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Football season never really ends in Nebraska, but the weeks following the Cornhuskers’ bowl victory over UCLA have been more eventful than I anticipated. The atmosphere is certainly much more hopeful than I felt the morning of Nov. 1, looking bleary-eyed at a 3-6 Husker team that seemed ready to implode.
Back in July, I wrote, “it’s not about how fast his first Nebraska team starts. It’s all about how well the Cornhuskers finish.†I anticipated problems with the team adjusting to the new coaching staff. Frankly, I was not surprised with the Huskers’ 2-2 September, but I haven’t forgotten their abysmal October, or the feeling of being 3-6.
Overall, I was satisfied with winning three of the last four games. The no-quit attitude was encouraging, but nobody really wants to stare into the abyss again.
Did Mike Riley take Husker football to the edge of the abyss? No, at least not intentionally. I do think he made some game management decisions that needlessly pushed the Huskers’ season to the brink, but I think he has steered the program into better territory. My assessment of Riley after Year 1? He’s a high-character man who has brought much-needed stability to the Husker program. The good finish earned him the right to retain all his assistants, who hopefully will make him look smarter by this time next year.
Things are looking up in Husker Nation. In the past few weeks, NU has scheduled another home-and-home series against Oklahoma, secured top quarterback recruit Patrick O’Brien and appears ready to finish the 2016 recruiting season with a burst. And Riley said he wants Nebraska to be annually among the top three rushing teams in the Big Ten. That – plus his decision to commit to a run-oriented game plan against UCLA despite falling behind 21-7 – should earn him some equity. But to win a championship, he’ll need Mark Philipp’s help – a lot of it. More on Philipp in a bit.
It’s also good to have Andy Janovich on your side. Janovich gave Riley a lot of support during a Jan. 15 interview on Sharp & Benning’s talk show on 1620 KOZN-AM. It revealed a lack of discipline, accountability and buy-in among Nebraska players until the week of the Michigan State game, which was the pivotal moment of the season and may prove to be a highlight of Riley’s coaching career in Lincoln.
Team attitude seems headed in the right direction. But will that manifest itself in better turnover margin and fewer penalties? Can Riley win in Lincoln?
Riley will succeed at Nebraska to the extent he succeeds at restoring Nebraska to its former status as “Offensive Lineman U.†This is a must. It’s a natural in a state that hosts the Outland and Rimington Trophy ceremonies, at a school where five of its 17 College Football Hall of Fame inductees are offensive linemen.
To win a championship, Riley must build a stronger, more athletic offensive line – one that can run block effectively first and pass block second. Sure, he needs to get good pass receivers, and he needs cornerbacks who excel at press coverage. But more than anything, he needs to recruit and develop offensive linemen. To this end, o-line coach Mike Cavanaugh will be important, but strength coach Philipp even more so.
It was a surprise to hear Janovich say that under former strength coach James Dobson, he and his teammates never performed power-clean lifts or snatches, which are designed to build explosive-burst strength. That doesn’t explain everything about Nebraska’s offensive line problems over the past few years, but it explains a lot. Boyd Epley’s observations about the lack of athleticism on the team should not be discounted.
Recall that Epley was not impressed with strength of Nebraska’s offensive linemen last fall; judging by what Janovich said, Philipp will stress more explosiveness with Olympic style lifts. This should make a difference, but we’ll need to be patient. Let the long, slow improvement of the Husker offensive line begin.
“If we could stop the world and let Mark go develop these guys for a year and a half, I think we would be right back where we need to be,†Epley said in a Dec. 15 Omaha World-Herald story. “That’s about how far off we are.â€
In 2017, after Tommy Armstrong graduates and O’Brien (or whoever beats him out) takes over at quarterback, the Riley pro-style attack will presumably become less dependent upon the quarterback to run the ball, and a fully developed offensive line will be more important than ever if the Huskers are to maintain a strong rushing attack while protecting the passer well.
Right now, during winter workouts and the last lap of recruiting, the Huskers can start making up the gap.
Formerly the sports editor at the North Platte Bulletin and a sportswriter/columnist for the North Platte Telegraph, Tad Stryker started writing for this website in 2008. You can e-mail him at tad.stryker@gmail.com. Stryker is a freelance writer, favoring topics related to Nebraska history or Christianity. You can buy his recent book at this link.
