ColoradoHusk

I agree with what you are saying, but I don't think Langsdorf and Riley can make a "game manager" type QB work in their offense. They need a QB who can sling it around and make plays. That type of QB isn't found very often in Big Ten play.

Now that the regular season is over, I thought it would be good to give out grades for the entire coaching staff. Mike Riley - Head Coach - F - As the head coach, he's ultimately graded on the win-loss record. A 5-7 record, no matter how many close losses, deserves an F. Adding to the poor grade is terrible turnover margin, penalties, game management, and just an overall terrible season. Danny Langsdorf - Offensive Coordinator - C - I was actually surprised by the way the offense performed this year. It was much better than I expected. However, there were still some crazy play calls during games. Langsdorf could have been downgraded further with the Illinois and Purdue game plans alone. He drove me crazy with his lack of commitment to the run game. While Langsdorf said they would try to incorporate the QB run game this year, it wasn't a key part of the offense. Langsdorf also doesn't get a free pass on the high INT rate. After all, he is the QB coach, too. Mike Cavanaugh - O-line - D - Everyone thought the o-line issues of the past number of years was Barney Cotton's fault. But, this year's o-line wasn't any better. There was a complete lack of consistency in the run game. The pass pro wasn't much very good either, as Armstrong was forced to scramble numerous times each game. I also disagreed with his lack of rotation among the linemen, but that's just my personal opinion. Reggie Davis - RB's - D - The rotation at RB was a complete mess. Nobody knew who was going to be the feature back from game to game. The only thing that appears to be a differentiating factor is the starting RB must be able to pass block. Other than that, I am not sure what is the criteria for getting snaps/carries. It was crazy to me to see a player get a few carries and do well in one game, and not sniff the ball for the next few games. Keith Williams - B+ - I thought the WR position has been NU's deepest position over the past few years. I thought they were well coached under the previous staff, and Williams has improved their play this year. Drops hurt in the Miami game, but I can't remember it being a huge problem throughout the season. Mark Banker - Defensive Coordinator - D - The only thing keeping this from an F is the performance of the last 2 games. Other than the games against Rutgers and Iowa, the defense was abysmal. The D was torched in a number of games, and couldn't come up with key stops when it needed to in the 4th quarter of numerous losses. I am not a fan of the scheme at all, and it appears that most teams realized they could just pass the ball all day on the Blackshirts, and for the most part, they did. Hank Hughes - D-line - C - This was supposed to be the strength of the Blackshirts, but for much of the year, the d-line was disappointing. I understand injuries plagued the front 4, especially at d-end. But, there was a complete lack of pass rush, which is needed in Banker's scheme. The d-line would do well against the run at times, but then give up a big gainer (see Iowa). I think Hughes could be a good coach, if he has some good depth and talent, which was missing this year, especially at DE. Trent Bray - Linebackers - B - The one bright spot among the defensive coaches. Coach Bray had the toughest job this year with very little depth, multiple injuries, and a number of young guys playing. For the most part, I was impressed by the LB play, especially when the top guys were healthy. The one thing keeping it from being an A, is the poor angles that the LB's would sometimes take in run support. Brian Stewart - Secondary - D - This was nearly an F, but the secondary did show glimpses of improvement in the last few games. The secondary had no confidence in the scheme in the first half of the season, and teams passed all over the Blackshirts. The secondary still isn't very good at attacking balls in the air. I am not very confident in Stewart's ability going forward. Bruce Read - Special Teams - Incomplete - I give Read an incomplete because I really don't even know what he has done this year. FG kicking was pretty good with Brown, after some early misses (probably cost NU the BYU game though). Foltz was also pretty good, but he was good before Read got here. The kickoff returns were non-existent, and it was so weird when Jordan Stevenson was installed at KR in the middle of the season. Read didn't even know who the kid was. The kickoff coverage was also very weird at times, when Brown was instructed to do odd squib kicks or other weird kicks instead of just trying to boot it through the end zone. Brown has a strong leg, so I put those odd kicks on Read. The loss of DPE also contributed to the Incomplete grade. What do you all think of coaching grades for the year?

