Riley, Huskers Get Confirmation, Seek Growth

One Father's Faith, Another Father's Premonition  

Armstrong Jr. Earns Big Ten Offensive Honor

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

A positively driven coach who cares about his players and tries to correct errors without causing resentment, Mike Riley proved a point in last Saturday night’s 39-38 upset of Michigan State. Because the Huskers never stop believing, they handed the Spartans their first loss of the season and provided a rare time for Nebraska to rejoice and survey its growth and confidence despite losing four games in the final seconds this season.

At his weekly press conference, Riley said the win was a confirmation of lot of things, but more than anything, it proved that the Huskers’ mental approach can be a consistent factor. “It’s not an accident that you’re ready to play,” he said. “There are reasons for it. It’s not like all of a sudden, here’s a big game against a highly ranked team and now we’re going to change.”

Quite the contrary. “We need that continuity,” Riley said. “That’s what we preach all the time and hopefully that kind of idea about preparation pays off because then you can always feel good going in. I would hope there’s always confirmation in preparation of what it takes to win."

Riley: Armstrong’s Big Ten Honor Represents the Entire Husker Team

At Nebraska, a winning mindset begins with Tommy Armstrong Jr. (pictured above scoring a touchdown against Michigan State). Armstrong learned Monday that he was the Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week. “I think that’s good recognition for Tommy and good representation of our team, showing how he played and how competitive he was," Riley said. "The plays Tommy made at the end were just outstanding. The poise that he showed and how competitive he is to play, I think that’s awesome. It was definitely a whole team deal and an unbelievable night. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like that. It was awesome and I’m real happy for our team and our fans.”

A reporter asked if Armstrong’s resilience has become a microcosmic reflection of the team’s overall spirit. “That’s probably right because quarterbacks make a ton of choices every game, and hopefully they’re all learning,” Riley said. “We put an emphasis on learning as the game goes on. You have to see what their plan is, what they’re trying to do and then  fit our stuff into it.” Riley said coaches and players learn gathering information as the game goes on. “Tommy had a real good idea through the plays where the balls were going to go in that two-minute drive,” Riley said. “If they play in this coverage, then I know, so his decision-making was spot on.”

Receivers’ Goal: Catch the Ball and Don’t Get Tackled by One Guy

On a football field, learning is an ongoing chess match. “You've got to take your lumps sometimes,” Riley said. “Not every day is going to be clean. We had zero sacks in the second half, and Tommy deserves a big part of the responsibility for that because of his mobility and the way he gets out of stuff and makes something else happen.”

One of the most important factors that increases Armstrong's confidence is his receivers' ability to jump high and get the ball. “I always have faith in that,” Armstrong said. “Those guys work their tails off every week. I’ve been saying this since spring ball. These guys and the way we play kind of puts certain guys on islands, and it’s expected for our guys to go up and make plays. We have a lot of talent all over the receiving corps and they’re just looking for a chance. They make plays when they need to.”

Husker Receivers Coach Keith Williams (pictured above) “is doing a great job of making sure those guys are prepared,” Armstrong said. “They know that in certain situations it has to be the receiver that has to make a play. If (the defense) puts eight or nine guys in the box and you have one-on-ones, you have to win your one-on-ones. Their whole motto is once they catch the ball, don’t get tackled by one guy. Make the first guy miss and work for every yard you get. They’ve been taking that in since having a new coaching staff…they’re improving each and every week and doing a great job.”

Lewis, Reeves Lead Husker Offensive Line’s Vastly Improved Blocking

The same rings true about the Huskers’ revamped offensive line, and Armstrong Jr. could not praise the men in front of him enough. “They made mistakes here and there, but they played well,” Nebraska’s third-year starting quarterback said. “They opened up holes for the run game, blocked their tails off in pass pro and on those last two drives, those guys said ‘Hey, anchor down. We’re ready to go. We’re going to win this game.’”

Armstrong praised the offensive line and mentioned Alex Lewis and Ryne Reeves (pictured above with Zach Sterup). All have assumed a leadership role and, in essence, combined to say: “Hey, let’s go! This is the time! This is what we practice for! This is what we prepare for! They’re not getting a push! If we run the ball, follow us. Follow your blockers and let’s do what we do.”

According to Armstrong, that mindset prevailed the entire game. “Honestly, the way it looked, we could’ve ran the ball the whole game because we had six- and seven-yard runs turn into 12- and 13-yard runs by Imani (Cross),” Armstrong said. “Those guys and our tight ends especially, were blocking up to those linebackers and just getting to the second level fast.”

Carter Blocked Well against One of the Nation’s Top Defensive Ends

That, in turn, created holes for Nebraska’s running backs and opened up Armstrong Jr.’s passing game capabilities. Armstrong was quick to acknowledge another game-changer – tight end Cethan Carter (pictured above as a receiver). He's also a physical, productive blocker.

“Cethan played great,” Armstrong said. “It starts with the offensive line’s communication, the key to the game. Cethan told me: ‘When you send me in motion, give me a little bit of time.’ And I told him, ‘Alright, I got you.’ I gave him a little bit of time. They had the communication down pat – who they needed to block – and film doesn’t lie. He was doing a great job blocking one of the country's best defensive ends. He was working to the second level and blocking linebackers, plus cutting guys down when they came running inside. He did a great job."

Carter’s offseason regimen paid off “because he worked his tail off with us and just needed that confidence boost,” Armstrong said, acknowledging how the Michigan State game became an ideal showcase for all the hard work he's put in. The timing was important. The Huskers needed a major upset to get back on the right track and maximize the possibilities to qualify for a bowl game, not to mention set a positive tone for the 2016 season.

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