Coach Mike Riley Press Conference Quotes

Nebraska Football
Weekly Press Conference
Memorial Stadium (Lincoln, Neb.)
Monday, Nov. 7, 2016
Pre-Minnesota

Mike Riley
Nebraska Head Coach

Opening Statement
“I think that it was pretty evident that that game started out in a bad way, had a rough start. And then kind of progressed from there into a really bad day. And there’s no getting around it. There’s no sugar coating any part of it. We were beaten badly. We played a good team, and we didn’t respond to playing against them at a high enough level in any way. I think that we basically fell apart in the fact that we were a little bit frantic almost, defensively. I mean guys were trying, all of the sudden do someone else’s job because this wasn’t getting done. And so technically we fell apart, assignment-wise we fell apart in all those ways. It was not a good night. Offensively, we have struggled for a while and it was amplified in that game. We have got to find our niche in what we can do running the ball well and how we can best enhance what we’re trying to do in the passing game. But it is kind of a whole regrouping offensively and getting back to a good balanced performance. That’s what our big chore will be this week as we go forward.

Everybody here realizes our struggles have not just been in the Ohio State game but before that too. So we’ve really got some work to do. We’ve got to solidify our personnel as best we can. We’ve had to juggle there. I’m not going to make any excuses at all about why it looks like that, there are none that have to be really talked about. So we’ll just look at how we can just best solidify our people, give them good information and ammunition to go forward and try to have a much more balanced and explosive offensive game. Defensively, we’ve played a lot of good defense this year and have made a lot of improvement. None of that showed up on last Saturday night. Obviously what we have to do is go have a great week of being sound, playing with good leverage. We saw so many times in the ball game, where we lost the position we needed to have, whether it was a guy on the defensive line, whether it was a guy in a position in coverage. You know, one of the most elementary things about pass defense is you have to know what you have to take away first. If my job is in a position of coverage and I don’t have any help over the top on the inside, then I've got to be able to play over the top. And that’s the first thing I've got to take care of. Those are the things that fell apart like that the other night. If I’ve got to keep inside leverage on a receiver that’s trying to cross the formation, I can’t get beat on a fake and then let him beat me inside and catch the ball. We really struggled on third down the other night and it was because of those kinds of leverage and position mistakes we made that gave them the opportunity to make a play. And obviously they made way too many of them. So we’ve got to in a way re-emphasize the basics of how we play.

We’ve got to do a great job of coaching. Our players have to have a great week of focus, focusing on those kinds of issues that have hurt us at times and really hurt us the other night. And part of its kind of football. You've got to play the game. You've got to play it according to the technique you need to use, according to the position you’re supposed to have. And our coaches’ job is to help them do that. So actually there’s some real important parts in coaching. You kind of have to be excited about. You kind of know what this team is capable of doing and what we have done and how we have played better. And so the challenge (is) getting them back to doing that more consistently. We’ve never been perfect yet this year. It’s a fallacy to look at that 7-0 record when it was there and say everything was perfect, when it was not. We played our best ball late in games to win games. But some of these things that showed up way too often the other night were there. So our job is to get that more consistent, and to get the personnel that can play in the game in the right spot and have a great week of coaching that way.

In special teams the other night, we did some things that was a throw-back to teaching on almost day one. When we make a choice like that on a kick-off return, catching the ball on the boundary and going out of bounds on the four or five yard line. That was a pretty good indicator of how that night was. Bad choices, not good football. Every play has an involvement of a choice. Sometimes when you’re an offensive lineman, you have an assignment, but because of movement there’s going to be a decision you’re going to have to make there and it’s going to have to be right. So every play and every position of a receiver that has a certain route sees a different coverage. He has a choice of how he’s going to make a decision to run that route according to that coverage. And everybody needs to be on the same page, everybody needs to be right. That’s where we have to get back to that. We know we’re capable of it. And that’s where our coaches’ job lies this week in helping our players make better choices.

We’re going to play a good, sound football team, Minnesota. A team, I think that has steadily improved from the beginning of the year to this point. And one game, has put themselves in the position to compete for our division championship. They are best described offensively as a team that will run with the tailback and do a nice job with good players. And then their quarterback is also a runner. The quarterback is a real good play-action guy. I think the quarterback is one of those guys that is an all-around guy that makes plays. Whether he’s running a play-action pass and boot-legging out of the formation and making a play or running with a quarterback option-type run. He’s kind of one of those gamer guys, that I have a lot of respect for. A year ago, he’s grown into that and he’s done a really great job leading this team. Defensively, they’ve moved into pretty good company. They are, I think fourth in the league, total defense. So they are playing very sound, good defense. So it will be a tough game, and we’ve got to be really ready if we are going to beat them.

