Riley era: Tale of Two Seasons

[Saunders]

The problem is I felt better last year after the 6-7 season than I do this year after a 9-4 season. The wheels completely fell off of a 7-0 team and ended up finishing 2-4.

We are 4-8 vs Wiscy/Iowa in B1G play, 0-4 under current regime. Unacceptable in so many ways. If we can't beat both of them in 2017 and win the division I'm comfortable discussing changes.

I hate to become the school that fires winning coaches and has a constant rotating door for it's football staff. But watching Alabama and Clemson last night made me realize just how far behind we are. I'm not going to say we aren't talented or a good team. But there are a lot of better teams. We need to close the gap in a big way in 2017.

There is something very true with that statement. If anyone thinks that Dabo came in and set the world on fire straight from the get go is crazy. 9-5, 6-7, 10-3. What really helped Swinney build Clemson into a power was recruiting a solid QB. Tajh Boyd was a difference maker for Dabo moving forward. He was a redshirt in 2009, Dabo's first year, but he did have C.J. Spiller and Kyle Parker who was both solid college players.

What Boyd did for Dabo was give him stability while he built around him. I feel like thats what Riley is doing. Get some quality QB's and try to fill in around him. We have a lot of young talent on this team or already committed to this team. Give Riley a few years and show that you are willing to stick with a staff through the lean years early on and you will be rewarded in 1 of 2 ways. Either it all comes together for Riley, or a quality coach see's that you are willing to stick with him and let him and his staff build a winner.

Most coaches are not Nick Saban or Urban Meyer. And we will be hard pressed to ever get an "it" guy like that. Take the scarlet and cream glasses off for a second and realize that we didn't get a big name coach because they don't want to be here. Guys like that go where it is easy to get the guys they want. Recruiting hot beds. Places that are sensationalized by ESPN and the other media outlets. That's not Nebraska. Chances of us ever getting another Devaney or Osborne are slim to none. With the pressure to win instantly here guys are never going to want to come here until they see that the administration is willing to stick with them for the long haul. Willing to give them longer than us the fans want. Nebraska IS a great place. It is a top tier job. But we have lost our luster due to some unfortunate hires (Callahan and Pelini).

I have always supported what ever coaching staff we have because I want them to do well. I don't care who the coach is if they are winning, and running the program fairly clean. Nobody can run a squeaky clean program and win ballgames. With great athlete's come ego's and dumb decisions.

I guess through all this rambling I want to say I hope people have faith in our current coaching staff, continue to support our program and just enjoy the ride. Because at the end of the day I can't think of a better program to be a fan of.

WIth Dabo, he went out and hired great coordinators (guys like Chad Morris and Brent Venables) in a move to cover his weak areas. They went after top assistants, and paid the money necessary to get them. Plus, starting in his 3rd class, they were recruiting top 15 or higher each year.

That's what we have to do.

 

[RunMickeyRun02]

I don't think Minny is happless.

 

[84HuskerLaw]

Nearly polar opposite results for the first two seasons:

2015: 6-7
Brigham Young L 28-33
South Alabama W 48- 9
Miami (Fla.) L 33-36 (OT)
Southern Miss W 36-28
Illinois L 13-14
Wisconsin L 21-23
Minnesota W 48-25
Northwestern L 28-30
Purdue L 45-55
Michigan State W 39-38
Rutgers W 31-14
Iowa L 20-28
UCLA W 37-29

========================================================
2016: 9-4
Fresno State W 43-10
Wyoming W 52-17
Oregon W 35-32
Northwestern W 24-13
Illinois W 31-16
Indiana W 27-22
Purdue W 27-14
Wisconsin L 17-23 OT
Ohio State L 3-62
Minnesota W 24-17
Maryland W 28- 7
Iowa L 10-40 17
Tennessee L 24-38
========================================================

Okay, we have two full seasons under our belt for the Riley era. And almost polar opposite results for each season.

2015. We were snake bit in the early games. Couldn't win a close game to save our hide. We lost six heartbreakers that we should have won. But then we came alive at the end of the season and finished strong. We upset #6 Michigan State, took care of business against Rutgers, and might've beat #3 Iowa if the refs hadn't kicked Gerry out of the game on a sketchy targeting call. Then we ended strong with a bowl win over UCLA.

2016. We had a quality win over #22 Oregon, and beat all the lessor teams on our schedule to start 7-0. Then we got tagged in Madison for an OT loss to #11 Wisconsin, and got crushed by #6 tOSU in Columbus. Had a couple wins over happless Minny and Mary, and then ended the regular season with a disastrous to (ugh) Iowa. Missing several of our best players for the bowl, we capped a disappointing season end by losing to Tennessee on their home turf. Sure we won nine games, but I don't think 2016 was appreciably better than 2015 given the blowout losses and lack of marquee wins.

========================================================

The thing is, each of the two seasons had good spots and bad spots. 2015: Started weak and finished strong. We lost games we shouldn't have, but also won a couple we shouldn't have. 2016: Started strong and finished weak. We pretty much matched the expected W-L outcome for each game. We played Wiscy closer than anyone thought we would, but got blown out in an unexpected manner by tOSU and Iowa. Seems like the team lost focus the last couple of games. I still wonder about why some of our best senior players missed out on the last couple of games of their Husker careers. It almost adds a question mark to the leadership abilities of one or two of them.

