After struggling out of the gate to a 3-6 record and a recent loss to Purdue, Coach Mike Riley is refuses to let the bad times get the best of him nor his players.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln athletic department announced that today that Riley is giving his players participation trophies in a move intended to boost morale. The trophies will have slogans like “Big 10 player,” “College Football Player,” and “You did your best.”

While pundits and fans are complaining that the trophies reward sub-par performance, Riley is sure that the awards will give his players the confidence to perform.

“We’ve have not played up to our ability,” Riley said with a smile. “But, hey, we’ve all made mistakes, I just want to reward these guys for being the best players they can be.”

Reports indicated that spirits were down in the Nebraska locker room before the introduction of Riley’s trophy program. They remind players that there’s always a next game.

“I cannot complete a pass over 20 yards to save my life,” said Huskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. “But when a trophy appeared in my locker saying ‘I don’t care how mediocre your passing game is, you’re still my QB,’ it gave me the courage to go out there and try harder.”

“I started the season on the DL and haven’t gotten comfortable in the new scheme,” said wide receiver De’Mornay Pierson-El. “So when coach personally gave me a trophy for ‘Best name on team,’ it slightly lessened the misery of being last in the Big Ten West.”

Although this is not the start he was hoping for, Riley is optimistic that these trophies are just one step in the right direction.

“I believe that it is important to focus on improvements and what we did right than to dwell on past mistakes,” Riley said. “Trust me, I’m the guy responsible for NFL career of Ryan Leaf.”