Mike Riley made his inaugural appearance on the Big Ten Teleconference this morning. Here are the main nuggets from what he had to say:
***On what identity he wants his team to have: "We're looking for a team that plays hard and plays disciplined football. I think that the efficiency of the game is so important and the passion and the physical part has to go with it. And with all that we need to be a smart football team. That will be crucial to our success throughout the year.
***Riley said quarterback Taysom Hill's running ability makes him much tougher to depend and also opens up more for BYU when it uses play action.
***Riley said it seems like the day he was hired was long ago, but the last few weeks "have sped by... It went with the blink of an eye."
***Riley said he thinks Tommy Armstrong has done a great job of adjusting to Nebraska's new offensive scheme. He again emphasized that the coaches blended their style with Armstrong's abilities.
***Riley said he's anxious about the first game: "I don't know if it's excitement or nerves or all of it put together, and that's OK. I like that feeling. The anticipation for the first game is big as always. Like I told the guys yesterday, if it wasn't like that for me I wouldn't want to coach anymore. It's really neat. This place, if I summed it up in a word, they really care, all the way around with the state and the university and the sports teams. We're proud to be a part of it and we're excited to get started here."
***On what identity he wants his team to have: "We're looking for a team that plays hard and plays disciplined football. I think that the efficiency of the game is so important and the passion and the physical part has to go with it. And with all that we need to be a smart football team. That will be crucial to our success throughout the year.
***Riley said quarterback Taysom Hill's running ability makes him much tougher to depend and also opens up more for BYU when it uses play action.
***Riley said it seems like the day he was hired was long ago, but the last few weeks "have sped by... It went with the blink of an eye."
***Riley said he thinks Tommy Armstrong has done a great job of adjusting to Nebraska's new offensive scheme. He again emphasized that the coaches blended their style with Armstrong's abilities.
***Riley said he's anxious about the first game: "I don't know if it's excitement or nerves or all of it put together, and that's OK. I like that feeling. The anticipation for the first game is big as always. Like I told the guys yesterday, if it wasn't like that for me I wouldn't want to coach anymore. It's really neat. This place, if I summed it up in a word, they really care, all the way around with the state and the university and the sports teams. We're proud to be a part of it and we're excited to get started here."
