LINCOLN, Neb.—Nebraska football head coach Scott Frost met with members of the media via video conference Friday afternoon to discuss progress at practice. Nebraska will travel to Columbus, Ohio on October 24th for the season opener against Ohio State.
Frost was asked about the ever-changing environment around college football and how preparation changes due to COVID-19.
“We were one of the teams that really fought to be able to play, I’m glad we did that,” Frost said. “We’re going to have to comply with any and all restrictions and qualifications in order to be able to play, we’re going to be as careful as we can. We want to give our student-athletes the opportunity to do what they came to Nebraska to do.”
Because the NCAA ruled that all student-athletes will be granted an additional year of eligibility, Frost said the focus remains on this season and not the years to come.
“Our guys have been together longer than most teams have…I think bonding together. I think there will be plenty of chance for guys to decide what the best option is for them are after the season. Right now we have a pretty tight-knit group and I think they are focused on becoming the best team that they can.”
Frost spoke about the whirlwind of emotions in the previous weeks, with the return of the football season and the passing of his father, Larry Frost.
“I found out about both things on the same day, should have been a happy day and it wasn’t. Without faith and hope, I don’t know how people get through something like that. I’m just glad I was blessed enough to have that kind of father. I know a lot of people in this country grow up without that type of father in the home, without two parents in the home. I think it’s one of the biggest problems affecting America right now, and I was one of the lucky ones that had a good father that would sacrifice anything for me. It’s my job now to carry that forward and give myself to other people.”
As the season nears, Frost mentioned the importance of practice with pads. Typically, four weeks of practice with pads is standard, but this year, there will only be time for about three weeks of padded practice.
“We were able to get a lot done, but there’s only so much you get done until you get pads on. We will have to fast-track that. Our players haven’t had shoulder pads on since November. We are trying to balance between keeping the guys healthy and fresh with doing as much as we can to get them ready to play a physical brand of football.”
