Husker Motto Unchanged: In Tommy We Trust

Huskers Return Home to Face Southern Miss

Ten Uplifting Takeaways from Overtime Loss

 Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

Last Saturday in Miami, when Nebraska was trailing the Hurricanes, 33-10, with less than nine minutes left, junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. looked into junior wide receiver Alonzo Moore’s eyes and lit an emotional match.

“I remember him telling me we were going to come back and win the game,” Moore said Monday at Nebraska’s weekly press conference. “We went out and started making big plays. I was walking back to the sideline after we scored, and I was sitting there thinking. Then I looked at him and he just nodded like we are about to do this. We just took off from there. The leadership…we trust him. I see a lot of leadership. It’s a big difference. He led us great.”

Unfortunately, after his explosive fourth-quarter performance produced a 33-33 regulation game-ending tie, Armstrong threw an interception. Then Miami kicked a winning field goal. After that, fellow team captain Jordan Westerkamp came to Armstrong’s emotional rescue.

“He was pretty upset,” Westerkamp said Monday. “In the locker room, we told him don’t worry about it. The receivers made mistakes. Everybody made mistakes. He’s such a competitor that he takes it so personal losing. We patted him on the back. We kept him up just like he kept us up throughout the whole game. He’s a great competitor, and we’re just glad he’s on our team.”

First-year head coach Mike Riley, who once coached a Canadian Football League team that overcame an even greater deficit than Saturday’s comeback at Miami, praised Nebraska’s ability to rebound, stay on course and shift into attack mode.

Riley: Armstrong Made Big-Time Reads, Big-Time Throws

“We were more confident,” Riley said. “I thought Tommy, for the majority of it, was outstanding. He made some big-time reads and throws. Guys were making plays. All that’s good. We all know the bad parts. We had to do that because of the situation we put ourselves in. That’s the hard part, and then not finishing it. We had them on the ropes, and didn’t finish.”

The atmosphere surrounding the disappointing ending was poignant. Even though Nebraska is two plays from being 3-and-0 instead of 1-and-2, confidence is not a problem. Why? Because the Huskers have a head coach who insists that it’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get back up. That, in short, was the mantra for Monday’s press conference, and Riley went out of his way to make a simple point – that quarterbacks never stop learning, a fact that rings so true it even applies to players with diminished physical ability.

“We have great examples of quarterbacks who get better…Tom Brady and Peyton Manning,” Riley said. “Maybe they aren’t quite as strong as they once were, but they’re still doing pretty well and that’s because they get smarter…they know quicker where to go with the ball. They just see it and the ball’s out. So, as you work with quarterbacks, it’s easy to see and it’s not even that enlightening, but it’s really fun to see our history with quarterbacks and how well our guys have played their senior year, and that’s the way it should be.”

Never Fault a Quarterback for Taking Off, Using His Ability

Riley acknowledged Armstrong making a number of throws that were right on spot while reading defenses. “You can never fault a guy for taking off and using his ability,” he said. “I got to see the end of the [Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks] game last night, and they were making that same point when Seattle was moving the ball well. They were just talking about, ‘you’ve got to let Russell Wilson be Russell Wilson.’ Those guys have to have that sense that they've got to go back and make a play throwing the ball or use their ability at the right time to take off and run.” The same principle applies to an ever-improving Armstrong.

“I’ve been really pleased with Tommy’s ability to look to make a play and then, when he has to, he’s got a pretty good sense of pass-rush,” Riley said. “When somebody’s getting beat, he’s got a good sense of feeling it and he’ll spin out. He’s helped our third-down conversion be what it is and that’s a great way to do it if you have to. You want him to take advantage of everything he can and what he sees, but you also want him to be a player and just play football from there.”

Playing football isn’t easy, especially when injuries continue to mount. Riley announced Monday that junior linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey will be out at least a month with a groin injury. Junior defensive tackle Vincent Valentine continues to be a “week-to-week” candidate before his return. “Maybe as the week goes on, we’ll know more,” Riley said. “He’s still having pain with that ankle, and it was termed a slight high-ankle sprain, which is worse than the other one.”

