As Mike Riley told the story two days before his team takes the field in a game hardly anyone is predicting it to win, you wondered if you were hearing a preview of what the Husker coach might say in a locker room just before the dinner hour Saturday night.
This was no version of an “Ah, shucks” football coach talking. This was a coach talking about preparation and belief, and he was rolling. Having been led to the subject by a question, Riley was recalling a game from 2008 when Oregon State beat No. 1 USC on a Thursday night.