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100 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED T he Cornhuskers have won at least nine games in each of the last seven seasons. Yet following the last one, a 9-4 stint, Coach Bo Pelini was let go, as Nebraska wanted to go in a different direction, thinking that a different coaching style might get it a step fur- ther. Enter Mike Riley, formerly of Ore- gon State, who takes over a program with deep history. He's the anti-Pe- lini, more laid-back in his approach than Pelini's fiery persona. "I think the biggest change is the culture," said Sean Callahan, who covers Nebraska for HuskerOnline. com "Mike Riley is a seasoned head coach. He's been head coach at the NFL level, high Division I level, the CFL, the USFL, he's just been around the block and has a lot of knowledge to run a program and be in this role. I think he has brought a different man- agement and culture to the program." Riley takes over a Cornhusker team with questions: At running back, it'll have to replace Ameer Abdullah; the offensive line has holes; and there's little experience at linebacker. Still, Nebraska thinks it can con- tend in the Big Ten West. "Winning the division, to me, is where it starts," Callahan said, "and not getting embarrassed in the big game against Wisconsin, which has happened three times in four meet- ings." To get there, the Cornhuskers will have to find a way to mesh 8/30 FLORIDA ATLANTIC . . . W, 55-7 9/6 MCNEESE STATE . . . . W, 31-24 9/13 FRESNO STATE . . . . . W, 55-19 9/20 MIAMI . . . . . . . . . . . . W, 41-31 9/27 ILLINOIS . . . . . . . . . . W, 45-14 10/4 at Michigan State . . . . L, 22-27 10/18 at Northwestern . . . . . W, 38-17 10/25 RUTGERS . . . . . . . . . . W, 42-24 11/1 PURDUE . . . . . . . . . . . W, 35-14 11/15 at Wisconsin . . . . . . . L, 24-59 11/22 MINNESOTA . . . . . . . . L, 24-28 11/28 at Iowa . . . . . . . . . . . . W, 37-34 12/27 USC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L, 42-45 Who's in Charge? COACH MIKE RILEY Record at Nebraska: 0-0 (first season) Record vs. Purdue: 0-0 Nebraska Cornhuskers 2015 OPPONENT PRE VIE W O C T. 31 • RO S S - A D E S TA D I U M, W E S T L A FAYE T T E • T I M E: T BA • T V: T BA 9/5 BYU 9/12 SOUTH ALABAMA 9/19 at Miami 9/26 SOUTHERN MISS 10/3 at Illinois 10/10 WISCONSIN 10/17 at Minnesota 10/24 NORTHWESTERN 10/31 at Purdue 11/7 MICHIGAN STATE 11/14 at Rutgers 11/27 IOWA 2014 Results (9-4) 2015 Schedule OF NOTE: Mike Riley had six losing seasons during his 14-year tenure at Oregon State. Nebraska has had a losing record just twice since 1961. early in his junior season, losing the job to converted safety Tanner McEvoy, but seemed to regain some confidence late. Still, he finished with more inter- ceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) with a career-low completion percent- age (53). Yet, Stave has won 75 percent of his 28 starts. And Chryst has proven to run a QB-friendly offense, helping Scott Tolzien's 2010 Badgers to av- erage 41.5 points per game and the Russell Wilson-directed unit to a 44.1 average the following year. "He looks more comfortable," Veld- huis said of Stave. "There's more tal- ent at receiver, so there's a chance the passing game might be more alive." The opponents' passing game might not. The Badgers have what may be the Big Ten's best second- ary, with three starters returning, including corners Darius Hillary, sec- ond-team All-Big Ten, and Sojourn Shelton, honorable mention, with Lott Trophy candidate Michael Capu- to. Plus, McEvoy shifts back to safety. But defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who was a critical holdover for Chryst from Andersen's staff, will be challenged to find Badgers to step into big roles in the middle of his 3-4 front. Although outside 'backers Vince Biegel, second-team All-Big Ten, and Joe Schobert, honorable mention, return after totaling more than 10 sacks last season, the middle spots need filled. And only one of the top three linemen is back. Wisconsin opens at Alabama, but its conference schedule is favorable, leaving the Badgers once again a fa- vorite in the Big Ten West. They won it last season, but were blasted by Ohio State in the Big Ten Champion- ship game, losing 59-0. "With that schedule and even with the coaching transition, I think they have enough pieces on both sides of the ball that a 10-win season is pretty realistic," Veldhuis said. "And if they can do that, then they have a pretty good shot to get back in Indianapo- lis and the Big Ten Championship game." — Kyle Charters