I guess the point is that we've played some good football during the first two years. But also had some disappointing games. With nearly any coaching change resulting from the HC getting fired there's gonna be couple years of transition that will include disappointment. (Just look at Dabo Swinny's first three years!) I think we've mostly worked through that. Starting this fall Langsdorf and Banker will have the majority of their own players on the field rather than guys recruiting by Pelini. Maybe that'll make a difference. Maybe not. But we'll almost certainly be better at O-line this season. And probably D-line too. I think things will trend up this year. Or maybe it's just the off-season Kool-Aid talking. GBR!

(Yeah, I know. tldnr)

Couple points: Disappointing as far as Iowa and Ohio State in '16 is an understatement - they were awful bad losses injuries notwithstanding. I am not sure I would agree that in '17 Riley will be playing a 'majority' of their recruits as it will be a team presumbaly composed of mostly redshirt sophs, juniors and seniors (Pelini guys). No doubt some Riley guys will be clearly there but I would hope we have some experienced returning guys who are not redshirt frosh. However, these guys will have played in the Riley system for two full seasons mostly so they will have had plenty of time, in my opinion, to learn and adapt and overcome and be 'developed' reasonably well.

Maybe a more interesting question in comparing the first two Riley coached teams is which one would win in a bowl game (with all healthy starters available) as between '15 and '16 ? I would have predicted the '16 team would win by couple TDs before season started and at this point, I might favor the '15s. That is not a good sign. I do know the bowl result might have been different had we not been missing several key players but who knows? This begets the final question: are we better now as a team/program that we were a year ago? I am not so sure.

 

[NoLongerN]

The next two seasons will be very entertaining. I'm rather indifferent and unimpressed. We have become so depleted in the lines along with a loss of Husker identity that I felt we would get exposed at the end of this season.

Moving forward I still see us at .500 ball next year or 7-5 and I don't think most Husker fans will be ready for 2018's schedule.

It's gonna be a tough go here at

! I'm still not against Riley but I just don't know if we can recruit West Coast kids to play B1G football. I'm still of the view that Nebraska has to get back to her roots in good solid play in the lines and getting some flash from places like Cali, Florida and TX.

I will weather the storm but I don't think the board has the will or patience for the next two years.

 

[Apathy]

A tale of two seasons? People are just as grumpy this January as they were last January.

It's probably the way we ended the season 2-4 with two really bad blowouts and then Tennessee had their way with us.
But you're not grumpy cause your Hawkeyes whooped on us lol

I'm never grumpy following a sporting event. I have much more pertinent and important things to invest my joy into.

You kind of seem grumpy all the time though

Because showing my displeasure after embarrassing losses and no growth in year 2 doesn't mean I'm always grumpy.
Obviously you don't know me very well cause I have numerous people and things that bring me joy in my life

 

[Landlord]

Sorry, you're right. I forgot about how you were laughing your a$$ off at our awful record last year. So you're not grumpy, you're just a masochist?

 

[Apathy]

Sorry, you're right. I forgot about how you were laughing your a$$ off at our awful record last year. So you're not grumpy, you're just a masochist?

Wrong again and I don't have the time or the crayons to explain it to you

 

[Landlord]

Michigan State is going to thump on us by 17 and I'm just going to sit in my recliner drinking a Captain and Coke while laughing hysterically at our 3-7 record

 

[Apathy]

Michigan State is going to thump on us by 17 and I'm just going to sit in my recliner drinking a Captain and Coke while laughing hysterically at our 3-7 record

I get it you're going to b!^@h at me whatever I do but hey at least your Hawkeyes beat us
And you're wrong again thinking that I get some gratification watching Nebraska lose....nice try I'll send you a participation ribbon

 

[junior4949]

Every junior high and high school football player (recruit) in the country... who dreams of playing at the college level... saw the Neb-Ohio State... Neb-Iowa... and Neb-Tennessee games.

Those games... on national television... on the big stage... were so bad... that they did long lasting damage to our program... the next 5-6 years.

Nebraska was exposed... for all to see... and today's junior high and high school players will not forget what they saw.

They don't need to be told what they saw... they can figure it out for themselves... and what they saw will stick with them for a long time to come. Those players are our future... we needed them.

Is there is anything positive about this?

Yes. It quickens the transition to a new regime. In short order we will be welcoming a new athletic director-coaching staff. We'll be ecstatic... celebrating... with a renewed sense of hope... and we'll quickly forget the past few years.

Is that what happened when Pud became AD and named Clownahan coach? Or how about TO becoming AD and naming Bo coach? Or Eichorst becoming AD and Riley coach? How did that work out for us? How about we as fans just vote every four years for a new AD and new coach?

 

[Husker Psycho]

Every junior high and high school football player (recruit) in the country... who dreams of playing at the college level... saw the Neb-Ohio State... Neb-Iowa... and Neb-Tennessee games.

