http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i..._reigns_in_nebraska_under_new_coach_mike.html
Mods - apologies in advance for the copypasta - if it's not kosher, please feel free to delete it
It's the calm before the storm in college football. July is one of the few periods during the year that coaches take some time to recharge their batteries before the grind of training camp begins in August.
Still, you can bet that even as Rutgers' coaches are relaxing on a beach, they're thinking about the upcoming season. The same goes for NJ Advance Media's beat writers. As the offseason winds down, we're going to take an inside look at each of Rutgers' 2015 opponents.
I connected with Samuel McKewon, who covers Nebraska for Omaha World-Herald, for a Q&A on the Cornhuskers.
2014 result: Nebraska 42, Rutgers 24
2015 game: Nebraska at Rutgers, Nov. 14 (Time: TBA)
Quick Hits
1. Who's the best player on the team?
Defensive tackle Maliek Collins. He's strong, very quick off the ball, and a good enough pass rusher to play any of the four defensive line spots.
2. Who's the best player Rutgers fans may not know?
Wide receiver Brandon Reilly. A former hockey player who walked on to the program, Reilly has good size and better speed. Injured most of last season, he'll make an impact.
3. What's been the biggest offseason storyline?
How a couple "pro style" guys like Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf meld what they know to what quarterback Tommy Armstrong does best while making Armstrong a better decision-maker and more accurate passer. The jury's out, regardless of the good vibes.
4. What are the expectations for the 2015 season?
Win at least nine games, win the Big Ten West — division favorite Wisconsin visits Lincoln — and suffer zero blowout losses. Nebraska fans overwhelmingly expect Ohio State to win the league.
Deeper Dives
1. Were you surprised that Nebraska fired Bo Pelini after last season? Had Pelini and his personality simply run its course in Lincoln?
It wasn't surprising because Shawn Eichorst — the new Nebraska athletic director that Husker legend Tom Osborne had no hand in selecting — is a big proponent of positive thinking, and Bo Pelini could at times be one of the most pessimistic, down-in-the-mouth people you'd ever meet. Smart, mind you. A good motivator. Pelini also had a sense of humor and could be fiercely loyal to players and some assistants. He was kind of like that strong-willed older brother that, for a time, you idolize and mimic. But he wore on the Nebraska administration and the administration wore on him.
For Pelini to work at NU, you would have effectively needed Nebraska to publicly lower its expectations to, well, whatever Rutgers' expectations are. A bowl game every year? Selling out the stadium? Graduating players? That's more Pelini's thing, if he's honest. And there isn't really anything wrong with that — at Rutgers. But, at Nebraska, when you have an athletic budget over $100 million, when you have a sports science performance lab and three practice fields and an academic center the size of NASA and special order peanut butter protein smoothies after practice, you can't be up 17-3 at Wisconsin and lose 59-24 because Melvin Gordon breaks one long touchdown run. Clearly the players were collapsing under the pressure and the coach had some resentment for the expectations and the people who created them.
2. Were your surprised that Mike Riley was hired as Pelini¹s replacement? What have been the first impressions of Riley? Has he made any major changes to the program?
I was surprised it was Riley for about a minute. Then I wrote a long story on the guy the day his hiring was announced, and I wasn't at all surprised. He's right up Eichorst's alley. Upbeat, friendly, experienced and, most importantly — this is key — very, very organized. He has a terrific memory, which helps. Great grasp of details. The whole football office is different, more in sync, more efficient. Recruiting is much better already from an organization standpoint. Practices had more reps and more substance to the reps. It'll be a cleaner, smarter football team. Will it win more in years 1 or 2? Dunno. Some of the games Nebraska lost in 2012, 2013 and 2014 were not exactly close losses and there isn't an Ameer Abdullah around to bail you out. (And he did. More than once.)
3. Pelini obviously never got the program to the top level, but it seems sort of crazy to fire a coach with a 67-27 record. Are expectations realistic around the program? Have fans struggled to accept that the college football landscape has changed since Nebraska¹s glory years?
Has the landscape changed that much? I'm not sure. If it's about money, well, Nebraska has money and all the private plane hours you'd want to recruit nationally. With all those folks moving to the Sun Belt 10-15 years ago, how did Wisconsin and Michigan State get so good? Why are their records so much better than Tennessee and Florida since Phil Fulmer and Urban Meyer left those schools? How did Kansas State win or share a couple league titles recently? Oregon rose to national prominence with the help of a shoe company magnate and the former offensive coordinator of New Hampshire. There are a bunch of ways to reach and sustain success, but one of those keys, I think, is really good and consistent coaching.
