This isn't Nebraska's identity. We know that much.
So, what is the identity of this program? That's the question Nebraska must answer after an embarrassing 21-17 loss to Northern Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. It's going to create the obligatory outrage relating to Mike Riley's job security, the inability to come up with the right play at the right time and searching for answers as to how a Mid-American Conference school could come in and beat the Huskers.
You knew that well before a fourth-and-7 pass from Tanner Lee to Tyler Hoppes was broken up around the five-minute mark. It has happened to other schools in the Big Ten in the past, but this isn't the badge Nebraska had in mind when it joined the conference — or when it hired Riley to take over for Bo Pelini in 2015.
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Nebraska has yet to find its identity, and its led to a full-blown crisis just three weeks into the season. The Huskers are 1-2 and out of the College Football Playoff hunt. Forget Big Ten contention right now. You have to do the math to find Nebraska getting back to the postseason.
Turnovers happen — Lee threw two first-half interceptions and three for the game — but good teams don't fall behind 14-0 at home to an inferior opponent. Nebraska had a 201-88 advantage in total yards at that point, but it mattered very little to the Huskies.
This happened in 2015 when Nebraska lost 55-45 at Purdue. It happened last year when a 6-0 start came undone by back-to-back losses at Ohio State and Wisconsin, which ballooned into one-sided losses at Iowa and in the postseason against Tennessee.
It's not all on Riley. He's an eternally positive coach who was hired on some level as an overcorrection in the other direction from Bo Pelini, who set a nine-win bar during a tenure marred by sideline tirades and an inability to win the big game. The Huskers are 16-13 under Riley.
Nebraska can't win the big game, and now they are losing games like this. Now the question becomes, "What is your identity?" It needs addressed.
If it has to get back to the glory days of 90s, that can be a counter-productive exercise. Nebraska plays in a division where big and physical works, and Wisconsin is king, and Iowa is close behind. It's either find a way to catch up in the trenches, or do something to offset it. Purdue might be on the way to doing just that under first-year coach Jeff Brohm. Minnesota is on its way to doing that with first-year coach P.J. Fleck.
That's on Riley to figure out, and fast. It's not like the Huskers were crushed on Saturday, they outgained the Huskies 385-283. Nobody in Lincoln will be talking about that tomorrow.
The defense still is transitioning to Bob Diaco, and Lee still is transitioning to the job as the starter. “Still is,” however, isn't the identity Nebraska can take into the rest of the season, and certainly not at home. The rest of the home schedule is highly visible against Rutgers (Sept. 23), Wisconsin (Oct. 7), Ohio State (Oct. 14), Northwestern (Nov. 4) and Iowa (Nov. 24). It's difficult to envision Nebraska putting up a winning record in those games, let alone the season.
And that will all fall on Riley. There will be clamoring for Central Florida coach Scott Frost at least, and a home-run hire like Chip Kelly at most, well before Pelini leads another run in the FCS.
That's' when the decision will have to come. If it's Riley, then a loss like this simply can't happen again. Ever.
Who do you we want to be? Is Riley the right guy to lead us in that direction? Answer those quesitons now, Nebraska.
The rest of the Big Ten West — and the MAC West, too — isn't waiting on you to figure it out.