Now, I wouldn't mind a smart QB who minimized mistakes and played within the system. However, I think Riley's/Langsdorf's offense asks for more than that from the QB. Riley/Langsdorf don't want to commit to the run and want to win the game throwing it all over the field. That type of offense requires more than a "game manager" at QB.

Are you serious?Hackenburg is a terrible disappointment. His stats thru 11 games are 2129 yards passing, 53% completion %, 14 TDs and 3 INTs. He also doesn't give any threat running the ball. Other than a lot fewer turnovers, he's about the same as Armstrong. Penn State fans aren't enamored with him at QB, and hope he turns pro.

Woo hoo, 7 wins is progress!!! Yippee!!!

You seriously want a QB like Hackenburg? He's terrible and has been a complete bust at Penn State.

Players referred to him as a quicker Cross, and i just like that he is a tough runner and gets north and south quickly.And Taylor hasn't sniffed the field since arriving in Lincoln. I'm not holding my breath for him to do anything in a Husker uniform.

Props to Banker. He did his job well enough for the Huskers to win. I have been pretty down on Banker this year, but I agree that the D played well enough for us to win against Iowa. The D has shown improvement over the last few games. I would say the D improved over the last 2 games. The D was a dumpster fire against Purdue, and gave up 38 points and a lot of yards to Michigan State. Overall, the D was very disappointing for most of the year.

Reading comprehension learn it. Core concept Lana!!!Lana?

Anytime a team has 7 losses, they're not close to being undefeated. It's that simple. Yes, NU was close to having a few more wins, but that's about it. NU got blown out by Purdue and never led against Iowa.

The point I took away is the fact that NU has a dusty trophy case since the 90's yet, us husker fans alike scream and shout how great our program is...when teams like Iowa are achieving what we think we are.Iowa's weak ass schedule....pfft. Weak cuz of why? Playing in the same division as Nebraska? They are 12-0, and if the roles were reversed, everyone on here would be SCREAMING about how it's so tough in this day and age to go unbeaten blah blah blah.... No we wouldn't. 2001 is case in point. We're a smart enough fan base to know when we're not the real deal and don't belong. Iowa is going to get rolled, either in Indy or if they make it to the playoffs. We just as easily could have gone undefeated this year with a weak ass schedule, oddly we were close to doing it...How exactly is 5-7 "close to undefeated"?This shouldn't need explaining. 4 games tied or leading with 11 seconds left in the game. Gifted a game to Iowa. 6 games a combined 28 points. The only gane we weren't in was Turdue.See, I take the close losses as the trend, and the Michigan State win as the aberration. There were more close losses than close wins. For anyone to say that NU was close to being undefeated needs their head examined.

The point I took away is the fact that NU has a dusty trophy case since the 90's yet, us husker fans alike scream and shout how great our program is...when teams like Iowa are achieving what we think we are.Iowa's weak ass schedule....pfft. Weak cuz of why? Playing in the same division as Nebraska? They are 12-0, and if the roles were reversed, everyone on here would be SCREAMING about how it's so tough in this day and age to go unbeaten blah blah blah.... No we wouldn't. 2001 is case in point. We're a smart enough fan base to know when we're not the real deal and don't belong. Iowa is going to get rolled, either in Indy or if they make it to the playoffs. We just as easily could have gone undefeated this year with a weak ass schedule, oddly we were close to doing it...How exactly is 5-7 "close to undefeated"?

I'm a huge fan of great writing. Great writing is fast becoming a lost art. Coloradohusk... that is some great writing. WOW Thanks for reading!!

Of course, Mike Riley didn't come here just for the money. But, wow, he was sure given a golden parachute by Eichorst, and he has in turn passed that onto his coaching staff. When Riley is fired/retires in 3-4 years, he will have plenty of cash to do so, and so will his best buddies.

