Riley era: Tale of Two Seasons

NUance

NUance

Assistant Coach
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

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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
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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.

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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!
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(Yeah, I know. tldnr)
 
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Ending the season with 3 embarrassing losses (not in a row thanks to Minny and Maryland) and a weak (so far) recruiting class doesn't really fill me with warm fuzzies. I don't see this team getting better any time soon. God I'd love to be wrong.

 
They were really the same seasons in some ways, as different as they seemed. Some parts of the team regressed in 2016, I think. Some improved. The results were better, for sure, but both teams occupy a similar tier of competitiveness.

Next year, we'll all be looking for a much improved team. Maybe it's still a 3 loss, 4 loss team, but they'd have to do it with a higher level of play. Starts with the lines, and of course, the biggest question mark of all, the QB position.

 
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.

 
1995 Redux said:
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.
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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.

 
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.

 
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every jr high and high school kid saw that they could be the difference maker, that takes the huskers up. I support MR and all of his staff.

 
Fair or not fair - 2018 and it's schedule will be what dictates Riley and this staff's future. Either we have a 2016 Wisconsin like performance or we have a disastrous/losing season which will bring in a new regime.

 
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.

 
Husker Psycho said:
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.
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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

 
MyBloodIsRed16 said:
Husker Psycho said:
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.
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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
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^ This. High school kids who are stud recruits aren't sitting at home watching football all day. They are working out, doing film study, hanging out with friends, and banging girls.

 
Dewiz said:
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
A tale of two seasons? People are just as grumpy this January as they were last January.
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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
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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
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