Day-by-Day & Hip-Hip-Hurray for Riley, Newby, Team

Video: Game Ball Deserves First Hip-Hip-Hurray

Balanced Huskers Blow Past Jaguars, 48-9

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Some call football Nebraska's best known passion. As debatable as that is, it was an appropriate description Saturday night inside the Huskers' jubilant locker room. One week after a Hail Mary pass spoiled Mike Riley's debut as Nebraska's head football coach, the game ball landed in his hands following the Huskers' 48-9 win over South Alabama at Memorial Stadium.

While the clock was approaching midnight, Riley had a lockerroom confession to make about a tradition he embraced at Oregon State.  Calling it "kind of corny" to explode into a series of Hip-Hip-Hoorays, Riley broached the subject that became a trademark team battle cry. In a split second, Alex Lewis, one of two Husker senior captains, said he liked "corny" and faster than you can snap a finger, Nebraska transitioned to a celebration that aligns perfectly with its 62-year-old "corny" Cornhusker head coach. 

Fans Stand Up and Cheer Newby, Armstrong, Small Army of Heroes

Football metaphors can be every bit as spiritual as they are military-related, and Saturday night was one of those times when the public address system didn't need to activate its Stand Up and Shout! command. Husker fans were already on their feet, cheering loudly for Terrell Newby and a small army of other heroic Husker performers.

Even Ameer Abdullah was tweeting about the hat trick Newby produced in his 28-carry, 198-yard rushing day, complemented by two catches for another 38 yards. Two rushing touchdowns and a third receiving TD became a breakout performance, validating Abdullah's prediction when he left Lincoln for the NFL that Newby would emerge into a special running back.

Day by Day, the chant that injured senior captain Jack Gangwish led in the Tunnel Walk, reflects what Newby can accomplish after toiling in the shadows of a running back who's carving his own new niche with the Detroit Lions. While topping 100 yards for the second time in his career, Newby achieved the milestone before halftime with 17 carries, 118 yards rushing and two touchdowns. "Terrell was our first-string back," Riley said. "We thought it might be best to let him play, give him a chance to get that rhythm and be productive. For now, it was a good decision."

Riley: Armstrong's Passing Percentage Numbers Are in the Right Range

When the press conference conversation focused on Tommy Armstrong Jr., Riley gave the junior captain, pictured above, a passing mark for his 63.3 percent completion rate in the Huskers' first two games. "I like that," Riley said. "If you can stay up in that range, you're going to be in pretty good shape in your passing game. I like that number."

Armstrong seemed to prefer talking about Newby's breakout performance over his own production, which included 21 completions in 30 attempst for 270 yards and two touchdowns. "Terrell (pictured below) played amazing. I liked everything he did," Armstrong Jr. said. "He caught the ball well, he ran well...I gave him a challenge to set the challenges the coaches give you and make sure you just run hard and be the guy that wants the ball in tough situations."

With that mission accomplished, Armstrong Jr. was asked about how the team reacted to the Hip-Hip-Hooray chant. "It was old school but we can get used to it," Armstrong Jr. said. "It's something fun, and if you win, it's something to look forward to...something new, but at the same time, kind of old school celebration. We keep winning, we can do it all the time, so we just have to make sure we win games and have something to look forward to."

Newby Expected a Bigger Load; Credits Offensive Line's Great Push Up Front

Newby expected to carry a bigger offensive load for the Huskers as the No. 1 running back. "I knew we were going to establish the running game," he said. "Coach Langs (offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf) wanted to do that. It's going to be a big part of our offense, so we have to be ready."

Newby studied all the plays from the season-opening loss to BYU and discovered missed assignments that needed to be cleaned up. "We hit on those early and worked on it throughout the week," he said. "I felt confident coming out for the first drive and getting a great push up front. I just felt like our offense as a whole, once we get rolling, I feel like we can't be stopped."

Dramatic Improvement Critical to Nebraska's Next Challenge: At Miami

Dramatic improvement was critical for Nebraska's next non-conference challenge against longtime rival Miami, a road game worthy of national attention, given the history and tradition of both programs. "I was proud of our team," Riley said. "I thought we had a good week of practice. There was stuff we wanted to do better, and I think we did. We ran the ball better...we cut down on penalties...the balance offensively was pretty good...what stood out for me defensively was what we did against the run...We contained some of their perimeter runs...that's how I saw it."

Riley was glad to have Michael Rose-Ivey back at linebacker after serving a one-game suspension, but is concerned about Josh Banderas and Dedrick Young missing action Saturday. "That really worried me," Riley said. "We have no depth at that position."

Injured De'Mornay Pierson-El Receives Endowed George Sullivan Scholarship

The George Sullivan Scholarship is awarded yearly to a football student-athlete. The fully endowed Touchdown Club scholarship is named to honor "Sully" for his more than 40 years serving as a Nebraska Athletics trainer, including serving from 1997 to 1995 as the Huskers' head athletic trainer. Sophomore defensive back De'Mornay Pierson-El received the award Saturday night before the Nebraska-South Alabama game.

 

50 Teammates Awarded Scholarships to Pursue Post-Secondary Education

In 1991, Tom and Nancy Osborne co-founded Teammates to provide encouragement to school-aged youth. The program's goal was to see youth graduate from high school and pursue post-secondary education. This year, 50 Teammates' students were awarded a scholarship to pursue their respective post-secondary education. Since 2006, Teammates has awarded 368 scholarships to graduating high school seniors. The scholarship winners and their Teammates' mentors were honored before Saturday's Nebraska-South Alabama game.

Huskers Honor Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Individuals and Families

The 2015 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame inducted individuals and families into its prestigious group on Friday night. Irv Veitzer, far left, is president of the Nebraska chapter of the National Football Hall of Fame. Others who were introduced, from left, are York, Neb., natives Kelly and Virginia Holthus, who received the Clarence E. Swanson Meritorious Service Award; Brad Coleman, a first-team 1997 NAIA All-America offensive lineman at Midland College; Harry "Light Horse" Wilson, an All-Big Eight Conference running back for the 1965 Nebraska team that played Alabama for the national championship in the Orange Bowl; Jeff Krejci, an All-Big Eight safety on Nebraska's 1981 team that lost to national champion Clemson in the Orange Bowl; four members of the late Brook Berringer's family, including Jan, his mom, who accepted the Hall of Fame Award at Friday night's dinner; and Josh Bullocks, a first-team All-America safety in 2004. Honorees unable to be in Lincoln Saturday included Scott Frost, the quarterback who led the Huskers to the 1997 national championship; Demorrio Williams, an All-Big 12 linebacker who went on to a productive NFL career; and Lincoln's Byron and Olina Boslau, who received the Lyle Bremser Special Merit Award.

Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Please include city, state)

Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider

Randy’s N-Sider Column Archive