Spartan Staff Visited Mike Riley-Coached Program

Eichorst Thanks Fans for Their Passion, Support

Riley, Player Comments at Monday Presser

Huskers Prepare for Undefeated Spartans

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

In his ninth season at Michigan State, Mark Dantonio has become one of the Spartans’ most accomplished head football coaches in history. He’s transformed the Big Ten program into one of the nation’s perennial powers, posting four 11-win seasons in the last five years.

During that productive span, Michigan State’s football staff visited a Pac-12 Conference program that he respected highly. “I’ve known Mark for quite a while,” Nebraska Coach Mike Riley said Monday at his weekly press conference, pointing out that Dantonio and his staff visited Riley’s Oregon State staff a few years ago. The two staffs spent a couple days learning from each other. “Mark has a really solid program that’s been built up over time,” said Riley, who knows he must follow a similar path to help Nebraska win its first conference championship since 1999.

Nebraska’s scouting report on Michigan State is no secret. The Spartans’ 4-3 defense is the ultimate identity that features stellar coverage and a sound defensive line, led by Shilique Calhoun, the Spartans’ sack and tackles-for-loss leader. “They’re all solid up front,” Riley said. “They’re a good tackling football team overall.”

Quarterback, Wide Receiver Lead Michigan State’s Offense

Offensively, Riley describes Michigan State as a team built on balance. All-Big Ten quarterback Connor Cook and Big Ten-leading receiver Aaron Burbridge (52 catches) are the marquee players. Riley said Michigan State’s running backs reinforce the physicality of the 8-0 team, ranked sixth in both the Associated Press and the USA Today Coaches polls. “One of their most impressive stats is their turnover margin," Riley said. “It’s a plus-10, so that’s who they are.”

With Michigan State coming off a bye week, Dantonio said the Spartans were able to stay fresh, practice on Sunday and recruit. "Great challenge and opportunity waiting for us at Nebraska," Dantonio said via a teleconference call. "Tremendous tradition there...went there several times...this is the fifth time playing there (counting experiences when he was part of the Kansas football staff). They're a well-coached football team. I've known Mike Riley for quite a while. He's an outstanding coach. I know Nebraska is going through some things as all programs do, but they'll be ready. Nebraska's not an easy place to go play, period, end of story."

Nebraska has lost five games by 13 total points and is seeking its identity. Plagued with injuries to their quarterback and offensive playmakers, the Huskers will host Michigan State in a 6 p.m. Saturday kickoff that will be televised nationally on ESPN. Michigan State owns the nation's fourth-longest winning streak at 12 games. The Spartans also have won 12 consecutive Big Ten road games, the nation's second longest streak for conference road wins.

Huskers Could Play a Pair of Unbeaten Teams in Stretch Drive

Since Memorial Stadium opened in 1923, Michigan State is just the 10th opponent to bring an undefeated record into a November matchup against Nebraska. Interestingly, the Huskers could face two unbeaten teams in Lincoln this month. Iowa is also 8-0 and has the opportunity to come into Lincoln with an 11-0 record on Nov. 27.

The last time an unranked Nebraska team defeated a top-10 opponent at any point in a season was a 31-24 win over No. 4 Alabama on Sept. 17, 1977. Overall, the Huskers are 5-3-1 when facing unbeaten opponents at Memorial Stadium in November. The most recent matchup was Nebraska’s 41-15 victory over fifth-ranked Kansas State on Nov. 13, 1999. Here’s the historical snapshot of hosting unbeaten teams in November:

Nebraska vs. Unbeaten Opponents in November at Memorial Stadium

• Nov. 10, 1923 vs. (6-0) Notre Dame (Won, 14-7)

• Nov. 20, 1926 vs. (2-0) New York Univ. (Won, 15-7)

• Nov. 24, 1927 vs. (7-0-2) New York Univ. (Won, 15-7)

• Nov. 12, 1932 vs. (6-0-1) Pittsburgh (Tied, 0-0)

• Nov. 19, 1955 vs. #1 (9-0) Oklahoma (Lost, 41-0)

• Nov. 23, 1974 vs. #1 (9-0) Oklahoma (Lost, 28-14)

• Nov. 11, 1978 vs. #1 (9-0) Oklahoma (Won, 17-14)

• Nov. 21, 1987 vs. #2 (10-0) Oklahoma (Lost, 17-7)

• Nov. 13, 1999 vs. #5 (9-0) Kansas State (Won, 41-15)

Saturday's game also marks the first time an unranked Nebraska team has hosted an undefeated opponent in November. The last time that happened was against top-ranked Oklahoma in 1955.