The good news? First, Riley indicated that wide receiver/kick returner De'Mornay Pierson-El might show up at a Nebraska press conference as early as next Monday. Second, Riley called senior fullback Andy Janovich "one of the best special team players I've ever been around." Riley pointed to Janovich's four tackles on special teams, desribing them as "unbelievable physical plays.” Riley was equally encouraged about Drew Brown’s booming kickoffs and 49-yard field goal in his only attempt against Miami.

Red-Zone, Hurry-Up Offense Paints a Positive Husker Future

“Offensively, our red zone offense was good,” said Riley (pictured above with Langsdorf). “Our hurry-up offense performed well. A variety of people contributed. Different receivers made plays. That’s good as we go forward in the future. I thought it was a good sign to play through the end of it physically in the hot, humid conditions. Having that mentalilty and the rest were good things.”

Riley also took the time to explain the personnel group on the field for the final offensive play in overtime. The Huskers had two tight ends and two backs, and Riley thought offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf made “a heck of a call. Tommy just didn’t quite get through the progression. You’re basically two-on-one, the linebacker on the backside with the tight end and the back. The tight end was covered and the back, he’d run for 15 yards. Maybe (Armstrong) got flushed, maybe he didn’t quite go through it, and then he scrambled opposite that.”

The first play of overtime was a bootleg. “I don’t think it was lack of protection,” Riley said. “I think he just looked for the tight end and took off and didn’t make one more step on it. He’s made a lot of good reads, though. I’m very pleased with his progress. Had we caught more balls early, had he got more in a rhythm, and had we not had penalties, I think he had to fight through a lot. We counted six possible drops in the game.”

Riley likes the way Langsdorf is running the offense. “He’s done a really good job,” Riley said, recognizing that he knew Langsdorf was ready for a coordinator’s role two years ago when he left the college ranks for a successful one-year stint coaching the New York Giants' Eli Manning.

Langsdorf Knows How to Call a Game and Improve a Manning

Two years ago, in Eugene, Langsdorf “called a great game against Oregon, where we took the lead (35-30) with 1:38 to go (before losing, 36-35 in the final seconds),” Riley said. “I thought that was outstanding. Then he called the (Hawaii) bowl game against Boise State that we won nicely (38-23). I feel really good about what he’s doing. You can tell how the flow's going, because the guy that’s calling plays, I can hear him (on the headset). You can’t stutter, it’s got to go. I think he’s doing a real nice job.”

Asked if he’s called any plays this year, Riley drew a big laugh from the media with a quick punchline – “Only on those good plays that you’ve seen!” followed by a more honest answer – “Not much,” even though there are some moments when Riley admits “I can’t help myself.”

Maybe the Huskers are resilient because Riley is. “When I first started coaching for John Robinson at USC, it was awesome,” he recalled. “It was 1993. He’d offered me the job as offensive coordinator, and I told him, 'Coach, I’ve been coaching offense for one year. I’ve been working with the offense with (the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football), and that was the first year I’ve done it.'”

For Robinson, that was no problem. “He just wanted somebody he could work with,” Riley said. “I was going to call the plays, and I had not done that. I signaled and called and all that. He was so funny. At least twice a game, he would walk by in front of me and say, 'How ‘bout the bootleg?' I said, 'You got it, here it comes.' It was fun, so I get all that. I think you’ve got to be real careful when you do interject, because there’s a thought process going on. You’ve got to do it early. It’s better between series, as I look at defenses, I can help that way.”

One reporter asked Riley if he missed calling plays. “You know what? I still do,” he said. “I think it’s good. But I think that what I also found is that you’re just locked in to one side of the ball a lot, whether it’s between series when you’re talking to the quarterback or working with the signal caller. I think I can do better like this right now with talking to (special teams coordinator) Bruce Read, listening to the defensive calls in between, and being able to talk to those guys, too. For me right now, it’s better. That doesn’t mean I don’t miss it, but I think Danny’s doing a good job.”

Riley: These Guys Care; Everybody Cares; Everybody’s Hurting

Make no mistake. Riley understands the gravity of starting the season 1-2 for the first time since 1981 at Nebraska. Husker players understand how close and unforgiving football can be. “These guys care; everybody cares; everybody’s hurting, but like I said, that’s one side of it,” Riley said. “It’s what we can do with it. I certainly don’t ever ignore the things that have to get better, but I will because there’s a lot of football ahead of us, a lot of stuff out there for us to still go after, so you’ve got to approach it in a way of 'this is how we can fix it.' There’s a lot of good things here that if we mix it in and fix it, this team is going to be all right.