I know there are a lot of questions about injuries. The first one I’ll address is Tommy [Armstrong]. Tommy is going through the protocol for a concussion. He will go through that. He feels good, I think I can tell you that right off the bat. As this goes forward, we will know more about his availability day-to-day. I don’t have a crystal ball in that way and I can’t go out there and say he’s going to be ready to play or not ready to play until we get a little bit through the process of what goes on in the concussion protocol. But as far as how he feels, that’s all good news for us right now, and we’ll see what that means. In the meantime, Ryker [Fyfe] will be our starting quarterback and then I think that we are going to get Zack Darlington ready to be his backup. I’m really reluctant at this stage in the year to put Patrick O’Brien in that spot, just because at this stage I’d like to keep his redshirt, if at all possible. And that’s where we’re at with the whole quarterback deal. Our linebackers, have all, it’s been kind of clean there for quite of bit of time. But all of our linebackers have a little bit of something. I’m not sure that any of them can’t play, but they could be listed as best said questionable at this time. Dedrick Young, I think you probably noticed him playing with a bad ankle the other night. Marcus Newby has a hamstring that we’re hoping improves during the week so he can play. Michael Rose-Ivey has an elbow situation that was much like Dedrick’s from a week ago. We think he’ll (Michael) be able to play as the week progresses here. Chris Weber had a knee strain that might keep him out of practice or limited for a couple days, but we hope that he gets back and can play. But that position has a lot of stuff going on. Tanner Farmer is getting closer. We will see where he is tomorrow and the next day. I will be able to give you more news later in the week on Tanner. David Knevel continues to get better, so we will have more news on him. When we see these guys practice for the first time, we will get a little bit more information as it goes. Here is some kind of good news: Jerald Foster is starting to do some work. I do not anticipate him being ready for this next game, but I am hopeful for Jerald’s sake that he could possibly get back in the mix and be able to play. He is already redshirted, so this would be a lost year so it wouldn’t be like we would be burning a year if he was able to play at all in this season with these three regular-season games that are left in front of us. Anyway, he is working out right now and kind of going through the protocol of what he needs to do, but he has basically been cleared to run and do all that stuff. So that’s good news. Brandon Reilly has had a hamstring that kept him out of most of the time the other night. He’s questionable, but I am hopeful for that one. Devine Ozigbo has gotten better and better and we have got to get him going. We need to get a little bit more rotation going with our backs. We had some good stuff the other night. Wilbon got in there and did some stuff, so that was good to see.

And this is really in summary a great time for us to really be prepared, to really do our job as a coaching staff, our players to pull together and do a good job of getting ready to play. It is a great time to show our mental toughness. So that’s kind of a summary of what happened and where we are going and how we are going to do it.”

On when a decision on senior quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. will be made
“Well, my thought is that Tommy has played a lot of football. That’s a good thing, right? So we don’t have to worry about his experience in playing the games. I think what we initially have to focus on in the first couple of days, because he won’t be able to practice at that time, is for him to be engaged in the game plan, staying in tune with what we are doing, keeping a good eye on it, studying film, kind of putting himself mentally into what’s going on in practice, really being involved that way as best he can with what he is going through. And then when he is physically able to practice, then we will have to make a decision about that. What is that time where we say yes or no that he can play? It probably, as far as physically being able to do something, it is probably Thursday.”

On the conversation he had with freshman quarterback Patrick O’Brien and his decision to bring sophomore wide receiver Zack Darlington back to being a backup quarterback
“Well if you saw in the game the other night when Tommy got hurt, Zack was up warming up right away. He was ready to go. I really like that guy. He is a fun guy. He is that guy that is willing to do anything. When we gave him the chance to compete to be the holder at the beginning of the year, he embraced it and has done a real nice job there. He continues to play scout team quarterback for us from time to time. As you know, he has been a receiver a little bit. So whatever he does, he does hard and he would not be unfamiliar with what we did. He worked out with our young guys yesterday on our Sunday practice and did a nice job, so that part of it is easy. He as a matter of fact stepped out, came in to see me yesterday afternoon on his own before anyone got in, before the rest of the players got in, and said he would be ready to go if we wanted him to play quarterback, so his engagement is good. And then Patrick, I haven’t really addressed anything with him. He knows our intentions have been to redshirt him, and we are going to try to keep that as clean as possible as we go. We all know that we have to be prepared for anything that might happen out there. We understand that. That is why he has traveled, that is why he has practiced from time to time with our team, that is why he has stayed well-prepared. But our intention would still be to redshirt him if at all possible.”