Those games... on national television... on the big stage... were so bad... that they did long lasting damage to our program... the next 5-6 years.

Nebraska was exposed... for all to see... and today's junior high and high school players will not forget what they saw.

They don't need to be told what they saw... they can figure it out for themselves... and what they saw will stick with them for a long time to come. Those players are our future... we needed them.

Is there is anything positive about this?

Yes. It quickens the transition to a new regime. In short order we will be welcoming a new athletic director-coaching staff. We'll be ecstatic... celebrating... with a renewed sense of hope... and we'll quickly forget the past few years.

I think you would be surprised how much football these kids don't watch. To just assume every top recruit just watches football all weekend is crazy. I for one love football. My father was a coach so I was around it from birth. I played and coached. I don't watch to many games that I don't have a vested interest in pro or college. Plus these kids are in HS so Saturday they probably have a light practice/film session. I'M willing to bet on Saturday night they are out and about with friends or girlfriends. Maybe recruits we were actively recruiting tuned in but I don't think that accross the nation kids felt the overwhelming need to watch Neb vs OSU

Sorry...

The Ohio State game was at 7pm in the evening... in prime time...

The Iowa game was on Thanksgiving weekend...

Those two game were a disaster... everyone saw it.

 

[walksalone]

Unless we manage to get into the discussion for winning the Big Ten, instead of being a "contender" for the west, we're no different than we were 3 or 4 years ago, sans douchebaggery...

 

[MichiganDad3]

I wouldn't say polar opposites because at the end result is still the same. Finished both seasons unranked with alot of questions on both sides of the ball. Plus 2 season in a row where you fired a staff member. The record may look different but the product on the field was no different.

The firing of the assistant coaches is the most telling stat. MR was only hired two years ago. He is such a bad judge of coaching talent that he has already fired a significant portion of his staff. In some cases, he had worked with these men for years, how did he not know their capabilities?

 

[ColoradoHusk]

Every junior high and high school football player (recruit) in the country... who dreams of playing at the college level... saw the Neb-Ohio State... Neb-Iowa... and Neb-Tennessee games.

Those games... on national television... on the big stage... were so bad... that they did long lasting damage to our program... the next 5-6 years.

Nebraska was exposed... for all to see... and today's junior high and high school players will not forget what they saw.

They don't need to be told what they saw... they can figure it out for themselves... and what they saw will stick with them for a long time to come. Those players are our future... we needed them.

Is there is anything positive about this?

Yes. It quickens the transition to a new regime. In short order we will be welcoming a new athletic director-coaching staff. We'll be ecstatic... celebrating... with a renewed sense of hope... and we'll quickly forget the past few years.

I think you would be surprised how much football these kids don't watch. To just assume every top recruit just watches football all weekend is crazy. I for one love football. My father was a coach so I was around it from birth. I played and coached. I don't watch to many games that I don't have a vested interest in pro or college. Plus these kids are in HS so Saturday they probably have a light practice/film session. I'M willing to bet on Saturday night they are out and about with friends or girlfriends. Maybe recruits we were actively recruiting tuned in but I don't think that accross the nation kids felt the overwhelming need to watch Neb vs OSU

Sorry...

The Ohio State game was at 7pm in the evening... in prime time...

The Iowa game was on Thanksgiving weekend...

Those two game were a disaster... everyone saw it.

Do you think a popular high school kid is gonna sit at home and watch football on a Saturday night? They are going to be out with their buddies or girlfriend. The only high school kids that are at home on a Saturday night are the dorks who have nothing better to do.

 

[SuperBigFan69]

Every junior high and high school football player (recruit) in the country... who dreams of playing at the college level... saw the Neb-Ohio State... Neb-Iowa... and Neb-Tennessee games.

Those games... on national television... on the big stage... were so bad... that they did long lasting damage to our program... the next 5-6 years.

Nebraska was exposed... for all to see... and today's junior high and high school players will not forget what they saw.

They don't need to be told what they saw... they can figure it out for themselves... and what they saw will stick with them for a long time to come. Those players are our future... we needed them.

Is there is anything positive about this?

Yes. It quickens the transition to a new regime. In short order we will be welcoming a new athletic director-coaching staff. We'll be ecstatic... celebrating... with a renewed sense of hope... and we'll quickly forget the past few years.

I think you would be surprised how much football these kids don't watch. To just assume every top recruit just watches football all weekend is crazy. I for one love football. My father was a coach so I was around it from birth. I played and coached. I don't watch to many games that I don't have a vested interest in pro or college. Plus these kids are in HS so Saturday they probably have a light practice/film session. I'M willing to bet on Saturday night they are out and about with friends or girlfriends. Maybe recruits we were actively recruiting tuned in but I don't think that accross the nation kids felt the overwhelming need to watch Neb vs OSU

Sorry...

The Ohio State game was at 7pm in the evening... in prime time...

The Iowa game was on Thanksgiving weekend...

Those two game were a disaster... everyone saw it.

Do you think a popular high school kid is gonna sit at home and watch football on a Saturday night? They are going to be out with their buddies or girlfriend. The only high school kids that are at home on a Saturday night are the dorks who have nothing better to do.

This is so true