite in this game,
10:45 which surprised me, the amount that they're favored by
10:47 when I saw it, but in order to ensure that victory,
10:50 'cause you never take any team or game for granted,
10:52 any given Saturday, right?
10:54 Okay, I got, it's gonna lead into my three keys,
10:57 but real quick, the Huskers offense,
10:59 not to neglect the other side of the ball,
11:00 is averaging 19.7 points per game,
11:02 120, 112th in the country, 339.3 yards per game,
11:06 which is 101st in the country.
11:08 Louisiana Tech, they don't play a lot of defense.
11:11 That should bode well for our offense.
11:13 All right, they're averaging 381.3 yards per game.
11:16 That's 93rd in the country,
11:18 and they're giving up 4.9 yards per rush.
11:21 Okay, and allowing 29 points per game,
11:22 which is 100th in the country.
11:24 We should be able to run the ball in them.
11:26 And then we should be able to control
11:28 the line of scrimmage.
11:29 We should be able to wear them out,
11:30 and we should be able to control
11:32 the second half of the game,
11:33 especially like we did against Northern Illinois.
11:36 But I don't wanna get ahead of myself.
11:38 All right, what's that say right there, Desi?
11:40 Okay, what's that say, Koda?
11:43 Keys. - Keys.
11:45 - All right, can't read my handwriting.
11:46 That's my bad, I apologize.
11:48 All right, the first key,
11:49 I'm gonna shock you with this one, ladies and gentlemen.
11:52 Take care of the football.
11:53 You can't win the game if you don't have the ball.
11:56 And here's the thing.
11:57 We're at least two and one.
11:59 Maybe better, okay, but at least two and one this year
12:02 if we just simply take care of the ball.
12:04 So take care of the ball on Saturday
12:06 and the rest of this year going forward, I might add.
12:09 Now, number two is something we've talked about already.
12:12 Matt Rule said, we've already talked about earlier
12:14 in the interview with Nashup Maker in this show,
12:16 simply improve the overall pass defense
12:19 by getting more consistent pressure,
12:21 which is four-man rushes.
12:23 Blitzing and getting after the quarterback is great,
12:24 but obviously it leaves you a little bit exposed
12:26 in the back end, okay, just a smidge.
12:29 But if you can get pressure with just four-man rushes
12:31 and you can leave more guys in coverage,
12:33 obviously that's a benefit.
12:34 So if we can do that better,
12:36 we'll continue to climb up the rankings
12:38 in our overall pass defense.
12:40 So get more pressure on the opposing quarterback
12:42 with four-man rushes.
12:43 All right, take care of the ball.
12:45 Pressure with four-man rushes,
12:46 not having to blitz all the time.
12:48 And the last one, the left side of the offensive line,
12:52 especially the left tackle spot has got to play better,
12:55 in particular when it comes to pass protection.
12:57 And if you gotta rotate guys,
12:59 if you gotta try some new bodies in there,
13:01 if they just simply gotta get better,
13:02 the guys that are there right now, I don't really care.
13:05 We gotta play better on the left side
13:06 and we gotta protect the quarterback better,
13:09 especially at that left tackle position.
13:11 All right, time for the prediction.
13:13 Nebraska's a 19 and a half point favorite,
13:15 not gonna lie to you,
13:16 that was a little bit surprising to me,
13:18 but we'll see how it plays out.
13:19 The over-under, at least at this point in time
13:21 that I'm recording the video, is 47 and a half.
13:24 Until I'm proven otherwise consistently,
13:26 I'm always gonna take the under with Nebraska,
13:28 but we'll see what happens.
13:28 All right, that says, here's our prediction, my prediction.
13:32 All right, Louisiana Tech, what's that say Desiree?
13:34 - 14.
13:35 - 14, and what does that say right there, Nebraska?
13:39 - 31.
13:40 - 31, so I don't have us quite covering,
13:43 I got us in the under, but I got us definitively winning.
13:46 And honestly, I'm giving Louisiana Tech 14
13:48 'cause they might get a late touchdown
13:49 with some of our backups in.
13:51 And I'm okay with that, all right,
13:52 'cause those guys need experience too.
13:54 Now this is Jacob's prediction,
13:55 but Dakota's gonna read it.
13:57 So Louisiana Tech's gonna end up with how many points?
13:59 - 10.
14:00 - And Nebraska's gonna end up with how many?
14:02 - 28.
14:02 - 28, now admittedly, when she looked at this
14:05 before the show, she thought it said 68.
14:07 Translation, I need to write better.
14:09 But 28 to 10, Jacob has it.
14:11 A little bit lower scoring.
14:14 Okay, I will say this.
14:15 I do think the score might be closer at halftime
14:18 than Husker fans would like it to be,
14:20 but I think we're gonna pull away like we did last week,
14:22 'cause we're gonna be a second half
14:24 physical blue collar in your face
14:25 running downhill smash mouth team.
14:27 We're gonna pull away in the second half,
14:30 and hopefully we figure out who our quarterback is as well.
14:34 All right, ladies and gentlemen,
14:35 hit me up in the comments below.
14:37 Number one, what's your prediction for this game?
14:39 Score prediction.
14:41 Who's our starting quarterback after this game?
14:44 Hopefully we have it figured out.
14:44 Who do you have as our starting quarterback in number three?
14:47 What's your single biggest key
14:49 to ensuring Nebraska wins this game
14:51 and gets back on track to a bowl game?
14:54 All right, ladies, I wanna thank you for joining me.
14:56 Did you have fun?
14:58 - Yes.
14:59 - I'm not gonna lie, your hat wear is awesome.
15:02 Can I? - Yes.
15:03 (laughing)
15:04 - All right, until next time, Husker Nation,
15:07 remember, all your football hopes and dreams
15:09 will come true at CarrikerChronicles.com.
15:12 Go check it out.
15:13 Until next time, go Big Red, and always remember.
15:15 - Throw the bombs!
15:18 - Thank you, girls.
15:21 Did you have fun?
15:21 - Yeah. - Yeah.
15:22 - You can wear that.
15:23 - Oh, thank you.
15:24 - And then this goes on top.