Iowa was a great team I forgot. Wisconsin gave that game away. We were behind at the half to a lot of inferior teams. Keep believing buddy. Tell me what you are seeing that is improvement. I need to know.
Riley seems very optimistic
- Thread starter Pennsyhusker
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Improvement is a relative measure. We need to be measuring from the same point and often times posters are not.
If folks were measuring from the height Bo's tenure, then no, nothing we've done so far is an improvement, having not made a B1G title game.
If folks are measuring year to year then we are improving. We certainly bombed our transition year, but clearly got better as the year went on. We nearly doubled our win total this year compared to last year's regular season results.
Next year will be an interesting year, we certainly need to see improvement in the year to year play (the redshirts coming off the OL and Tanner Lee might give us that), but we also need to start seeing "the program" take shape and making concrete advances towards B1G West titles, championship appearances like we had in the previous regimes.
Edit: And we've had some of those concrete advances. We were 20 yards away from a B1G West title and a championship appearance this year.
I don't think it would. With Wisconsin being a 2 loss team (NU, UM), we'd have the tiebreaker, also as a 2 loss team (Iowa, OSU), presuming we marched the extra 20 yards and scored in Madison. Yes, we were that close, despite all the hand wringing about Iowa's physicality.
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Yes I think you are right - beat Wisconsin and even the ass-whipping at the hands of Iowa doesn't keep NU out of the conference title game. That's why it's painful that TA decided to go for the bomb instead of getting Brown in position for a game-winning FG. Gave me flashbacks to when Beck had Rex Burkhead throw the bomb to a one-legged QB when the title game against OU was winnable, if only we had kept the chains moving.
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Tell me how you do much better than this given the talent and injuries that we have? Did you think that any coach could come here and change things overnight? Just will them to victory?
I'm just saying that 9-3 is good while we are giving Riley the chance to recruit his own players. Is it good for every season? No. We gave Pelini seven seasons to show that he could do better and get to the next level. Never happened. So, we're going to give Riley more than two years to see what he can do.
1414, you may not think that Riley should be the head coach at NU, but he's going to get his shot. You're going to have to give him some time to see how he changes the culture. You're going to have to give him some time to see what he can do with his players.
you are right, we could no long effectively run the ball. Our dominant Big 4th qtr play early on was as a result of a strong OL.
By the way the right pay calls were made in that overtime. Had Armstrong run the ball to the left on first down, rather than handing the ball off, the field in front of him was wide open. The receivers had cleared the field (Wisconsin scored on a similar play earlier).
If we had beaten Wisky in OT, and played in the CCG, all that would have happened in another ass kicking on the national stage in primetime. Am I the only one who thinks maybe it's a good thing we lost that game? I have no idea how another national primetime beat down would do us any good but maybe I'm missing it. Don't tell me we could have beaten PSU, I watched the first half of the Iowa game. We were out of gas at the end of the year, it would have been a beat down. I'll take 9-3 this year, for me anyway, it was a successful year.
I can't really disagree. That said, it feels like we're on a slow boat to relevancy. I guess I have been growing impatient. A strong recruiting finish is badly needed.
Oh I have no doubt that Penn State beats Nebraska in the championship game. But it still sucks to lose to Wisconsin when that game was winnable simply by getting the ball into FG range at the end of regulation. I didn't expect to win once the game went OT, but when you have a reliable, experienced kicker you have to give him a chance to win it for you in regulation.
I'd take my chances with a lot of coaches that we would have a better record than after two years (15-10) of the Riley era. As Parcells stated, "you ARE what your record is". What was Riley's career record as a head coach? I believe it was 108-90.
Regardless of your feelings about the hire, Riley is going to get his chance. 9-3 is not .500. Even 15-10 is not .500. He deserves more than two years.
You're under the impression can't miss coaches were/are lined up to coach in Lincoln NE. So while YOU might be willing to take a chance with somebody else, said somebody may not have wanted the job. Riley will do well here, give him some more time and a real QB, he'll be fine.
