New HC Hiring AAR

[walksalone]

at the least he heals the player/fan rift.......one step at a time, weedhopper! cleaning up after Bo will be no small task.

Sorry I guess I just don't think Bo is leaving much of a mess. Plenty of talent in the cupboard. The fanbase is a mess but I don't blame Bo for that, I blame Al Gore for inventing the internet. If anything he is leaving big shoes to fill considering what Riley brings to the table record wise.

I think that's it's clear that the culture in the program needs to be cleaned up, It is toxic. Not sure if that will really happen until Harv is gone, but at least this guy will have Harv's approval stamp.

But it's clear that this guy walks into a much better situation than Bo did, better talent across the board, no crapahan stench, no,change of conferences. Etc.

but doesn't that also mean, if, heaven forbid, he goes 6-6 he's in deeper sh*t than Bo would have been?

 

[zoogs]

I think what remains to be seen is how rough of a transition this is going to turn out to be. That's going to be key for the first couple of years. And if the program suffers a lot from attrition during this period, there's a lot of quick work to be done to shore up some already shaky depth with the new coach's first full recruiting classes.

Bo inherited a talented roster with a serious leadership vacuum. This is new ground and it remains to be seen if our roster is being set up as well with Bo's most recent classes as the final Callahan classes helped with Bo's early success.

 

[Scratchtown]

I feel like people upset with the hiring or the ones that are very skeptical just don't get the kind of intangibles that go with coaching...maybe I'm wrong.

How do you objectively compare the two schools Oregon State and Nebraska and Riley's job coaching a crap program to the best "unranked vs ranked" record in the nation?

It's the same people who hated the Bo firing, that ALREADY settled for mediocre garbage. So why get upset that we may just be average again? Double standard much?

 

[Mavric]

Before Bo got fired, some guys at work and I were looking at the 2015 schedule and thought there was a very good possibility that given the way the team played this year, they would likely go 7-5 next season. So in my opinion, if Riley goes 7-5 next year it would not be a huge deal, and if he goes 8-4 or better it is an improvement! I'm hoping he can do MUCH better than that, which is all up-side! Here was our prediction for Bo next season if he were still coaching:

W - BYU

W - South Alabama

L - @ Miami

W - Southern Miss

W - @ Illinois

L - Wisconsin

L - @ Minnesota

W - Northwestern

W - @ Purdue

L - Michigan St

W - @ Rutgers

L - Iowa

We went back and forth on that Iowa prediction but it seems the road team has the edge in that series, so we gave Iowa the win!

Not sure how fewer wins against almost the exact same schedule is an improvement.

Mav - That was my prediction on how BO would have done next year if he hadn't been fired.

Yeah, I read that. I just don't see the logic.

 

[jeams]

at the least he heals the player/fan rift.......one step at a time, weedhopper! cleaning up after Bo will be no small task.

Sorry I guess I just don't think Bo is leaving much of a mess. Plenty of talent in the cupboard. The fanbase is a mess but I don't blame Bo for that, I blame Al Gore for inventing the internet. If anything he is leaving big shoes to fill considering what Riley brings to the table record wise.

I think that's it's clear that the culture in the program needs to be cleaned up, It is toxic. Not sure if that will really happen until Harv is gone, but at least this guy will have Harv's approval stamp.

But it's clear that this guy walks into a much better situation than Bo did, better talent across the board, no crapahan stench, no,change of conferences. Etc.

but doesn't that also mean, if, heaven forbid, he goes 6-6 he's in deeper sh*t than Bo would have been?

Yes, if Riley goes 6-6 next season it would be a disappointment. Still have to give the guy a few years though unless he completely derails the program. (4-8 or worse!?). From what I've read about him today (limited info so far I admit), I would expect more upside potential. Maybe we'll see 10-2 next regular season!

 

[clyde40]

9~4 wasn't well received

It wasn't the quantity of wins, it was the quality of wins.

No question. But would this fan base look past a 7-6 season? I think next year he gets a pass, even with a favorable schedule.

But if he doesn't deliver by year 2, things heat up, imo.

Before Bo got fired, some guys at work and I were looking at the 2015 schedule and thought there was a very good possibility that given the way the team played this year, they would likely go 7-5 next season. So in my opinion, if Riley goes 7-5 next year it would not be a huge deal, and if he goes 8-4 or better it is an improvement! I'm hoping he can do MUCH better than that, which is all up-side! Here was our prediction for Bo next season if he were still coaching:

W - BYU

W - South Alabama

L - @ Miami

W - Southern Miss

W - @ Illinois

L - Wisconsin

L - @ Minnesota

W - Northwestern

W - @ Purdue

L - Michigan St

W - @ Rutgers

L - Iowa

We went back and forth on that Iowa prediction but it seems the road team has the edge in that series, so we gave Iowa the win!

7-5 would be unacceptable if Bo would have given another year and it would not be a big deal if Riley did it. It's been two years of talking about lowering expectations and accepting mediocrity so let's not start now.

I don't think you understand what normally happens with coaching transitions. 7-5 is more acceptable under a new coach than it would have been under Pelini. Of course that doesn't mean people would be content with it. And doing it in the 2nd year would not be acceptable.

I understand that there are growing pains under a new coach but, the argument that our scheduling and division is such crap that 8 wins is automatic is thrown out the window?

