Nebraska Faces Big Offensive Transition Under Mike Riley

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are one of the most historical programs in college football but have struggled to remain relevant on the national stage over the last decade. That stagnation led to a change of coaches this offseason, hiring Mike Riley away from the Oregon State Beavers, who will bring a major shift in offensive philosophy to Lincoln starting in 2015.

When you think of the historically great Nebraska programs under the likes of Tom Osborne, you think of their use of the I-formation option offense that utilized a mobile quarterback and talented running backs to churn the ball down the field. Using this style, the Huskers won three national titles during the 1990s and staked their claim to be one of the elite programs in the country.

But over time, that offensive philosophy has gone out of style and Nebraska has fallen a bit behind the times. After winning seven conference titles during their decade of dominance, Nebraska has failed to win a single conference title, whether in the Big 12 or Big Ten, since 1999. They’ve had opportunities, to be sure, playing in the conference title game seven times since their last conference crown, but failing to deliver on any of their chances.

Part of the problem has been an offense that has struggled with its identity. Former head coach Bo Pelini tried to blend a number of different offensive theories together, trying to blend option elements into the mix with mobile quarterbacks and prolific I-backs like the now-graduated Ameer Abdullah. But without a defined identity to fall back on when it counted, the Cornhuskers often got lost in big moments, resulting in Pelini failing to break through and tensions between himself, fans, and the administration ultimately opening the door for his exit after the 2014 season.

That shouldn’t be a problem moving forward under Riley. The former Oregon State head coach has a clear vision for his offense that he has built his entire career on. Under Riley and new offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf, Nebraska is going to make the shift to a very pro-style offensive philosophy that will create some opportunities to grow for certain members of the Huskers’ offense.

The biggest learning curve will likely come for the quarterbacks. Athletes, like 2014 starter Tommy Armstrong, who were recruited to Nebraska in part because of their athleticism will need to learn to play the quarterback position a little bit differently under Riley. The QB will be asked to run the ball quite a bit less (Armstrong rushed the ball 145 times in 2014 for 705 yards and six touchdowns) while a larger percentage of their snaps will come under center. Their athleticism will still be utilized but in a much different way with bootlegs and sprint outs rather than read options and quarterback keepers.

But the biggest leap for the quarterbacks is going to be how much they need to read the defense. In previous seasons, the quarterback would often have just one or two reads and if those were unavailable, they would tuck the ball and run with it. They’re being asked to focus more on their footwork and timing to anticipate throws more than they ever have at Nebraska and so far during the spring, it’s caused a lot more interceptions than the coaching staff would like.

If Armstrong, who started every game for Nebraska last season, hopes to find any kind of success under this new regime, he will have to refine the way he plays the position. Last season, his ability to run with the football got him out of a lot of tight situations but he ultimately completed just 53.3 percent of his passes, the 10th best mark in the Big Ten, with 12 interceptions, third-most in the conference. If he can improve on his accuracy and decision making, he will have plenty of opportunities to have a breakout season in Riley’s offense. The key, however, will be how quickly Armstrong picks up on the new concepts of the offensive playbook and puts them to use on the field.

If that happens, then Nebraska may experience something on offense that they have never had before. In the history of the Huskers’ program, they have never had a 1,000-yard receiver. Their leading receiver last season, Kenny Bell, finished the year with just 788 yards and six touchdowns on 47 receptions. A major reason for that is that the receivers aren’t asked to do too much in the Nebraska offense except keep defenses honest from time to time.

That will change dramatically under Riley. During his time at Oregon State, Riley had 10 receivers record at least 1,000 yards receiving in a single season and even coached a pair of Biletnikoff Award winners in Mike Hass and Brandin Cooks. They’ve begun transitioning the pass-catchers to this new offensive philosophy during the spring, introducing timing routes and having them stretch routes further downfield than they have at any point during their Nebraska careers.

The results should be immediate. Look for whichever receiver picks up these new concepts to enjoy a breakout campaign in 2015. The safe bet might be on junior Jordan Westerkamp, who finished second on the team last season with 44 receptions for 478 yards and five touchdowns, and led the team with a yards-per-catch average of 16.98. If he builds on that success and buys into the new system, he could emerge as one of the Big Ten’s best receivers next fall.

But let’s not think that Nebraska is going to completely abandon the running game, their bread and butter for all these years. The Huskers return a solid stable of running backs even after losing 1,600-yard rusher Abdullah and the bulk of their offensive line. Riley isn’t afraid to ride the running game when necessary, coaching eight 1,000-yard backs at Oregon State with six players recording more than 250 carries in a season.

The biggest difference will be the balance that Riley brings between the run and the pass. When teams have been able to slow down the run or force Nebraska into passing situations, the Huskers have really struggled. Riley is looking to bring a balance to the offense, utilizing both run and pass to make the Nebraska attack that much more difficult to defend and hopefully take Nebraska over the top and bring a conference title back to Lincoln.

It will be a painful process at times and it will likely look ugly for stretches in 2015, but the offensive transition that Riley is bringing to Nebraska will be a major contributor to getting the Huskers back up to speed with the rest of college football.

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