Don't you know who I am? I'm Nebraska Football. People are lined up to take my job. LSU football got at best their 3rd choice. Let that sink in. They hired a guy from the state of Louisiana with a 21-29 career record.
Agreed. Definitely deserves more than two years... Just don't think he is the coach to get us to the promised land.
But Jim Tressel had already agreed to take the job with Scott Frost tagging along as head-coach-in-waiting. My cousin's dental hygienist got this intelligence straight from an assistant custodian at the NU Athletic Department.
I guess going back to the OP and other comments. Riley tends to be optimistic from what I've seen, and I think that's an admirable quality. It would be a real downer if our coach was saying to expect a down year 9 months before the season starts again.
Talent or lack there of, I don't know as a whole. I won't argue that we didn't have a true fit qb, or that our rush ends aren't putting up the numbers we want. But concerning the OL, how good is the rest of OL roster? Last year Cav said there was a big gap between 1's and 2's, he didn't say "except for Sterup". Injuries happened, Sterup got playing time, and voila, Sterup was the starter but had the experience of being a starter before. If you want to play 5 guys and only 5 guys, be prepared to take your lumps when the injuries happen and replacements are building their practice reps in live games. It raises uncertainty on my part as to lack of talent or lack of preparedness.
I know I'm viewed as negative. But when you want to express your opinion in the face of unwarranted and unbridled enthusiasm, conflict can occur.
Talent or lack there of, I don't know as a whole. I won't argue that we didn't have a true fit qb, or that our rush ends aren't putting up the numbers we want. But concerning the OL, how good is the rest of OL roster? Last year Cav said there was a big gap between 1's and 2's, he didn't say "except for Sterup". Injuries happened, Sterup got playing time, and voila, Sterup was the starter but had the experience of being a starter before. If you want to play 5 guys and only 5 guys, be prepared to take your lumps when the injuries happen and replacements are building their practice reps in live games. It raises uncertainty on my part as to lack of talent or lack of preparedness.
I know I'm viewed as negative. But when you want to express your opinion in the face of unwarranted and unbridled enthusiasm, conflict can occur.
I'm far from unbridled enthusiasm. I have lots of anxiety over this team and coaching staff. I'm just against the "everyone sucks" crowd. I have no problem with the Red Rovers of this world, but really, I'm just a glass half-full type of person. To me Riley hasn't proven that he can't improve our program. With his demeanor, he gets a lot more leeway than others. He's proven, through his efforts, that he's about more than a paycheck.
No i am not calling for rileys head. Thats not the way i meant it and if it came off that way i should be more clear. Believe it or not i think he is a great representative of our university And believe he can be an excellent CEO of a program. I do believe he can win here, however i believe it will take some philosophy changes but from what ive heard from him after games this year i have hope that he might want to mAke those changes...special teams was an example and he did.
The way i meant it was, "9 wins" sounded exactly like celebrating...like that was a cure all accomplishment. As others have said (and rightfully said during the pelini years) nebraska should roll out of bed and piss 9 wins, especially with the current state of our division. Nine wins is nothing to celebrate, while adequate. And dont say better than last year because last year was putrid.
Im merely saying that the way you posted it sounded like the pelini crowd saying nine wins is all that matters. No. Getting piss pounded by OSU and 7-4 Iowa and squeeking by purdues of the world isnt good enough, and it wasnt under pelini either. Excuses like injuries are just that, excuses... fact is those two losses (in the fashion they happened) were completely unacceptable here at Nebraska and if you say otherwise or make excuses you have moved the goal posts and are no better than pelini fans.
Thats the way your post came off.
Forgive me but id rather not make that mistake again here at nebraska. Bo had too many years.
I hear ya, I like his demeanor too and I want Riley/Nebraska to succeed, but can the guy coach?? Does he have the goods?? Everything in his past (except a Canadian football season) says he is not a great coach.
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