Riley thankful for chance to end 2015 "on a good note"

Nebraska Football PracticeNo apologies here. Gratitude, sure. Mike Riley knows it's a holiday gift to be allowed a bowl game after a 5-7 season.

“With our circumstances this year, we certainly couldn’t count on this, but we’re going to treat it like a tremendous bonus," said the Husker head coach.

A bonus Riley wants his team to not throw away.

Riley, still out pounding the recruiting pavement after Nebraska's regular-season loss to Iowa, hasn't talked with his team yet about the Foster Farms Bowl matchup that will pit the Huskers against UCLA.

But during a 20-minute teleconference with reporters on Monday, he made it clear the high priority he places on winning this game. It is not simply just…