Riley Understands Scrutiny in an ?Awesome Place?

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At Monday’s weekly press conference, Mike Riley was asked if different jerseys or the 1995 team reunion or, perhaps, some other abnormal thing, negatively affected Nebraska in a 30-28 loss to Northwestern. “I sure hope not,” Riley said, acknowledging the difficulty of answering such a subjective question.

Riley’s answer triggered another question about his first-year experience as Nebraska’s head football coach. “This is an awesome place with the greatest fans in the world,” he said. “It’s a privilege to be a part of it. We’re really disappointed with what’s gone on in the win-loss column, but that does not deter anything about how we feel about the place. It’s everything it’s advertised to be. We just have to continue to work real hard on our end to make this football team better.”

Riley’s straightforward answer prompted another question – has the scrutiny that comes with his job surprised him? “I’m not surprised by those kinds of things,” Riley said. “Frankly, it’s everywhere in our world,” including collegiate and pro football. “The biggest issue I deal with is the football team and how they feel and the fact that I’ve been impressed with their work during the week and that gives us a chance.”

The hard part is how you react after so many unexpected losses. “It’s kind of unusual, but frankly, your season turns on close games and ours has gone the wrong way,” Riley said. “We’re going to do everything we can to prepare them for the next opportunity to win a game.”

When You’re Not Winning, Don’t Be Surprised by the Reaction

If it takes all 59-plus minutes, that’s what Nebraska has to conquer the next time the Huskers face a similar challenge. That’s Nebraska’s primary focus, and Riley reiterated Monday how much he wants “to be at a place where people care and they’re interested.” With that comes “scrutiny about everything and when you’re not winning, don’t be surprised by the reaction,” he said. “You just kind of stick with what you know has to be done with your team.”

Riley understands the scrutiny he faces. He gets the responsibility and accepts every experience from BYU’s heartbreaking Hail Mary pass to the incomplete Tommy Armstrong Jr. two-point conversion pass that might have sent the Northwestern game into overtime...and everything in between the Huskers' five losses by a total of 13 points.

One of Riley’s most compelling comments Monday was estimating that Nebraska is about five or six players short of the kinds of defensive ends and outside linebackers he believes are necessary to put the heat on rushing the passer. Nebraska football media members ask tough questions and appreciate that Riley never seems surprised. His replies are honest and straightforward, even when the conversation expands beyond the game itself. Nebraska football writer/analyst Sean Callahan, for instance, checked his watch Monday before tweeting that Riley’s press conference was 32 minutes old before anyone asked Riley about Purdue, the Huskers’ opponent Saturday in West Lafayette, Ind.

Huskers Try to Hit their Issues Head Up and Face-to-Face

Despite its 3-5 record, Riley feels the pulse of his team is still good. “We know the issues that can occur when you’re not winning, and we try to hit those head up and face-to-face in our meetings and address everything that we possibly can,” Riley said.

The inherent motivation is to “keep the focus on growth and build the best atmosphere we can, so we can teach guys open to it,” Riley said. “It’s an ongoing process. There’s always something you have to battle when you’re not winning and it’s always a key factor in continued growth.”

Riley says the older guys on Nebraska’s team continue to set the tone for hard work. “That’s what we need right now,” he said. “You’re going to have a good response or a bad reaction to what your circumstances are. So far, we’ve had good responses.” Riley expects a positive mindset at Purdue, a team coming off a bye week. “They’ve had a lot of close games, too,” he said. “For us, every game is a big, big game. We’re looking for a good week of preparation.”

Gangwish: Bowl Game Would Reinforce Tradition, Spur Growth

Defensive end/co-captain Jack Gangwish (pictured above) said Monday that qualifying for a bowl game would help the 2015 Huskers contribute to an important aspect of Nebraska history. “Nebraska’s got a great tradition of going to bowl games,” he said, pointing out the importance of postseason practice and growth for the future. “That’s something that can really contribute to the success of a football program, having that much more time to perfect your craft and get better.

“As a senior, I want to go. I want to prolong my season,” Gangwish said. “I want to keep playing ball and take us to a good bowl and hopefully do well there. Our younger guys can get more repetitions going into next season. Any edge you can get is pretty big. I'm not sure how many practices you get in an average bowl prep, but it's close to the 15 practices you get in spring ball. That's why a bowl game is huge in the development of a football program. Every day that you can get out there and get your guys progressing is important.”

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