Nebraska's 1983 Orange Bowl Loss Set to Music

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HuskerJosh

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From ESPN's Page 2, ranking sports moments in the 80's and using a song to describe it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story.../partone/090706

26. Nebraska goes for two against Miami in 1984 Orange Bowl -- and fails

Song title: Can Only Get Better / Howard Jones

The Huskers were hailed as one of college football's greatest teams after going 12-0 and averaging 52 points per game. Heisman winner Mike Rozier rushed for 2,148 yards and 29 TDs. Coach Tom Osborne was seeking his first national championship and the Huskers were heavy favorites over No. 5 Miami -- which was appearing in only its second bowl game since 1967. Freshman quarterback Bernie Kosar staked Miami to a 17-0 lead. Nebraska rallied to tie, but Miami surged back ahead 31-17 in the third quarter. With Rozier injured, reserve running back Jeff Smith scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a 24-yard run with 48 seconds left (on fourth-and-8). All Osborne had to do was kick the extra point and the national championship would be his (No. 2 Texas had lost earlier in the day). In the gutsiest decision in sports history, Osborne went for two. Miami defensive back Ken Calhoun knocked down Turner Gill's pass and Miami vaulted all the way to No. 1 to win its first national title.

Anyone know that song? I'm a little young for it I think.

 
tmfr15 said:
I am so tired of reliving this moment. It sucked. TO won his titles. Can we finally move on already?
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I'm not sure why you'd want to just forget one of the greatest games ever played. Yeah we lost, but that loss holds more honor than many of our wins.

I'd rather hang my hat on that loss than just about any of our non-conference wins from the 1980s against Middle Directional State University.

Some losses are nothing to be ashamed of, and this is one of them. We played our butts off and lost to a better team. No harm in that.

 
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Just out of curiosity will that loss effect how Nebraska Fans re-act to Howard Schnellenberger and FAU?

I know if we were going to Oaklahoma, it would be REAL ugly. But Im not sure how NU feels about Howard now and the fact that he led that Miami team to victory.

 
That game is ancient history. I suppose had we not won three MNC's since then some people would still hold a grudge, but since we did I think most people are inclined to look back on that game with more fondness than anything else. Husker fans don't think about Schnellenberger when they think about that game. They think about the decision to go for two, and the results of that play.

It probably also helps a little that the last time Nebraska played a Schnellenberger team we destroyed them 37-0 (Oklahoma, 1995).

 
knapplc said:
tmfr15 said:
I am so tired of reliving this moment. It sucked. TO won his titles. Can we finally move on already?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure why you'd want to just forget one of the greatest games ever played. Yeah we lost, but that loss holds more honor than many of our wins.

I'd rather hang my hat on that loss than just about any of our non-conference wins from the 1980s against Middle Directional State University.

Some losses are nothing to be ashamed of, and this is one of them. We played our butts off and lost to a better team. No harm in that.
Click to expand...
The 93 (was it 93?) game against FSU. I was never so proud of those guys after a loss.

Although I couldn't agree more with your post, it still really bugs me that Miami got the title simply by default. At least that is how I see it. Of course, these days, we have OT and the XP topic would have been a mute point. If OT existed back then, just think of all the years of talking about this we would have been deprived of!

 
We had to live with this loss for over a decade. And we heard about it everytime Dr. Tom tried to win the title. I remember the intro video to the Orange Bowl the year that we finally won the NC. The script said that Nebraska's story was a repetitive one....time and time again turned away from the national title, just like in 1983. And, when the game got hot late, the broadcasters kept saying....Nebraska has been here before, and lost.

We played well back in 1983, but, let's not forget, we should have won that game. That was one of the best NU teams ever. Ask the players and they will tell you that they don't look back on that game and think that the loss was OK. They are still disappointed about it. So am I.

 
tmfr15 said:
We had to live with this loss for over a decade. And we heard about it everytime Dr. Tom tried to win the title. I remember the intro video to the Orange Bowl the year that we finally won the NC. The script said that Nebraska's story was a repetitive one....time and time again turned away from the national title, just like in 1983. And, when the game got hot late, the broadcasters kept saying....Nebraska has been here before, and lost.

