Outside coach Mike Riley’s office in the central area of Nebraska football headquarters at Memorial Stadium, a chunk of the wall is reserved for photos of the Cornhuskers’ senior class, in uniform and performing their craft.
Twenty frames hang in that space, honoring the seniors from Riley’s first Nebraska team last season. They occupy an important place in the Huskers’ story of growth -- and
success, if that comes -- under Riley. The 2015 seniors helped their successors learn hard lessons in a 6-7 season marred by near misses and untimely errors.
When their photos come down this offseason, replaced by a class that numbers 33 as the Huskers progress through the opening week of spring, the outgoing seniors will not be soon forgotten.
But the act of empowering a new senior class will mark a symbolic leap for this program. It’s a leap, in fact, that started two months ago.
