Post-game nuggets from NU's 38-24 loss to Tennessee

Here are some quick notes to pass along from Nebraska’s post-game press conference following Friday night’s 38-24 loss to Tennessee in the Music City Bowl…

***Head coach Mike Riley said Tennessee did two of the biggest things Nebraska couldn’t allow them to do: get a steady, heavy pass rush and then get big plays on offense. Riley said the 59-yard touchdown pass the Volunteers got after NU cut the deficit to seven midway through the fourth quarter was the biggest turning point of the game.

***Riley said the athleticism of quarterback Josh Dobbs was a major factor in the game. Not only did he throw the ball well, he was abel to extend plays with his feet and did some of his biggest damages off of scrambles.

***Riley said the other big issue for NU was giving up leverage and positioning in coverage, which allowed Tennessee’s receivers to get open far too easily.

***Riley praised the play of quarterback Ryker Fyfe, and that his play down the stretch allowed Nebraska to rally back as the game went on.

***Riley said the experience the Huskers got in the loss would be good for the team going forward. He said the process of establishing leadership for next season will begin as soon as the team lands in Lincoln, but some guys were already taking steps in that regard in the locker room after the game.

***Fyfe said Tennessee’s star defensive end was a great player, even if it may have been a bit reluctantly.

“Barnett is a good player, obviously,” Fyfe said. “I hate to say it, but he is. He talked a lot of trash out there, but yeah, he's a good player.”

***Fyfe left the game after Barnett sacked him late in the fourth quarter. Fyfe said was “seeing stars” after the play and thinks he may have suffered a mild concussion.

***Senior defensive end Ross Dzuris said not only was defending Tennessee’s over speed a big challenge, but add in the tempo and depth the Volunteers had and it was even more difficult. Dzuris said once UT would get going on a drive, they would pick up the pace and be able to sub in backup skill players who were just as good as the starters.

***Receiver Brandon Reilly said his message to the younger guys on the team after the game was: “It’s your show now. Be accountable and hold the other guys to that high standard. Don't let your opportunities slip away.”

***Nebraska appeared in its 53rd all-time bowl game with today’s Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl appearance. The loss dropped the Huskers to 26-27 all-time in bowl games, including a 13-8 mark against SEC opponents. The Huskers dropped to 2-1 in bowl games against Tennessee.

***Nebraska’s four-win improvement from 2015 to 2016 marked the sixth time in school history Nebraska improved by four or more wins in a season.

***Senior receiver Brandon Reilly tied a Nebraska bowl record with two receiving touchdowns, a 38-yarder in the second quarter and a nine-yarder in the third quarter. The touchdown catches were the first two of the 2016 season for Riley and gave him six in his career. Five other Huskers have caught two touchdowns in a bowl game, most recently Quincy Enunwa in the 2014 Gator Bowl vs. Georgia.

***Reilly’s two touchdown receptions tied the Music City Bowl record. Reilly became the fifth player in Music City Bowl history with two touchdown catches.

***Reilly’s 38-yard touchdown reception was then a season-long catch for Riley and the longest of Reilly’s six career touchdown catches. Reilly later added a 39-yard catch to better the 38-yarder and finished the game with four receptions for 98 yards, the eighth-most receiving yards in a bowl game in Nebraska history.

***Senior quarterback Ryker Fyfe completed 17-of-36 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Fyfe’s 243 passing yards were the second-most in Nebraska bowl history, trailing Tommy Armstrong Jr.’s 381 passing yards in the 2014 Holiday Bowl vs. USC. Fyfe’s fourth-quarter 39-yard pass to Brandon Reilly was a season-long pass.

***Bryan Reimers had a career-long 24-yard reception in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with career highs of two receptions for 26 yards.

***True freshman Lamar Jackson made his first career start at cornerback in today’s game. Jackson made a career-high eight tackles in the game, bettering his previous high of five.

***Sophomore I-back Devine Ozigbo had a career-long 42-yard run in the third quarter, bettering his previous long of 31 yards at Illinois in 2015. Ozigbo finished with 66 yards on seven carries.

***Senior defensive end Ross Dzuris had three tackles for loss today, increasing his team-leading total to 13 TFL in 2016.

***Junior receiver De’Mornay Pierson-El caught a team-high five passes for 49 yards. Pierson-El now has 13 receptions in his two career bowl games including a Nebraska bowl record eight catches against USC in the 2014 Holiday Bowl. The Nebraska career record for bowl receptions is 15 by Kenny Bell in four bowl games.

***Freshman punter Caleb Lightbourn averaged 42.7 yards on seven punts, including a long of 50 yards.

***Nebraska had a third-quarter fumble, ending a streak of 3 ½ games without a turnover. Nebraska’s previous turnover occurred in the second half of the Ohio State game.