On how the team will move forward if Armstrong is able to pass protocol
“We will prepare both ways, basically. We will prepare as if we are not going to have him and then we will prepare for having him and then therefore what can he do and what will he be most comfortable with. If he can play, that means that he has been cleared, and that is what we have to wait for. This is out of our hands, which is a good thing that the decisions will be made medically. So if he is cleared, then he will play and then we will determine what we will do with him from there.”

On what the concussion protocol entails and the details that go into evaluating whether he can play
“I think that the medical procedure that now surrounds our football players in general, and we do a great job of it here at Nebraska, is really comforting to me because I never want to be in that position of not being sure and making a decision like that. So right now at this point, it is in their hands and their diagnosis and their examination and we wait to get them back. As soon as a player gets hurt in anyway, I give them to the medical staff and we don’t get them back until they say he is ready to go. So that is actually very comforting. That is a good thing. And so from there, I know with all those parts they will keep a close eye on that. It’s not Tommy. We have guys that you don’t ever hear about that have something happen. A guy might be a redshirt that in our Sunday scrimmage with the young guys has something like a concussion and our people are going to take them right through and keep an eye on them and only give them the OK when they know it is OK. So we feel good about that. We had half a dozen of them through the year in practice time with some of these young guys, but not very many in the games, which has been good. But this is one that we do have that’s very public so everyone hears about it, but it’s not handled any differently for any guy on our team.”

On what the quarterback situation will be in practice tomorrow
“Well my anticipation right now is that Tommy won’t be practicing tomorrow and that he will be standing there with Danny Langsdorf watching. That would be a good scenario if indeed the protocol stays its course. If something changes on that, then this whole plan would fall apart. But that would be what we would anticipate and be hopeful about for tomorrow. Ryker would be taking the snaps, Zack Darlington would be getting the backup snaps and that’s what it would look like for the next couple days. And then whether it’s Thursday, Friday and Tommy has been cleared, let’s just go forward and say that’s going to happen, then we will make a decision how that’s all going to work from there. I’m not prepared to say exactly what that means right now, if indeed he is cleared at that point.”

On his confidence in senior quarterback Ryker Fyfe filling in at quarterback
“We have been in so many close games in the second half and it’s too bad that we didn’t get him in more often. I believe he is always well-prepared. I really like his ability. I think that given the chance to play that he will perform and do a nice job. I think our team has faith in him and I think that that kind of comes through all the time they see him in practice and the work that he puts in. So I think if that is the way that we end up going, I think Ryker will do a good job for us and help us win the game.”

On his thoughts on the run game
“I think that the number one thing we need to do is establish two identity runs that we can repeat better throughout the ballgame that look good. Sometimes when you’re not doing well, you jump around a little bit. So I think establishing identity well in that way and really rehearsing that and practicing that in the course of the next three days is really going to be big for us and proving that and getting back to it. If you look back before we started with our struggles offensively, we were running for 300 yards. Life is good when that is happening, so when it hasn’t been happening it has been hard. So we kind of know where we have to go. Getting there is another issue, but it certainly has to do with the confidence that we have in it and the physical part that we can bring to it. Whatever you’re trying to do, you have to block guys. So we have to be really confident and making the blocks that we need to block and a couple of run plays that we can call many times in the game and feel good about calling them.”

On the importance of Armstrong’s leadership despite being injured
“There will be no problem having Tommy be there for this team. That’s kind of been who he is and who they expect him to be. There’s never been an issue with the engagement of Tommy Armstrong. That is great. So we don’t really have to worry about that. He will be there for this team. He will be there to play if he can. And he will be there to support if that’s what he must do. I think that that part of it will take place either way and we won’t know how it’s going to take place for a couple days.” 

On sophomore offensive lineman Jerald Foster’s progression from an early season knee injury
“I did not think that was going to happen, but with his progress I was actually surprised by what trainer telling me about that. But with his progress and the fact that they have cleared him to run, and then work against bags, and see how he can do, it’s conceivable. But I’m not going to count on that at all. If they give him to me, I know that he’s healthy, and that he’s been cleared to play and then he’s strong enough to play. Now playing is a different deal, preparation for playing, all the stuff that he has missed: playing in the games, all the fall camp that he missed. We want to make sure that he, if he ever does play for us this year, that he’s confident in not only how he can do stuff but what he’s doing. Because we want to make him feel real good when he does play.” 

