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GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 26, ISSUE 6 95 The No-Plays N ebraska would like to for- get most of its 2015 sea- son. Of its seven losses, five were by a combined 13 points. Frustrating, no doubt. But also, possibly, a sign that Mike Riley's team is ready to break through in 2016. Especially considering the way the Cornhuskers finished, winning three of the last four, including beating Michigan State and UCLA in a bowl. Especially considering the Corn- huskers have one of the Big Ten's most experienced quarterbacks, a loaded receiving corps and a stable of running backs returning. Especially considering Nebraska returns its top five linebackers and three of four defensive backs in what is expected to be a solid back half. Especially considering it was mostly a transition year with Riley in his first season as head coach. "There is no doubt a lot of optimism going into 2016," said Sean Callahan, who covers Nebraska for HuskerOnline. com. "The way they finished in 2015 puts them on track for this season." It'd certainly help if Tommy Arm- strong can play with consistency in his final season, his fourth as the starter. Last season, he passed for 3,030 yards despite struggling at times to adapt to Riley's new offense. Armstrong will need to cut down on interceptions (16) and increase his completion percentage (55.2) while maintaining his special playmaking quality. Not that Armstrong will be asked to win games alone. Jordan Westerkamp was an all-con- ference pick last season after catch- ing 65 passes for 918 yards and seven TDs. Brandon Reilly (40, 754, four) and Alonzo Moore (24, 395, six) offer nice complements. "Statistically, it is the best group Ne- braska has ever returned in a season, and they will be the heartbeat for this offense in a lot of ways," Callahan said. By the end of last season, Nebraska was rotating its running backs, though Devine Ozigbo's big bowl-game perfor- mance and productive spring could have him overtaking Terrell Newby as the first option. Ozigbo offers a physical, down- hill presence from the backfield, Callah- an said, and should keep the offense on schedule. That'd be big for the offense and for its QB. "The key for Armstrong is offensive balance," Callahan said. "Too many 2015 Results (6-7) 9/5 BYU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L, 28-33 9/12 SOUTH ALABAMA . . . . W, 48-9 9/19 at Miami . . . . . . . . . . . L, 33-36 9/26 SOUTHERN MISS. . . . W, 36-28 10/3 at Illinois . . . . . . . . . . L, 13-14 10/10 WISCONSIN . . . . . . . . L, 21-23 10/17 at Minnesota . . . . . . . W, 48-25 10/24 NORTHWESTERN. . . . L, 28-30 10/31 at Purdue . . . . . . . . . . L, 45-55 11/7 MICHIGAN STATE. . . . W, 39-38 11/14 at Rutgers . . . . . . . . . W, 31-14 11/27 IOWA . . . . . . . . . . . . . L, 20-28 12/26 vs. UCLA . . . . . . . . . . W, 37-29 Nebraska Jordan Westerkamp leads a group of talent- ed receivers who could flourish with the Big Ten's only 3,000-yard passer from a season ago returning. Nebraska Cornhuskers OCT. 22 MEMORIAL STADIUM TIME: TBA • TV: TBA COACH: MIKE RILEY RECORD AT NEBRASKA: 6-7 (ONE SEASON) RECORD VS. PURDUE: 0-1 2016 Schedule 9/3 FRESNO STATE 9/10 WYOMING 9/17 OREGON 9/24 at Northwestern 10/1 Illinois 10/15 at Indiana 10/22 Purdue 10/29 at Wisconsin 11/5 at Ohio State 11/12 MINNESOTA 11/19 MARYLAND 11/25 at Iowa G O L D A N D B L AC K 'S E A R LY L I N E : N E B R A S K A - 9 Nebraska has a manageable conference schedule as it plays only Ohio State of the big four East Division opponents (OSU, Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State). Arguably, Purdue has the easiest crossover, playing only Penn State and at home. When Purdue defeated Nebraska 55-45 on Halloween last fall, it marked the first time in the history of Cornhuskers' football that the school had lost six games before the end of the month of October. 2016 Opponent Preview Purdue: Nebraska: Minnesota: Iowa: Illinois: Northwestern: Wisconsin: @ @ @ @ @ @ @