doggdetroit

November 2nd, 2015 at 2:57 PM ^

Nebraska was trending downward with Solich. He went 7-7 in his second to last season, and while he went 9-3 in his final season, they were being surpassed by Texas and Oklahoma. If he was a really good coach he wouldn't still be at Ohio. They had to make a change.

The problem is they replaced Solich with Callahan who was a terrible hire. It now seems like history is repeating itself. Pelini won 9 games every year, but it was clear he wasn't going to get over the hump so I can't fault Nebraska for making the change. But once again, they made a terrible hire.

I'm guessing the Riley era will play out similar to the Rich Rod era at Michigan. He's putting himself in such a deep hole during his first year that he's used up all of his goodwill. He'll improve Nebraska slowly but because he's trying to implement an entirely new system, the improvement won't be fast enough nor will the record be good enough. Meanwhile, the current AD will likely be fired, leaving Riley's fate to a new AD. He'll be out by the end of 2017 and Nebraska will be looking for a new coach.

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EGD

November 2nd, 2015 at 2:51 PM ^

Nebraska never should have fired Pelini.  But they did, and they can't undo that mistake.  So now they have to decide what to do about the fact that Riley isn't working out.

If they fire Riley after just one season--on the heels of firing Pelini after successive 9-win seasons--good luck hiring anyone else decent.  Any respectable coach is going to take one look at that, see that Nebraska combines unreasonable expecations with an uncommonly short fuse, and promplty say "Champaign-Urbana here I come."

If they keep Riley, then recruits are probably going to be like "Nebraska is going to suck as long as Riley is there, which probably isn't going to extend past my freshman or sophomore season anyway, so screw it--I'll go to Iowa State or some shit."  

So, Eichorst gets to pick his poison.  Since he's the moron who brought in Riley to begin with, I guess the smart move is to double down and hope for a turnaround next season.    

If this was Miami (FL) or Ohio State or some other sketchy program, I wouldn't be surprised if the administration manufactures some kind of non-performance related excuse to dump Riley quickly ("players were traumatized when he peed too loudly in the locker room" or "we reviewed Riley's resume and found unacceptable discrepancies in the font sizes.").  Nebraska doesn't strike me as sufficiently cunning for that, but you never know.

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LSAClassOf2000

November 2nd, 2015 at 2:51 PM ^

"While many are understandably disappointed in the current record of the football team and the close losses we have suffered," Eichorst writes, "I am confident the future is bright because I see it in the eyes of our players, coaches and staff and I am impressed by what I know is going on behind the scenes ... [T]hough the consistent victories are not there yet, I am confident they will come."

And meanwhile on Omaha.com, you've got thinly disguised "disenchantment" (I'll be polite) over what the author of the linked article describes right in the beginning as "...a stain you don’t wash out, the gum on Mike Riley’s shoe that won’t come off."

So, what I think we need here is Eichorst to give a candid explanation of how he believed that this was an improvement over Pelini. Surely, you don't make what appears to be a "meh" move on the surface if you don't believe it will pay off somehow. 

I mean, Mike Riley is now part of the reason the offensive and defensive players of the week in the Big Ten are both Boilermakers. That's some special talent that makes this scenario unfold.

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Brick in The Wave

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:41 PM ^

My experience with them might be a little different having spent a lot of time in Nebraska and not being a Nebraska fan. It can wear on a person. Generally the game day experience is just as you described but we crushed them in 11 and they crushed us in 12. Both times I would argue their true colors didn't emerge. You arent dicks when you are getting beat badly on the road and likewise there is a decrease in dickdom when you are pantsing someone at home. I think that they can be great fans for 24-48 hours while visitors are in town and they are winning. Would be interesting to see them have a close or instate rival where opposing fans were in constant contact with each other.

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FrankMurphy

November 2nd, 2015 at 2:52 PM ^

Nebraska has been hurt more than any other traditional powerhouse by the constant acceleration of recruiting timelines, to an extent that it might be very difficult for them to get back to contending on a regular basis. They're already out in the middle of nowhere, so why would a top prospect put off his commitment just so he can schedule a visit to Lincoln, NE? Nebraska needs a coach who can find diamonds in the rough and squeeze every drop of production out of them. That's not Riley.

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M-Dog

November 2nd, 2015 at 8:38 PM ^

This is so true.  How many times have we heard recruits recently use the statement "I'm going to take the rest of my visits" with the implication that they've already taken their unofficial visits and made their decision . . . and now they are just going to take the rest of their visits for fun and entertainment.

