Nebraska fires Mike Riley
Following rough season, Nebraska moves on from Mike Riley
This result comes as no surprise, after a season that saw athletic director Shawn Eichorst get fired in September, following a loss from Nebraska to Northern Illinois. The Huskers also suffered embarrassing performances against most of its Big Ten schedule, including allowing 50 or more points in its final three games, while going winless in November.
Riley was hired by the aforementioned Eichorst in 2014, after a short search led only by the athletic director.
Nebraska’s first season under Riley was also rocky, with the team losing a number of close games late. The Huskers did qualify as a bowl team in 2015, making it at 5-7 because of the lack of eligible teams, and a high graduation rate.
Riley’s second season started off well and the Huskers raced to 7-0 and a Top-10 ranking, but an overtime loss to Wisconsin took the wind out of Nebraska’s sails. The season finished with embarrassing road losses to Ohio State 62-3, Iowa 40-10 and a Music City Bowl loss to Tennessee.
Nebraska had defensive problems throughout Riley’s three seasons, and the coach made the change to a new coordinator in Bob Diaco ahead of the third season. That also switched the defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4.
The transition never quite fully made it in 2017, as Nebraska allowed 42 points in the first half to Oregon and gave up massive yards in the running game to several Big Ten teams during conference play, while being among the worst in the country at generating pressure and coming away with sacks.
Offensively, Nebraska struggled to finish drives in 2017, with one of the nation’s worst red zone offenses. Transfer quarterback Tanner Lee also struggled with ball security at times, throwing multiple interceptions in several games this season. The Huskers dropped all of its games in November and finished 1-4 after the bye week.
Riley finishes his time at Nebraska with a record of 19-19 across three seasons.
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