I'll proffer that Pelini's record is proof the landscape hasn't changed that much and some other coach can get it done in Lincoln. What it will take, from here, is better recruiting, a defense better suited to stop power run teams in the Big Ten, and an offense that doesn't blow a gasket for a quarter.
The Urban Meyer era of the Big Ten will surely make it harder to win the league, though. Meyer's thoroughness, competitiveness and arrogance is instructive. He's like Bill Belichick with Tom Brady's irritating, rah-rah personality. You had a shot of catching Jim Tressel or Lloyd Carr (or Brady Hoke) on a bad day and beating their conservative teams. Meyer is different. Meyer will kick your teeth in and enjoy it. He did it to Nebraska in 2012 and Rutgers in 2014, and I guess if you don't want it to happen twice, you're going to wise up, recruit better players, and not be satisfied with losing by four touchdowns.
4. The team lost a lot of star power from last season. How will they replace running back Ameer Abdullah, wide receiver Kenny Bell and defensive end Randy Gregory?
Abdullah made a mediocre, penalty-prone line look better than it was and he rescued Nebraska from a near-loss to McNeese State. Ndamukong Suh, Lavonte David and Ameer Abdullah. Those were the three best Nebraska players of the last 15 years. Bell was the WR Nebraska used to take off the top of a defense, and he did that well, but I think various players can mostly make up for his absence. Gregory, for as talented as he was, became more a distraction — "Is Randy OK?" — than a force in 2014.
5. How is quarterback Tommy Armstrong adjusting to Riley¹s offense? Will Riley tailor the offense to Armstrong¹s strengths?
Riley says he'll mold his offense around Armstrong, which is to say Nebraska will still run some zone read and will operate at times out of the shotgun and pistol, where Armstrong has lots of experience. But the passing game is changing. More precise routes, more verbiage in the huddle, more discipline in the reads. Armstrong is a natural thrower of the ball, a strong leader and a tough runner, but his decision-making at times was...poor.
Mods - apologies in advance for the copypasta - if it's not kosher, please feel free to delete it
It's the calm before the storm in college football. July is one of the few periods during the year that coaches take some time to recharge their batteries before the grind of training camp begins in August.
Still, you can bet that even as Rutgers' coaches are relaxing on a beach, they're thinking about the upcoming season. The same goes for NJ Advance Media's beat writers. As the offseason winds down, we're going to take an inside look at each of Rutgers' 2015 opponents.
I connected with Samuel McKewon, who covers Nebraska for Omaha World-Herald, for a Q&A on the Cornhuskers.
2014 result: Nebraska 42, Rutgers 24
2015 game: Nebraska at Rutgers, Nov. 14 (Time: TBA)
Quick Hits
1. Who's the best player on the team?
Defensive tackle Maliek Collins. He's strong, very quick off the ball, and a good enough pass rusher to play any of the four defensive line spots.
2. Who's the best player Rutgers fans may not know?
Wide receiver Brandon Reilly. A former hockey player who walked on to the program, Reilly has good size and better speed. Injured most of last season, he'll make an impact.
3. What's been the biggest offseason storyline?
How a couple "pro style" guys like Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf meld what they know to what quarterback Tommy Armstrong does best while making Armstrong a better decision-maker and more accurate passer. The jury's out, regardless of the good vibes.
4. What are the expectations for the 2015 season?
Win at least nine games, win the Big Ten West — division favorite Wisconsin visits Lincoln — and suffer zero blowout losses. Nebraska fans overwhelmingly expect Ohio State to win the league.
Deeper Dives
1. Were you surprised that Nebraska fired Bo Pelini after last season? Had Pelini and his personality simply run its course in Lincoln?
It wasn't surprising because Shawn Eichorst — the new Nebraska athletic director that Husker legend Tom Osborne had no hand in selecting — is a big proponent of positive thinking, and Bo Pelini could at times be one of the most pessimistic, down-in-the-mouth people you'd ever meet. Smart, mind you. A good motivator. Pelini also had a sense of humor and could be fiercely loyal to players and some assistants. He was kind of like that strong-willed older brother that, for a time, you idolize and mimic. But he wore on the Nebraska administration and the administration wore on him.