It's hard to get recruits to come out for early unofficial visits when you are in Nebraska.  Once it's time for official visits, a lot of them have made their decision.  Even if you hope to flip recruits on a late OV, Nebraska is not likely where they are going to go to "take the rest of their visits" for fun and entertainment. 

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FrankMurphy

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:10 PM ^

I would go further and say that everyone who doesn't work in Nebraska's AD building saw this coming. The reactions of most Husker fans I talked to towards the hire were lukewarm at best. I don't remember anyone saying that hiring Mike Riley was a better option than sticking with Pelini.

Eichorst's relationship with Pelini had grown so toxic that they fired him without having a contingency plan in place. It was a classic lose-lose situation (for both Nebraska and Pelini, I mean). Eichorst probably should have swallowed his ego and held on to Pelini for one more season. Unless you were Michigan (heh), last year was a bad year to be in the market for a new coach. 

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FrankMurphy

November 2nd, 2015 at 7:43 PM ^

Tom Herman, Justin Fuente, Matt Campbell, and Matt Rhule will be the hot names come December. Dino Babers' and Jeff Brohm's profiles are also on the rise. Dan Mullen and Hugh Freeeze might be willing to leave for the right situation (which may or may not have been Nebraska). That's already a bigger pool than than last season. 

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GunnersApe

November 2nd, 2015 at 2:58 PM ^

They should hire Troy Calhoun from AF and run the Triple Option like they used to along with great D like when Osborn was there.

I think that would be best for them and the B1G but by al means keep Riley.

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McSomething

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:11 PM ^

The only way I would accept this is if every B1G East team had to play Maryland the week before they played Michigan. Everyone else's knees being jellowed up just in time for us would draw no complaint from me.

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btn

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:14 PM ^

Regardless of what they do, Faux Pelini Twitter has been on fire this season because of the tire fire in Lincoln.

Would love to see Pelini end up at Illinois or Minnesota and stick it to Nebraska every year. Pelini is going to get a nice head coaching job next year. Chances are better than those two gigs.



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markusr2007

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:12 PM ^

First, Tom Osborne's coaching tree is either aged or just not that impressive. Secondly, Nebraska's AD's have a bad habit of firing 9-3 coaches just befoer a long downward program spiral into the abyss.

They fired Solich in 2003 after a 9-3 record (58-19 career). Then they fired Bo Pelini in 2014 after a 9-3 (67-27).

Osborne Coaching Tree:

Turner Gill - (former Huskers QB 1981-1983, plus assistant under Osborne) Did okay at Buffalo, flopped at Kansas, now HC at Libert (4-4). Texas native. Good recruiter.

Kevin Steele - Huskers LBs coach 1989-1994, now DC/LB at LSU.  Coached horrible Baylor teams 1999-2002 (9-36) when Baylor was on coaching carousel of AD ineptitude.

Frank Solich - (former Huskers fullback, 18 year Husker assist coach under Osborne, succeeded Osborne as HC. Current HC at Ohio where he is 77-59.

George Darlington - former Huskers DC, father of the infamous Husker "Blackshirts" defenses - now an assistant coach at Southwest Missouri State or something. Old.

Craig Bohl - HC at Wyoming. Stellar record at North Dakota State, but away from NDSU powerhouse, Bohl is struggling at Wyoming thus far (1-8).

Question: Who in their right mind thought that replacing a perennial 9-4 or 10-3 coach like Bo Pelini, with Ohio roots, who was taking the Huskers to Capital One, Gator and Holiday Bowls on the regular, with Mike Riley (93-80 career, 58-63 in the PAC10) and best top AP finish (ever) was 18th would be a good idea?

Even Tom Osborne didn't hit 11 wins in a season until 1982, his 10th season as HC.

Unfortunately, Eichhorst and Nebraska are going to pay for this mistake big time.

 

 

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markusr2007

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:28 PM ^

Herman is predictably kicking ass at Houston (8-0), where they also have a decent defense (Todd Orlando, alma mater Wisconsin1994).

Herman can recruit the crap out of Ohio and Texas like no one else. Texas has been an important pipeline state for Nebraska, particularly for skilled positions (QB, RB, WR).

The hiring of Riley makes increasingly less and less sense.

The best football team Mike Riley has ever coached was the 2008 Oregon State team and even that one finished 7-2 in the PAC-12 and 9-4 overall with 3 decisive losses and a 3 pt loss to 14th ranked Utah. That's as good as Oregon State ever got out of the man.

Further, against ranked opponents, which is kind of important for Nebraska, Riley's coaching record is just abyssmal.