Hey, you came out of hiding after three weeks of wins and positive vibes here, coupled with Pelini's season-ending losses and well-publicized meltdowns. You must be so relieved to get back on schedule with your Riley/Nebraska/Eichorst bashing. Cool. Great thread. Just getting annoyed with the player blaming and bashing. That tends to die down when NU is winning. Now it flares up as an excuse. FYI, I posted after MSU. Not so much during the bye week. They were still bashing the players after the wins. At least that's how I see comments like "the players finally bought in" or "I wish the players bought in sooner". Some fans will do anything to protect Riley from any kind of criticism. You think saying this is bashing players? It is bashing the players. It's deflecting criticism away from Riley and putting it on the players.

Cross not here next year, homie. Serious question because I haven't been following the season closely this year. What's the deal with Oz? Where's he been? Ozigbo? He gets a little playing time, makes a few nice runs, and looks like he should get more carries. Then he doesn't sniff the field in the last few games. That's what I'm wondering about. Does he make a push for the starting spot next year over Newby? I haven't been impressed with Newby. Who knows with this staff. I don't know what their criteria are for who starts at what position.

Cross not here next year, homie. Serious question because I haven't been following the season closely this year. What's the deal with Oz? Where's he been?Ozigbo and Wilbon were wasted commodities this year. I'm sure Wilbon will transfer. Why would you stay on a team if you know the coaches have no interest in playing you?

Cross not here next year, homie. Serious question because I haven't been following the season closely this year. What's the deal with Oz? Where's he been? Ozigbo? He gets a little playing time, makes a few nice runs, and looks like he should get more carries. Then he doesn't sniff the field in the last few games.

Correct, the defense greatly improved as the year went and did keep is in the game till Gerry was ejected. I thought they played pretty dang well yesterday against a top 5 team. Only giving up 250 yards sucks? it doesn't suck, but we didn't force turnovers and still gave up big plays. The defense gave up 21 points while NU's offense only scored 20. I would say the defense didn't play well enough to win the game.

I don't think Mike Riley is a very good football coach, but he appears to be a genius retirement planner. 1. At the end of the 2014 season, Oregon State had just finished 5-7 under Riley, with a 4-year starting QB at the helm. Riley knew his team was going to be terrible in 2015, and there was a strong chance he and his staff would be fired at Oregon State after a bad 2015 season. He's 62 years old, so Riley appears to be headed toward retirement. 2. Because he is known as the "nicest coach in college football", Riley is Shawn Eichorst's first choice to replace Bo Pelini. The choice doesn't appear to be based on anything in Riley's past performance as a coach, it appears to be due to Riley being a nice, old man, who Eichorst doesn't have to hide from in the athletic department building. Riley is given a 5-year contract that pays him $2.7M base salary in year 1, with $100K bumps to $3.1M in year 5. The 2015 salary represents a $1.2M increase in base salary for Riley. 3. Riley is given carte blanche to hire his assistant coaches with a generous pool of funds by Eichorst. Rumors are abound who Riley will surround himself at NU. It doesn't take long for Riley to hire most of his cronies from Oregon State, who would probably not be retained by the Beavers' new head coach. His assistant coaches include his long time Defensive Coordinator and Special Teams Coordinator who have struggled at their jobs in recent years at Oregon State. All of the assistant coaches hired by Riley receive significant raises from their previous jobs. Most of the assistants receive 3 year contracts, which is a year longer than standard assistant coach contracts. 4. For 3/4 of the 2015 season, Nebraska fans see Riley and his team invent countless ways to lose to very average opponents. Riley's supporters are dwindling, but there are some saying "the players aren't buying into his system" and the "culture is toxic". Somehow, Riley is able to convince some fans that he shouldn't be judged by actual results on the field, but how he speaks calmly in press conferences, says the name of the reporter asking them a questions, and how he can stand on the sidelines in a calm demeanor in the middle of another loss. 5. Riley finally "pulls a Riley" and pulls off an upset of a top 10 team. Yes, it is a nice win, but it was also lucky, thanks to a questionable call on the game winning TD. But, hey NU is finally gets a break to go their way, This accomplishment isn't new for Riley, as even his worst Oregon State teams generally pull off one nice upset. After a win against a terrible Rutgers team, Riley has finally won 2 games in a row at NU. Riled Uppers (RU's) are calling NU the best 5-6 team in the country. RU's are confident that NU can beat Iowa, finish 6-6, and go to a bowl game. RU's say they would give the season a B,, because NU is trending upward, and building momentum towards 2016. 6. In a game that epitomizes the entire 2015 season, NU loses to Iowa 28-20. The game is marred by numerous NU penalties and turnovers, which are traits of poorly coached teams. NU never leads in the game, but the RU's think that NU controlled most of the game due to gaining a lot more yards than Iowa. The RU's put the NU turnovers solely at the foot of the QB, who is a holdover from the previous coaching staff and has started the past 3 years. The RU's say that this 3-year starter at QB is the reason for Riley's failures and that a better QB would have produced more wins. This same QB won 9 games in 2013 and 2014 under the previous staff. Riley and his staff are still able to deflect criticism of a poorly coached team. 7. Going into the offseason, the RU's are confident for 2016. There won't be any coaching staff changes, but that's ok for the RU's. The RU's will call for a new starting QB, including a true freshman who isn't even on campus yet. The RU's are already pointing out that getting 7 or 8 wins in 2016 would be progress under this staff. This "progress" would still be fewer wins than the previous coaching staff achieved in their worst years. Even if NU struggles to a 5-7 or 6-6 season, the RU's will have the Excuse Train rolling to deflect criticism of the coach and his staff. The excuses will include: senior QB who will finally be off the team, future QB who is more perfect for Riley's system, Riley is finally getting "his players" on the field, the staff needing "more time". Riley and his staff will almost assuredly get contract extensions, and Riley will be able to get a nice paycheck from NU until he is nearly 70. His long-time assistants will also get nice paydays that they might not have gotten elsewhere. Long story short, Riley has been able to dupe Nebraska into padding the retirement account for himself and his best coaching friends. He appears to be running a great wealth management company. It just sucks that his real job is football coach.

