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Husker Spring Practice: Penalties, a must fix!

By Brent Craig

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One thing is for certain, for years now the Huskers have been plagued by penalties. This is one area that Head Coach Mike Riley needs to address this spring. This is a must! With the few practices the Huskers have already had, how exactly will the coaches instill better discipline into the players? That is the million dollar question!

Let’s take a look at the Huskers the past 7 years under Bo Pelini focusing on just how bad the penalties were:

Nov 1, 2014; Lincoln, NE, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Bo Pelini yells at an official during the game against Purdue Boilermakers in the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

  • 2008- 94 penalties for 800 yards – averaging 7.2 penalties per game (61.5 yards per game)
  • 2009- 100 penalties for 894 yards – averaging 7.1 penalties per game (63.9 yards per game)
  • 2010- 109 penalties for 993 yards – averaging 7.8 penalties per game (71.0 yards per game)
  • 2011- 86 penalties for 688 yards – averaging 6.6 penalties per game (53.0 yarsds per game)
  • 2012- 88 penalties for 847 yards – averaging 6.3 penalties per game (60.5 yards per game)
  • 2013- 76 penalties for 665 yards –  averaging 5.8 penalties per game (51.2 yards per game)
  • 2014- 75 penalties for 655 yards – averaging 5.8 penalties per game (50.4 yards per game)

You could look at those numbers and think that that Pelini’s last two years the Huskers were  becoming more disciplined, and perhaps you would be on the right track. This could benefit Coach Riley and his staff.

Did Coach Riley had better success teaching his players game discipline at Oregon State? Let’s compare the same years to see if we should feel at ease or if we should start to worry:

Sep 14, 2013; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Oregon State Beavers head coach Mike Riley during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Oregon State won 51-48 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

  • 2008- 87 penalties for 738 yards – averaging 6.7 penalties per game (56.8  yards per game)
  • 2009- 100 penalties for 772 yards – averaging 7.7 penalties per game (59.4 yards per game)
  • 2010- 72 penalties for 669 yards – averaging 6 penalties per game (55.8 yards per game)
  • 2011- 89 penalties for 824 yards – averaging 7.4 penalties per game (68.7 yards per game)
  • 2012- 79 penalties for 724 yards – averaging 5.6 penalties per game (51.7 yards per game)
  • 2013- 82 penalties for 658 yards – averaging 6.3 penalties per game (47 yards per game)
  • 2014- 107 penalties for 958 yards – averaging 8.9 penalties per game (79.8 yards per game)

Well it appears that Coach Riley had no rhyme or reason with his discipline techniques on his players. It would also appear that toward the end, Pelini had a better handle on fixing the penalty fiasco, but how do the two coaches compare over the last 7 seasons? Coach Pelini averaged 89.7 penalties per season with a loss of 791.7 yards, while Coach Riley averaged 88.0 penalties per season with a loss of 763.3 yards. They are close but maybe coach Riley had a better handle on it than we think. We Husker fans hope so!

Oct 19, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detailed view of a penalty flag during an NFL game between the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Huskers and Oregon State are not the only teams hurt by penalties, but how did the two teams playing for the National Championship fair against penalties? Runner up Oregon suffered 123 penalties for 1,080 yards – averaging 8.2 penalties per game (72 yards).

National Champion Ohio State ended their season with 84 penalties for 711 yards – averaging 5.6 penalties per game (47.4 yards). This may be one reason why they are National Champions. Baylor had the MOST penalties last year with 127 for 1,149 yards, while Michigan was the least penalized team last season with 42 penalties for 381 yards. Hmm, is their a spot for Brady Hoke on the staff? JUST KIDDING!

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The question you need to ask is whether the amount of penalties is the fault of the coaches, the players, or a little bit of both. And if it’s both, who holds the larger percentage of the blame?

Will Coach Riley be able to fix the problem the Huskers have suffered these many years or is this something that will just continue to plague Big Red?  We will have to wait and see but I certainly hope that Coach Riley is addressing this problem with the coaches and players. Huskers need to finally get a handle on the damaging penalties. Only time will tell. Go Big Red!

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