The debate is over... right?

[brophog]

The only team I see that is not beatable on paper for us is Penn State. After what I saw yesterday, the rest are toss ups

 The question is, can Riley get his team to win three extremely winnable games in a row heading into a very difficult matchup?

Purdue will come down to whether Nebraska wants to win, and that includes the coaches. This is an easy exam if you studied for it, but you may not pass if you were out partying instead.

 

[Dansker]

 The question is, can Riley get his team to win three extremely winnable games in a row heading into a very difficult matchup?

Purdue will come down to whether Nebraska wants to win, and that includes the coaches. This is an easy exam if you studied for it, but you may not pass if you were out partying instead.

That's the challenge presented to Riley. He really has to coach one game at a time as if its his last. Its unfortunate to say but he got himself into this mess. I don't know. There's still the Jekyll & Hyde thing going on and we just don't know which one we're going to get each week. I hope for the best, plan for the worst.

It's easy to say we may lose since it is a night game. The way Mike conducts himself seems like he's completely lost and lost his team. There is so much angst and disinterest that I haven't seen since 2007 and that's a bad comparison to have right now. He has a track record of bouncing back at Oregon State so it'll be interesting if he can replicate that experience into these final 5 games.

 

[Dansker]

Not sure where ours are rated but I definitely think there's something to this.

It takes a real man and a real leader to say to himself, "I was wrong." I don't think Riley has the luxury to make anymore changes. If we're going to do wholesale changes, then it needs to be with the head coach, IMO.

 

[Enhance]

Because he most certainly had requested that salary from SE, aka the energy vampire slayer.

Athletic departments, like businesses, have several protective layers in place in regards to financing and salaries. Even if Riley requested that salary it would have to go through several approval processes including, as you rightly mention, SE. Placing the blame entirely on Riley is disingenuous.

Either way, the guy was fired.

 

[GamingGlen]

I see his spelling ain't so gud.    higher for hire?

 

[brophog]

It's easy to say we may lose since it is a night game. The way Mike conducts himself seems like he's completely lost and lost his team.

I may agree that Riley is lost, but mostly because I don't agree/understand what he's doing on either side of the ball. There's reason to question practice routines, personnel choices, things like that. Operationally, yeah, it can seem to me like he's a bit lost, but I can only judge things based on games, so that picture is incomplete.

i can't agree he's lost the team, at least in the sense that statement implies he ever had them to begin with. The intensity is sometimes not what I'd like, especially on defense, but I could say that about his entire tenure. In fact, if I had one universal gripe it's how similar Nebraska looks in this regard between 2015 BYU and 2017 Ohio St.

 

[teachercd]

I don't think he has lost the time...I think he is coaching exactly like he has for years.  Honestly...if Oregon State had not opened up again after he flamed out with the Chargers Mike Riley would have never been a head coach again at a Power 5 school.

 

[Isle of View]

In only 2.5 years, Riley has the Huskers playing as a TD underdog to Purfreakingdue.

Purdue's 24/7 Talent composite ranking is #71.  And they have a 1st year coach.

The debate is over.

 

[dvdcrr]

I still don't understand if we go 4-1 how people would be back on the Riley ship.

Don't overestimate "people".

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

We aren't going 4-1. 

Riley knows he's gone and his coaching staff is distracted by their own future. Practices must be a nightmare of going through the motions.  Since the Northern Illinois game, the team has had four chances to play for pride, and there's been no burst of adrenaline or focus or players stepping up in the moment.

There was one moment in the middle of the third quarter against Wisconsin — Nebraska had tied the game and the crowd was going nuts — where the season and perhaps Riley could have been salvaged. That was the moment when Wisconsin took a deep breath and calmly proved it was a much better team on both sides of the ball. 

That was the last of the last chances, imo.

 

[TGHusker]

We aren't going 4-1. 

Riley knows he's gone and his coaching staff is distracted by their own future. Practices must be a nightmare of going through the motions.  Since the Northern Illinois game, the team has had four chances to play for pride, and there's been no burst of adrenaline or focus or players stepping up in the moment.

There was one moment in the middle of the third quarter against Wisconsin — Nebraska had tied the game and the crowd was going nuts — where the season and perhaps Riley could have been salvaged. That was the moment when Wisconsin took a deep breath and calmly proved it was a much better team on both sides of the ball. 

That was the last of the last chances, imo.

Good post.  Yes that was the point at which NU could have sucked in its guts and played for pride. But instead, Wisky came out and took the challenge head on while we seemed to think  2.5 good quarters was sufficient enough of an effort to evoke pride.  The 5.5 quarters since then have been pure disasters - they checked out for the season and I think the players have as well.

 

[4skers89]

Good post.  Yes that was the point at which NU could have sucked in its guts and played for pride. But instead, Wisky came out and took the challenge head on while we seemed to think  2.5 good quarters was sufficient enough of an effort to evoke pride.  The 5.5 quarters since then have been pure disasters - they checked out for the season and I think the players have as well.

That's discouraging to hear. Hopefully it's just the seniors that have checked out. Surely the rest know that whatever effort they put in will be on film and reviewed by the next staff.

 

[ColoradoHusk]

That's discouraging to hear. Hopefully it's just the seniors that have checked out. Surely the rest know that whatever effort they put in will be on film and reviewed by the next staff.

I don't think new staffs do a lot of tape review of players after they take over a new program.  This is especially true if the games are bad losses.  I don't know how much they would get out of it, because if it's not their system, they won't know what is actually being asked of the players.  I think most coaching staffs prefer to start things fresh with winter conditioning and spring practice.

 

[Guy Chamberlin]

Good post.  Yes that was the point at which NU could have sucked in its guts and played for pride. But instead, Wisky came out and took the challenge head on while we seemed to think  2.5 good quarters was sufficient enough of an effort to evoke pride.  The 5.5 quarters since then have been pure disasters - they checked out for the season and I think the players have as well.

Well I don't think the team or coaches thought 2.5 quarters was "sufficient" and I don't think anyone chalked it up as a successful show of pride. I think it just exposed that the ceiling had been reached and that's extra demoralizing. 

Since expectations are now at the scorched Earth level, I expect at least one game that shows the spark of what-could-have-been. Maybe two. But seven games in, there's no body of evidence to favor Nebraska in any game the rest of the year. 

 

[Fru]

We aren't going 4-1. 

Riley knows he's gone and his coaching staff is distracted by their own future. Practices must be a nightmare of going through the motions.  Since the Northern Illinois game, the team has had four chances to play for pride, and there's been no burst of adrenaline or focus or players stepping up in the moment.

There was one moment in the middle of the third quarter against Wisconsin — Nebraska had tied the game and the crowd was going nuts — where the season and perhaps Riley could have been salvaged. That was the moment when Wisconsin took a deep breath and calmly proved it was a much better team on both sides of the ball. 

That was the last of the last chances, imo.

100% this.

There was at least some fight during Wisconsin. There was absolutely no fight against OSU.