Football season never really ends in Nebraska, but the weeks following the Cornhuskers’ bowl victory over UCLA have been more eventful than I anticipated. The atmosphere is certainly much more hopeful than I felt the morning of Nov. 1, looking bleary-eyed at a 3-6 Husker team that seemed ready to implode.
Back in July, I wrote, “it’s not about how fast his first Nebraska team starts. It’s all about how well the Cornhuskers finish.†I anticipated problems with the team adjusting to the new coaching staff. Frankly, I was not surprised with the Huskers’ 2-2 September, but I haven’t forgotten their abysmal October, or the feeling of being 3-6.
Overall, I was satisfied with winning three of the last four games. The no-quit attitude was encouraging, but nobody really wants to stare into the abyss again.
Did Mike Riley take Husker football to the edge of the abyss? No, at least not intentionally. I do think he made some game management decisions that needlessly pushed the Huskers’ season to the brink, but I think he has steered the program into better territory. My assessment of Riley after Year 1? He’s a high-character man who has brought much-needed stability to the Husker program. The good finish earned him the right to retain all his assistants, who hopefully will make him look smarter by this time next year.
Things are looking up in Husker Nation. In the past few weeks, NU has scheduled another home-and-home series against Oklahoma, secured top quarterback recruit Patrick O’Brien and appears ready to finish the 2016 recruiting season with a burst. And Riley said he wants Nebraska to be annually among the top three rushing teams in the Big Ten. That – plus his decision to commit to a run-oriented game plan against UCLA despite falling behind 21-7 – should earn him some equity. But to win a championship, he’ll need Mark Philipp’s help – a lot of it. More on Philipp in a bit.
It’s also good to have Andy Janovich on your side. Janovich gave Riley a lot of support during a Jan. 15 interview on Sharp & Benning’s talk show on 1620 KOZN-AM. It revealed a lack of discipline, accountability and buy-in among Nebraska players until the week of the Michigan State game, which was the pivotal moment of the season and may prove to be a highlight of Riley’s coaching career in Lincoln.
Team attitude seems headed in the right direction. But will that manifest itself in better turnover margin and fewer penalties? Can Riley win in Lincoln?
Riley will succeed at Nebraska to the extent he succeeds at restoring Nebraska to its former status as “Offensive Lineman U.†This is a must. It’s a natural in a state that hosts the Outland and Rimington Trophy ceremonies, at a school where five of its 17 College Football Hall of Fame inductees are offensive linemen.
To win a championship, Riley must build a stronger, more athletic offensive line – one that can run block effectively first and pass block second. Sure, he needs to get good pass receivers, and he needs cornerbacks who excel at press coverage. But more than anything, he needs to recruit and develop offensive linemen. To this end, o-line coach Mike Cavanaugh will be important, but strength coach Philipp even more so.
It was a surprise to hear Janovich say that under former strength coach James Dobson, he and his teammates never performed power-clean lifts or snatches, which are designed to build explosive-burst strength. That doesn’t explain everything about Nebraska’s offensive line problems over the past few years, but it explains a lot. Boyd Epley’s observations about the lack of athleticism on the team should not be discounted.
Recall that Epley was not impressed with strength of Nebraska’s offensive linemen last fall; judging by what Janovich said, Philipp will stress more explosiveness with Olympic style lifts. This should make a difference, but we’ll need to be patient. Let the long, slow improvement of the Husker offensive line begin.
“If we could stop the world and let Mark go develop these guys for a year and a half, I think we would be right back where we need to be,†Epley said in a Dec. 15 Omaha World-Herald story. “That’s about how far off we are.â€
In 2017, after Tommy Armstrong graduates and O’Brien (or whoever beats him out) takes over at quarterback, the Riley pro-style attack will presumably become less dependent upon the quarterback to run the ball, and a fully developed offensive line will be more important than ever if the Huskers are to maintain a strong rushing attack while protecting the passer well.
Right now, during winter workouts and the last lap of recruiting, the Huskers can start making up the gap.
Formerly the sports editor at the North Platte Bulletin and a sportswriter/columnist for the North Platte Telegraph, Tad Stryker started writing for this website in 2008. You can e-mail him at tad.stryker@gmail.com. Stryker is a freelance writer, favoring topics related to Nebraska history or Christianity. You can buy his recent book at this link.
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