Riley Built a Solid Reputation for Coaching Upsets Against Top 10 Teams

Let’s go back to the N-Sider beginning and explain why Dantonio and his Michigan State staff decided to visit Riley and his Oregon State staff in Corvallis. In his final nine seasons at OSU, Riley’s teams produced five wins over top-10 ranked opponents. They include:

Riley’s Recent Wins over Top-10 Teams

Year       Rank       Opponent           Score

2006       No. 3        USC (6-0)           33-31

2007       No. 2        California (5-0)   31-28

2008       No. 1        USC (2-0)           27-21

2010       No. 9        Arizona (4-0)       29-27

2014       No. 7        Arizona St. (8-1)  35-27

Michigan State-Related Quotes from Coach Riley and Five Husker Players

Riley’s track record in his previous head coaching job triggers hope for a similar upset in his first season at the Husker helm. Check out the following quotes from Riley and five Husker players attending Monday’s press conference, including Tommy Armstrong Jr. (pictured above):  

Mike Riley, Nebraska Head Coach: “De’Mornay (Pierson-El) is out for the rest of the year. He’s having surgery soon. He tore up his knee and fractured his leg unbelievably. I feel so bad for that kid. I feel like I just saw him on crutches a few days ago and here he is again. It’s a sad deal.” 

Tommy Armstrong Jr., Junior Quarterback: “We have to take care of the football. Every time we get the ball, we need to put points on the board. When that happens, we've got to put Michigan State in tough situations, and if we’re able to do that, we can come out with a win.” 

Jordan Westerkamp, Junior Wide Receiver: “Michigan State is always a big game. They’ll be ready. I remember last year we started slow and picked up in the second half. They're definitely a beatable team. We're going to have a great game plan this week and we'll be ready for them."

Brandon Reilly, Junior Wide Receiver: “A lot of pressure is going to be on us. Everyone says they have a tremendous defensive line, so it’s going to come out to the perimeter probably more. In our role, we look forward to it. We want the pressure on our hands…we’re excited about it.”

Alonzo Moore, Junior Wide Receiver: “I know a lot of people are probably counting us out, saying, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a big blowout or whatever,’ but in my eyes, I don’t see it. We’re a great team when we play well. We’re going to come out and give our very best."

Sam Foltz, Junior Punter: “It’s going to be a fun game and a fun atmosphere. They’re unbeaten and have a lot to play for. We have to have the same mentality…put on a show and finish strong. We have to X-out the outside world, buckle in and focus on our locker room.”

Shawn Eichorst Gives Mike Riley a Strong Vote of Confidence

Midway through Monday's press conference, Riley took it upon himself to acknowledge the support he’s received from Shawn Eichorst (pictured above, talking to Nebraska Women's Basketball Coach Connie Yori). He also appeciates working with Nebraska's administrative team. Shortly after describing his four decades of coaching experiences, Riley said he appreciated Eichorst’s support that was distributed in a statement to Nebraska donors, season ticketholders and fans through media outlets.

"Your support and patience as Mike Riley rebuilds our storied program one brick at a time means the world to our young men, our staff and our university," Eichorst said in his statement. Riley labeled himself as “the elephant in the room” and thanked Eichorst for thanking fans for their consistent passion and support. In his statement, Eichorst expressed confidence that “the future is bright” under Riley’s leadership.

"This is just a great place with great people, and we’re extremely fortunate to be here," Riley said Monday. "We have the greatest fans in the world and the greatest administration. They give us every opportunity to be the best and be champions. Shawn Eichorst and Steve Waterfield work closely with football. They're fabulous people who are always there. I’ve noted this from the beginning. Every meeting I go to is ‘how can we help?’ Every meeting ends with that, which is nice to always hear. What's done at Nebraska is special. People do care. It's important to know that everybody has a vision of where it could go, and that's really encouraging to me."

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