Nothing will change. These guys have gone through numerous years like this at Oregon State, so they won't feel like anything needs to change.

Good stats...so we held them to fewer yards per play, fewer points per game, and much fewer total yards per game. Had we just had a QB that is average and could manage a game, we would have won today's game easily. Wow you guys are delusional. Iowa actually gained more yards per play, but NU was the better team?A start propped up by two plays. Over all the defense played better. Don't sh#t in the Wheeties just because you want pop tarts.But those 2 plays still counted. Those 2 plays produced 14 points. The defense played well, but let's not act like it was dominant. Nobody is saying that we have the most dominant defense, but over the course of this season, I saw strong improvement on the defense, a defense that gave up nearly 200 fewer yards than Iowa's defense gave up today. C'mon...giving up 250 yards to a top-5 team in the nation is a pretty strong effort, especially coming off of past seasons where Nebraska would let the opposition go crazy. The defense played more than well enough to win this game. The defense only gave up 250 yards because Iowa only needed 250 yards to win. Again, Iowa was up by 2 scores for most of the 2nd half, so they didn't need to be aggressive and try to put on a lot more points in the 2nd half.

You guys do realize this is just an anonymous college football message board. Wow.

Good stats...so we held them to fewer yards per play, fewer points per game, and much fewer total yards per game. Had we just had a QB that is average and could manage a game, we would have won today's game easily. Wow you guys are delusional. Iowa actually gained more yards per play, but NU was the better team?A start propped up by two plays. Over all the defense played better. Don't sh#t in the Wheeties just because you want pop tarts.But those 2 plays still counted. Those 2 plays produced 14 points. The defense played well, but let's not act like it was dominant.

Good stats...so we held them to fewer yards per play, fewer points per game, and much fewer total yards per game. Had we just had a QB that is average and could manage a game, we would have won today's game easily. Wow you guys are delusional. Iowa actually gained more yards per play, but NU was the better team?