Before Mike Riley spoke, the Big Ten announced that Nebraska's game versus Northwestern in Lincoln will kick off at 11 am central time, and will be televised on one of the ABC/ESPN platforms. Mike Riley started off by talking positives.
Riley off the bat: "I'm going to take the liberty to talk about some of the good stuff." Sam Foltz the first guy praised. #Huskers
— Brian Christopherson (@HuskerExtraBC) October 12, 2015
Yep, the punter.
Vincent Valentine played 50 snaps. Good sign going forward. #Huskers
— Steven M. Sipple (@HuskerExtraSip) October 12, 2015
Getting Big Vinny back is a big boost to the defense.
On offense, if you think things are a muddled mess, you might be right.
"Offensively, it's pretty evident we've lost our ability to have effective balance," he said. Explosive plays in passing game down. #Huskers
— Steven M. Sipple (@HuskerExtraSip) October 12, 2015
MR: "We have to really define what we can do in the passing game ... When a guy like Westerkamp catches two balls, that's not good enough."
— Brian Christopherson (@HuskerExtraBC) October 12, 2015
I think part of the offense's issues the last two weeks has been a shift to throwing more deep passes and fewer underneath routes. That hasn't been effective at all.
The following tweet should tell you everything you need to know about Mike Riley's offensive philosophy.
Riley: "If we pass the ball better, we’re going to be even better running."
— Brian Rosenthal (@HuskerExtraBR) October 12, 2015
I've suspected that Riley subscribes to the pass-first thinking on offense, and now my suspicions are confirmed.
RE RB rotation: Mike Riley said Newby is No. 1 back, Ozigbo spells him and everything else is situational (like Cross on 3rd down).
— Jacob Padilla (@JacobPadilla_) October 12, 2015
Maybe that's moving forward, because it didn't look like that against Wisconsin. Frankly, I'm not sure what they were thinking about running backs last Saturday.
Mike Riley noted 12 missed tackles against Wisconsin. #Huskers
— Brian Rosenthal (@HuskerExtraBR) October 12, 2015
Injuries: Banderas is going to practice, Davie will practice. Questionable: Rose-Ivey, K Williams, Chris Weber (neck). Nick Gates out.
— Brian Christopherson (@HuskerExtraBC) October 12, 2015
I was wondering what happened to Weber on Saturday. He's going to be missed, especially if Banderas can't fill in for him. It would be really nice to get Michael Rose-Ivey back on the field, but I wouldn't rush him back.
Nick Gates will be out with high ankle sprain, and Chris Weber is day-to-day with a neck injury. #Huskers
— Brian Rosenthal (@HuskerExtraBR) October 12, 2015
This would be good:
Pierson-El tells me today that he thinks he'll be back returning punts this week. #Huskers
— Thor Tripp (@ThorTripp) October 12, 2015
Pierson-El said he "feels great," and plans on returning punts this week against Minnesota. Said he jittery and not ready vs. Illinois.
— Brian Rosenthal (@HuskerExtraBR) October 12, 2015
Observers before the Wisconsin game noticed that Pierson-El was still struggling with fielding punts before the game - hence, Jordan Westerkamp was sent back there. Hopefully, he's got his yips worked out.
How has the team responded to this season's struggles?
"They’ve answered the bell every Monday, to me," Riley said of his #Huskers team’s attitude after close losses.
— Brian Rosenthal (@HuskerExtraBR) October 12, 2015
Riley says Nebraska had a record number of players attend voluntary lifting on Sunday.
— Mitch Sherman (@mitchsherman) October 12, 2015
As long as nobody else pulls a groin, that sounds promising.
Riley said Stevenson would have played off the bat if not for the camp injury. Running back was "definitely a proponent" of playing now.
— Brian Christopherson (@HuskerExtraBC) October 12, 2015
Get him some snaps at I-back then.
Jack Gangwish also spoke:
"The frustration right now is that we just haven't done our jobs well enough," Gangwish said. #Huskers
— Steven M. Sipple (@HuskerExtraSip) October 12, 2015
Gangwish on crowd: "That's what's special about this place. That's what's magical about Nebraska." #Huskers
— Brian Christopherson (@HuskerExtraBC) October 12, 2015
Gangwish on the #Huskers crowd in the 4th quarter: "I don’t know if I ever heard it so loud… As a Nebraska kid… that’s magic."
— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) October 12, 2015
"As a Nebraska kid, as a team captain, that's irreplaceable," Gangwish said of the crowd's enthusiasm. #Huskers
— Steven M. Sipple (@HuskerExtraSip) October 12, 2015
Gangwish, as a Nebraska native, feels a "deep sense of responsibility" to the program. He says other teammates feel same way. #Huskers
— Steven M. Sipple (@HuskerExtraSip) October 12, 2015
Nebraska DE Jack Gangwish: "We didn’t come here because we wanted to be 2-3. That wasn’t anybody’s dream." (Same sentiment applies to 2-4.)
— Mitch Sherman (@mitchsherman) October 12, 2015
That, everyone, is a captain.