On if he thinks he should have played true freshmen on the offensive line
“Maybe. I have appreciated what our guys have done, but as we’ve gotten thinner it has looked a little bit scarier. So perhaps it’s worth reflecting on.”

On how to move past the Ohio State loss
“You don’t exactly flush it. It’s not that easy. I think that we’ll see a lot Tuesday’s practice. I really liked how this team has practiced all the time, and I’m not going to stop liking this team all of a sudden. I really like this group of guys. I’ve liked how they’ve worked and been together for a long time, had a great plan starting in January. That stuff doesn’t disappear because of a bad outing. I’ve got a lot of faith that it’s going to be good, that it’s going to be a good reaction. I think that one thing that you need to be able to rely on is older guys in the program. If you go name to name on that deal, I like that. When you look at a guy like Josh Banderas and Nate Gerry, I think that, ‘OK, I know how those guys are going to be.’ I know how Kevin Maurice is going to be when he comes back. Even a younger guy that I never have to worry about how he’s going to prepare or how hard he’s going to play is Nick Gates. I feel real good about that. Jordan Westerkamp, as we all saw the other night, tough tough, bad game—he’s fighting like crazy. I don’t think I have to play psychiatrist with those kinds of people. I think that the team’s got to take a lead from that. Like I said, I’ve liked their approach and I would expect a good approach. I think that we have to work in the football-end of it to be very specific about what they’re doing to build that confidence up. I think that’s a weekly process anyway, but especially in a week coming off of a game like the other night I think it’s really important that our coaches do that.”

On concerns with effort after watching film
“No, I really didn’t. I saw the concerns were that we fell apart structurally, technically. And when you do that against a good team with good players it looks like the other night.”

On the decision-making of the defense
“I think that as they made a few plays, our guys tried to overcompensate in a lot of ways. And I think they lost focus on what they were doing. For instance, on the pass that Aaron Williams got beat on right off the bat in the second half that is a pass in that coverage that people have tried on us all year because they can see the coverage. They can say, ‘OK let’s take a shot at this.’ And he’s done a terrific job. All of a sudden when those things fall apart and something like that happens, that’s kind of a good example. And I’m not picking on Aaron at all, but that’s an example of what happened in other areas, whether it was in the run game on the edge of the defense. It kind of multiplied from there. I’m not making any excuses for us. That’s just what happened. It was bad choices and it just turned into bad football. Like I said, you’re doing it against a really good group of athletes on a good football team, and the combination was bad.”

On playing at home again
“Well I’m really glad to be home, and I’m really going to be thoughtful about having our team fresh. At this stage of the year we’re talking about a team that has those areas, that I’ve already mentioned, kind of beat up. The combination of getting ready practice-wise with all the stuff I’ve been talking about and also having them physically ready to play at their highest level, that’s where we have a balancing act to do with this team right now at this stage.”

On Minnesota’s win streak
“I think Minnesota has confidence. I think that that quarterback is kind of leading that with the way he’s playing. He looks like a tough guy. He looks like a guy that’s going to fight to make plays, has been a resilient player. I think that that team plays hard. Like I said, it’s going to be tough. We’re going to have to play a good football game to beat them.”

On how to improve the passing game
“Well I think that we cannot reinvent the wheel with the number of things we’re doing at this time. We have a pretty broad range, but hopefully the right range of things that are in our package of what we want to do. Then obviously the execution of that has been bad. It’s been hard since we’ve stopped running the ball very effectively. When we’re running the ball somewhat effectively, the passing game gets easier, particularly with a quarterback of our style. All of a sudden play-action becomes a little cleaner. But we have struggled when we have passed, not only with the execution of the play, but also the protection of the passer. So many times we are flushed early out of the pocket. One of the startling statistics is is that we are one of the nation’s leader in least amount of sacks. That is due to our quarterback’s mobility. And I give the line some credit too, but there’s no doubt about it that we have not had any rhythm in the passing game. Part of the reason is is the quarterback isn’t allowed any rhythm. We’ve got to do a little cleaner job there. We’ve got to run the ball better. And my guess if we do that, our passing percentage will go up.”