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CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL: MIAMI VS WISCONSIN

December 28, 2017

Nick Nelson

Miami Gardens, Florida

Q. What can you say about Malik Rosier?
NICK NELSON: He's pretty good.

Q. What do you see in him?
NICK NELSON: I like his style of play.

Q. Which is?
NICK NELSON: Everything he does. I respect his game.

Q. The UM offense has been weaker than the defense; what are your biggest challenges?
NICK NELSON: They're fast. They've got a lot of speed. I feel like it's divisional football; everybody is good. Everybody has got something in this league, so we've just got to play our best game.

Q. Where did you grow up, by the way?
NICK NELSON: Maryland, right outside Washington, D.C.

Q. Has the weather been a factor for you guys?
NICK NELSON: Not really bad. I mean, practicing with -- it's been hot in practice and I've been wearing extra layers just to make myself sweat more and just to get myself in better shape.

Q. How has the week been down here?
NICK NELSON: It's been a great week. Enjoyed the weather.

Q. When you guys look at what happened in the first half of the Big Ten title game, do you feel like you guys have something to prove as a defense?
NICK NELSON: I don't know that we have something to prove. I just feel like we've got to make our plays. Those plays we usually make, it's probably just a few plays, and those few plays can turn into games. Every play you've just got to play like it's your last play.

Q. Sort of that old saying in bowl games is whoever wants to be here most wins. What would you say to somebody who says, Wisconsin was one game away from the playoffs, maybe their heads aren't here right now?
NICK NELSON: I wouldn't say that. Like a lot of people on our team love the game, love being around each other, and knowing that this is our last time playing with this same group, I feel like everybody is going to go hard.

Q. How long does it take to get over a loss like Ohio State, not just where you lose the Big Ten but you guys were still playing for a National Championship at that point. How quickly do you swallow that pill and move on, or is it something that still sticks with you?
NICK NELSON: I felt it for about two weeks. About two weeks. But you know, we had some time -- once we got back to practice -- actually I went home for a couple days and I cleared my mind. We got back to practice, and I could still feel it, but it's not as bad.

Q. Was it hard to get up every day and continue to go to work when you saw your biggest goal vanish like that? What was the turning point when you realized how much you still had to play for?
NICK NELSON: We had a little bit of time before the game, before actually the first practice. We had about a week and a half, two weeks. So I wouldn't really say it was hard getting up for it. But now once we got to practice, it was straight.

Q. I know you're close with Derrick; is this a special game for him coming back to Fort Lauderdale and Miami and getting to play against the Hurricanes?
NICK NELSON: I know it's special for him being home because he's got a real big family, and I know he's family is come, and this is his last game as a Badger, so I know it's real big to him.

Q. When you look at Malik Rosier, what presents a challenge for you?
NICK NELSON: Yeah, he's pretty good. I respect his game. I like him.

Q. Malik has the ability to run. Is that a focus, making sure he doesn't beat you guys like that?
NICK NELSON: The thing is J.T., he was kind of like a run -- he was taking as many carries as a running back as he could take. Really we've just got to tackle, just make tackles, just play our game that we've been playing to get here. I feel like we'll be fine.

Q. How many times have you been asked about the NFL?
NICK NELSON: A million times. A million times.

Q. And your answer is always the same, right?
NICK NELSON: Yeah, the answer is the same. It gets annoying.

Q. Have you done what you wanted to this year individually?
NICK NELSON: I wouldn't say, not really.

Q. Why not?
NICK NELSON: Obviously I wanted to catch (indiscernible). I wanted to get a couple touchdowns, but that's about it.

Q. Do you think you've helped the defense, though?
NICK NELSON: I felt like I helped a lot. I feel like I could have helped out a little bit more, a pick six, giving the offense a spark.

Q. Do you feel like you belong in the NFL?
NICK NELSON: Yeah, I feel like I've proved myself but not enough. I feel like I didn't reach my full potential. I haven't played -- not a perfect game, but I feel like I didn't play the game like I really wanted to, that I worked towards.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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