 

[Hayseed]

I just feel bad for Dan Hawkins because he's such a nice guy....maybe the nicest coach in all of sports...and he really should've been at the top of the list to clean up that yucky feeling the loyal fanbase developed from the 7 years of that mean and sourpussed Bo Pelini. I mean, if you're going for the championship of all that is good and nice, it's hard to see how you wouldn't even make an offer to Smilin' Dan??

But since that good ship has sailed, I hope if our new coach retains any of the old staff it's only the jolliest of them....Barney Cotton seems like a jolly fellow, maybe he could be the pep coach?

 

[billdozer15]

But the whole thing is, nobody here has responded with, "YEAAAAAAAAAAAA, We got RILEY!!!!!!!!!!!"

it's more of a "he's better than Bo" or "at least he's not Tressel"...

The reaction to the hiring of Riley was apathetic, even from the College Sports show on Sirius/XM...

this is exactly right. He doesn't have the name cache that is going to buy him time. Nothing of his past performance points to success. If he doesn't have success within 3 years he gone along with The Ginger.

 

[walksalone]

But the whole thing is, nobody here has responded with, "YEAAAAAAAAAAAA, We got RILEY!!!!!!!!!!!"

it's more of a "he's better than Bo" or "at least he's not Tressel"...

The reaction to the hiring of Riley was apathetic, even from the College Sports show on Sirius/XM...

this is exactly right. He doesn't have the name cache that is going to buy him time. Nothing of his past performance points to success. If he doesn't have success within 3 years he gone along with The Ginger.

Precisely...

If he'd been two a couple CCG's in the past 5 years, then ok, there's some optimism, but when the two bowls you've been to in the past 3 years are the Alamo and Hawaii, it's tough to get excited about that...

 

[walksalone]

I feel like people upset with the hiring or the ones that are very skeptical just don't get the kind of intangibles that go with coaching...maybe I'm wrong.

How do you objectively compare the two schools Oregon State and Nebraska and Riley's job coaching a crap program to the best "unranked vs ranked" record in the nation?

It's the same people who hated the Bo firing, that ALREADY settled for mediocre garbage. So why get upset that we may just be average again? Double standard much?

What upset me most, is that there was no clear choice to replace Bo...

 

[I am I]

9~4 wasn't well received

It wasn't the quantity of wins, it was the quality of wins.

No question. But would this fan base look past a 7-6 season? I think next year he gets a pass, even with a favorable schedule.But if he doesn't deliver by year 2, things heat up, imo.

I don't think so. I think fans will be willing to give him more time to get his recruits in (goes with any coach)

I thought 8-9 wins are basically a given and it's been the coaching staff holding us back.

Man im with you here. The VT loss, the TT loss, the Iowa St loss, the 5 turnovers v MSU, CCG v Wisky, etc....

After like the 5th yr; as my brother and looked at each like WTH? I just started saying: its the way Bo pelini teams play football games.

And i am a big Bo guy. Huge. But man, after like 12 of those types of losses i just came to accept that the team he COACHES, would just have the same issues over and over. The talent is there, the coach maybe can pull it togehter.

The most thing im like, YEAH, MIKE REILLY, is that it sounds like his teams are disciplined. That excites me more than anything. No need to be "perfect" like Bo says. Just be disclipined and do your job.

 

[Danny Bateman]

Riley --> Excellent talent evaluation, player development. Maximizes QB Growth. Great recruiter. Adapts system to pieces instead of forcing pieces into system (i.e., Beck in Bizarro World).

Recruiting at NU >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Recruiting at OSU

2012:

Wiscy 70, NU 31

Wiscy 7, OSU 10

What's not to like?

 

[Danny Bateman]

at the least he heals the player/fan rift.......one step at a time, weedhopper! cleaning up after Bo will be no small task.

Don't go there. Bo didn't make a mess of this program. If you didn't like Bo's personality that's your prerogative, but Bo ran a clean program. The only problem was the disconnect fans felt they had with the team and that isn't a steep hill to overcome. This isn't the Callahan mess. Not even close. Riley's walking into a good thing, an early Christmas present if you will.

Bo created some rifts within the program for damn sure....Go listen to Jay Foreman or Damnon Benning...they elude to issues with the culture and how toxic it was....

These guys had contact to players and coaches....

Suh said that there were problems with leadership at NU beyond head FB coach.

That seems to point the finger at SE or HP, unless I'm missing someone.

What do you think he means?

 

[Mavric]

I find it interesting that so many are pointing to the fact that OSU beat Wisconsin in 2012 and pointing out that we got blown out in the CCG while ignoring the fact that we also beat Wisconsin earlier in the same season - much closer to when OSU beat them.

 

[Count 'Bility]

at the least he heals the player/fan rift.......one step at a time, weedhopper! cleaning up after Bo will be no small task.

Don't go there. Bo didn't make a mess of this program. If you didn't like Bo's personality that's your prerogative, but Bo ran a clean program. The only problem was the disconnect fans felt they had with the team and that isn't a steep hill to overcome. This isn't the Callahan mess. Not even close. Riley's walking into a good thing, an early Christmas present if you will.

the mental stability of our team, orclack there of, on the field and off, clearly says otherwise.