For Pelini to work at NU, you would have effectively needed Nebraska to publicly lower its expectations to, well, whatever Rutgers' expectations are. A bowl game every year? Selling out the stadium? Graduating players? That's more Pelini's thing, if he's honest. And there isn't really anything wrong with that — at Rutgers. But, at Nebraska, when you have an athletic budget over $100 million, when you have a sports science performance lab and three practice fields and an academic center the size of NASA and special order peanut butter protein smoothies after practice, you can't be up 17-3 at Wisconsin and lose 59-24 because Melvin Gordon breaks one long touchdown run. Clearly the players were collapsing under the pressure and the coach had some resentment for the expectations and the people who created them.
2. Were your surprised that Mike Riley was hired as Pelini¹s replacement? What have been the first impressions of Riley? Has he made any major changes to the program?
I was surprised it was Riley for about a minute. Then I wrote a long story on the guy the day his hiring was announced, and I wasn't at all surprised. He's right up Eichorst's alley. Upbeat, friendly, experienced and, most importantly — this is key — very, very organized. He has a terrific memory, which helps. Great grasp of details. The whole football office is different, more in sync, more efficient. Recruiting is much better already from an organization standpoint. Practices had more reps and more substance to the reps. It'll be a cleaner, smarter football team. Will it win more in years 1 or 2? Dunno. Some of the games Nebraska lost in 2012, 2013 and 2014 were not exactly close losses and there isn't an Ameer Abdullah around to bail you out. (And he did. More than once.)
3. Pelini obviously never got the program to the top level, but it seems sort of crazy to fire a coach with a 67-27 record. Are expectations realistic around the program? Have fans struggled to accept that the college football landscape has changed since Nebraska¹s glory years?
Has the landscape changed that much? I'm not sure. If it's about money, well, Nebraska has money and all the private plane hours you'd want to recruit nationally. With all those folks moving to the Sun Belt 10-15 years ago, how did Wisconsin and Michigan State get so good? Why are their records so much better than Tennessee and Florida since Phil Fulmer and Urban Meyer left those schools? How did Kansas State win or share a couple league titles recently? Oregon rose to national prominence with the help of a shoe company magnate and the former offensive coordinator of New Hampshire. There are a bunch of ways to reach and sustain success, but one of those keys, I think, is really good and consistent coaching.
I'll proffer that Pelini's record is proof the landscape hasn't changed that much and some other coach can get it done in Lincoln. What it will take, from here, is better recruiting, a defense better suited to stop power run teams in the Big Ten, and an offense that doesn't blow a gasket for a quarter.
The Urban Meyer era of the Big Ten will surely make it harder to win the league, though. Meyer's thoroughness, competitiveness and arrogance is instructive. He's like Bill Belichick with Tom Brady's irritating, rah-rah personality. You had a shot of catching Jim Tressel or Lloyd Carr (or Brady Hoke) on a bad day and beating their conservative teams. Meyer is different. Meyer will kick your teeth in and enjoy it. He did it to Nebraska in 2012 and Rutgers in 2014, and I guess if you don't want it to happen twice, you're going to wise up, recruit better players, and not be satisfied with losing by four touchdowns.
4. The team lost a lot of star power from last season. How will they replace running back Ameer Abdullah, wide receiver Kenny Bell and defensive end Randy Gregory?
Abdullah made a mediocre, penalty-prone line look better than it was and he rescued Nebraska from a near-loss to McNeese State. Ndamukong Suh, Lavonte David and Ameer Abdullah. Those were the three best Nebraska players of the last 15 years. Bell was the WR Nebraska used to take off the top of a defense, and he did that well, but I think various players can mostly make up for his absence. Gregory, for as talented as he was, became more a distraction — "Is Randy OK?" — than a force in 2014.
5. How is quarterback Tommy Armstrong adjusting to Riley¹s offense? Will Riley tailor the offense to Armstrong¹s strengths?
Riley says he'll mold his offense around Armstrong, which is to say Nebraska will still run some zone read and will operate at times out of the shotgun and pistol, where Armstrong has lots of experience. But the passing game is changing. More precise routes, more verbiage in the huddle, more discipline in the reads. Armstrong is a natural thrower of the ball, a strong leader and a tough runner, but his decision-making at times was...poor.