Nebraska is a place where you need outstanding recruiting out of CA, TX, NJ and Ohio. Then you absolutely have to build up a walk-on program.  That's how Devaney did it. That's how Osborne did it. It's the only way. You're Nebraska. Not Texas. Not Ohio State. Not Penn State.

Pelini was a liablity in many important areas. But he won games and he built a program there.

 

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Yard Dog

November 2nd, 2015 at 4:00 PM ^

Plus, he's out of the BT East, so the path is much easier.  Nebraska really supports their football program, the facilities are good, and he can likely get a pipeline started to TX now that he knows the lay of the land there.  Nebraska's too reliant on football cash to not buy out Riley and find someone else to get things moving.

The biggest issue may be the sheer number of jobs open this year. Lots of competition for the best candidates. It's a great year to be an up and coming coach.

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UMProud

November 2nd, 2015 at 6:13 PM ^

There are alot of good coaches out there who would definitely been interested in that Nebraska job.  It's like they didn't even vet it properly...I think the AD did the searcch himself...did he even interview anyone other than Riley?  Really bad hire...would the hell would hire a mediocre coach that is 62 years old for a top end college job?

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Snake Oil Steve

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:33 PM ^

They should have hired Gary Anderson. I believe Anderson's Wisco team ran ALL OVER Pelini's defense in the years they overlapped (yes, Melvin Gordon and all, but Pelini was this suppossed defensive guru and it's not like Wisconsin is a QB/WR factory). Not only could have Anderson gotten out of the shadow of Barry Alvarez, he could have gottent the opportunity to play and potentially beat the Badgers each year while also avoiding a bottom-feeder type program in the Pac-12. Eichhorst fired Pelini on November 30th, Anderson left Wisconsin a week or 10 days later. 

In any event, I for one am glad Anderson is now out of the conference. Always thought he was a quality coach and his teams played hard, going back to his Utah State days.

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Yard Dog

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:57 PM ^

Look at what Gary Andersen inherited in Corvallis.  Oregon State is freaking awful with little prospect of ever getting better, because Dennis Erickson ain't walking through that door.  He has to be wondering why he ever left Wisconsin, Barry Alvarez aside.  Talk about downgrades for everyone.

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treetown

November 3rd, 2015 at 5:16 PM ^

Interesting OP.

 

1. Agreed - anytime any public figure has a superior/boss issue a public statement of "total confidence and support" the end is often being laid out. Probably a couple of crushing losses will (like a total shut 42-0 at home) might do it.

2. Harbaugh Effect -it is our heritage so we might as well accept it, own it and learn from it; that is Michigan search for a new HC after Lloyd Carr took us near and far.

We tried something totally different and I'm not saying a spread attack could not work, but clearly not the way RR runs it - an Urban Meyer, Nick Saban or similar approach might work - but it should be clear to RR's strongest defenders that defense just is not a priority with him. He has never had a team with a great defense and at his age and point in his career it is doubtful that he ever will. This won't work in a conference like the Big Ten.

We brought in someone who really is embued with the Michigan culture and sincerely worked very hard. He was not helped by bad luck (injuries) and not so helpful administrative support (probably the worst time in the history of the Athletic Directorship) and in the end he was let go.

The rest of the country now sees a resurgent UM team, playing tough defense and fighting in the last moments. They see a feisty team, and while the team may not win the conference title, the good feeling created this year among the fan base is undeniable. Harbaugh has done a lot in just 8 regular games.

The other fan bases want that - they want to see wins but also win a certain way. The Nebraska AD may not get that - and as much as whisperers and back biting drove out Solich, this mess is worse and happens when there are a lot of good jobs opening up. I've never lived out there but are the Nebraska fans caught up in being like the Big 12 teams (with wide open offenses?) and is that why they hired Callaghn?

With nearly everybody on TV somewhere, the incentive to tough it out in Lincoln, NE is not that appealing any more.

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BlueMan80

November 2nd, 2015 at 4:41 PM ^

Looks like it's their turn to wander in the football wilderness for the next 7 years or so.  The AD isn't going to outlast Mike Riley especially after doubling down like that.  Both of their necks are on the chopping block now.  Hard to fire a new coach after 1 year and canning the AD isn't going to be very reassuring for Riley.  This is a hot mess that's going to go nuclear.  I give it another year then "BOOM"!

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Perkis-Size Me

November 2nd, 2015 at 5:21 PM ^

They can't fire him this year if for no other reason than financial reasons. They can't afford to pay him for the next few years to not coach, along with whoever the next coach would be (which would need to be a huge name) and along with whatever they might still be paying Pelini.

They're stuck with Riley, for better or worse, for the next few seasons anyway.



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