Nebraska played a Troy Aikman led UCLA at the Rose Bowl in 1988. The night before the game I went to the Hollywood Bowl for a concert. At the snack stand I ran into a Nebraska fan and mentioned to him that I was going to the game. He launced into a monologue about how the Huskers were going to cream the Bruins. He brought up point after point to make his case. (It was a long line.) I have to admit that some of his points seemed cogent. I listened patiently, nodding my head and smiling. I thought of him fondly at the end of the first quarter the next afternoon when the score was UCLA 28 Nebraska 0. Oh, the good old days. I think the final score was UCLA 48, Nebraska 24 but that was only because after the first quarter Terry Donahue went into his famous shell and played very, very conservatively. It was just one of those days when UCLA could do no wrong and Nebraska could not do anything right.
But what I remember most from that game is the hit that UCLA safety Matt Darby put on Dana Brinson. Brinson was coming out of the backfield to catch a pass and has his head turned back to the Nebraska QB and Darby just unloaded on him right as the ball arrived. I could hear the hit up in my seat and I was in row 72! That had never happened before and it has never happened again since. There was actually a hush that fell over everyone around me because they thought that Brinson had been badly hurt. I was very, very glad to see him get up and walk off the field, although he was definitely groggy.
Just thought I would share.
But what I remember most from that game is the hit that UCLA safety Matt Darby put on Dana Brinson. Brinson was coming out of the backfield to catch a pass and has his head turned back to the Nebraska QB and Darby just unloaded on him right as the ball arrived. I could hear the hit up in my seat and I was in row 72! That had never happened before and it has never happened again since. There was actually a hush that fell over everyone around me because they thought that Brinson had been badly hurt. I was very, very glad to see him get up and walk off the field, although he was definitely groggy.
Just thought I would share.