“We’ve lost to two pretty good teams in games that we had great opportunities to win, so we can’t as a coaching staff panic on that stuff,” Riley said. “We still have to acknowledge why. There are reasons. It’s just not an accident that we lost. There are reasons we lost, but we understand who we played and what we did against them and what we can do. To me, that can be positive as we go forward today.”

There's enormous value in teaching a quarterback to recognize coverages and read defenses, and the Husker coaching staff likes the way Armstrong has adapted to a pro-style offense. “The transition with Tommy has been very good,” Riley said. “We’ve tried to blend some of that stuff, so that recognition of what he’s doing and why he’s doing it is kind of fun to teach. In the passing game, you have to know that stuff. You have to understand coverages and how they fit into the coverage. You have to understand in that pattern when they’re playing that coverage and where the ball should go first. That gives a kid common-sense knowledge of what he’s doing.”

Westerkamp: Resilient Attitude Great; Time to Clean Up, Move On

Like his head coach, Westerkamp (pictured above), Armstrong’s close friend and teammate, isn’t about to panic. “I think it was great to show that resilient attitude,” Westerkamp said. “Being able to come back on the road against Miami, I thought that was great. We have a lot to clean up and a lot to correct, so we’re really going to watch this film hard and get better. If we could’ve just played like we did in the second half the first half, it would’ve been a completely different game. It is what it is. Miami played great. We just have to move on and get ready for the next one.”

Southern Miss visits Lincoln Saturday for an 11 a.m. kickoff. Eleven years ago this month, the Golden Eagles upset Nebraska, 21-17, before 77,877 fans in Memorial Stadium. Saturday is Homecoming and the Huskers’ last non-conference game, followed by the Big Ten opener at Illinois, a home game against No. 21 Wisconsin, a road trip to Minnesota, returning home for No. 17-ranked Northwestern, a road game at West Lafayette, Ind., to play Purdue, No. 2-ranked Michigan State invading Lincoln Nov. 7, then Rutgers in New Jersey and unbeaten Iowa in the home finale the day after Thanksgiving…a gauntlet that will test every progression lesson Armstrong learns in his never-ending pursuit to master the game he loves most.

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Voices from Husker Nation

Best thing I've read this season. Mark Yost, Springfield, Missouri

From one Tommy to another.....stay the course. Tom Gross

We ARE and always will be THE HUSKER NATION! Nancy Farr

This team demonstrated nearly perfect effort Saturday coming back. Keep improving Huskers. You have the heart and will. Go Big Red! Mark Johnson

Go Big Red. Just a few seconds from being undefeated in a tough year of injuries. I still believe in this team and proud of our Huskers. Clinton York

The Huskers rock! How awesome was that to keep on plugging and claw yourselves back into that game. You make us proud. Cathy Mohnike

I love the heart this team shows. Great kids, great fight, and even better character. The way those young men carry themselves make me proud to be a Husker. Joshua Treadway

Tommy’s a beast…awesome job of never quitting…Tommy had 2, sometimes 3 and a few times 4 guys in his face and he still made positive plays …how? Nick Wilson

That’s a good sign. Now those guys will do everything they can because they know Tommy will always give it his all, no matter the score. GBR! Joe Walker

You just keep getting better. Don't give up. We're all behind you! Deb and Joe Roth

Only two plays away from being 3-0 and ranked in top 25. Work in progress but we'll get there! GBR. Dick Pinagel

Living most of my life in Cleveland, then moving to Nebraska, believe me when I say that I know my share of disappointment in sports. But if you're not "ALL IN", don't complain, just get out. Nancy Farr

Team showed true grit in their efforts. GO BIG RED! Steve Cinnamon

This team has heart…they don't give up. I’ve been very impressed. You guys just continue to play the game, listen to your coaches and things will be great. Rod Parnell

You guys kept fighting. I have a lot of respect for you and your great fans. I wish we had a fan base like you guys. Ron Shore