We played well back in 1983, but, let's not forget, we should have won that game. That was one of the best NU teams ever. Ask the players and they will tell you that they don't look back on that game and think that the loss was OK. They are still disappointed about it. So am I.
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And that senior class had 2 #1 overall draft picks. Only time ever.

Fryer to NFL and Rozier to WFL

 
HuskerJosh said:
From ESPN's Page 2, ranking sports moments in the 80's and using a song to describe it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story.../partone/090706

26. Nebraska goes for two against Miami in 1984 Orange Bowl -- and fails

Song title: Can Only Get Better / Howard Jones

The Huskers were hailed as one of college football's greatest teams after going 12-0 and averaging 52 points per game. Heisman winner Mike Rozier rushed for 2,148 yards and 29 TDs. Coach Tom Osborne was seeking his first national championship and the Huskers were heavy favorites over No. 5 Miami -- which was appearing in only its second bowl game since 1967. Freshman quarterback Bernie Kosar staked Miami to a 17-0 lead. Nebraska rallied to tie, but Miami surged back ahead 31-17 in the third quarter. With Rozier injured, reserve running back Jeff Smith scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a 24-yard run with 48 seconds left (on fourth-and-8). All Osborne had to do was kick the extra point and the national championship would be his (No. 2 Texas had lost earlier in the day). In the gutsiest decision in sports history, Osborne went for two. Miami defensive back Ken Calhoun knocked down Turner Gill's pass and Miami vaulted all the way to No. 1 to win its first national title.

Anyone know that song? I'm a little young for it I think.
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Listen at your own risk.

always played in my head when Rozier carried the ball...The song sucked just as much as howard's so of course the Lincoln radio stations played it every 20 minutes that year...Plus Pears, Lucky Lady, most Dentist offices...

wQUHj6EL_AU

 
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junior4949 said:
Plus, no game should ever end in a tie. I'm glad the NCAA finally put OT in div. 1 football.
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That's why I grew to love hating Penn State and Notre Dame..pretty much tOSU and Mechicken too.

JoPa seemed to like collecting ties even more than a Father on Father's day with unimaginative kids..

But again..I'm glad TO was able to show his "Stuff" to the world and not be tempted by an OT.

knapplc said:
tmfr15 said:
I am so tired of reliving this moment. It sucked. TO won his titles. Can we finally move on already?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure why you'd want to just forget one of the greatest games ever played. Yeah we lost, but that loss holds more honor than many of our wins.

I'd rather hang my hat on that loss than just about any of our non-conference wins from the 1980s against Middle Directional State University.

Some losses are nothing to be ashamed of, and this is one of them. We played our butts off and lost to a better team. No harm in that.
Click to expand...
Call me a masochist, but that's still one of my favourite Husker memories.

And no..We did not lose to a better team..if we could've played them nine more times. we'd have won 12 of them.

I'd almost go so far as to say that loss was better than another MNC.

Even though it was almost a decade later, (when I moved out here). People at parties or at bars would see my Husker T-shirt or ball cap (I always wore one or the other when I went out chasin') and they'd buy me a beer or give me one of these :thumbs :worship and almost always say how much they respected Ozzy for the gutsy call and how much they became a fan of NEBRASKA after that..

After we started stockpiling Sears trophies, I got booed a lot or had to buy some of them beers.

(and try to defend fellow Husker fans that didn't exactly win with the grace we had "back in the day").

 
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OwlFamily said:
Just out of curiosity will that loss effect how Nebraska Fans re-act to Howard Schnellenberger and FAU?

I know if we were going to Oklahoma, it would be REAL ugly. But I’m not sure how NU feels about Howard now and the fact that he led that Miami team to victory.
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I think we exorcised those demons in 1997, handing Schnellenberger a 69-0 loss in Lincoln for T.O.’s 250th career win.

I’m sure it will be a small storyline that week though.

 
Dundermifflinite said:
I think we exorcised those demons in 1997, handing Schnellenberger a 69-0 loss in Lincoln for T.O.’s 250th career win.
I’m sure it will be a small storyline that week though.
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Schnellenberger coached OU in 1995, for just the one season. John Blake was the coach when we demolished them in 1997 for #250.

It went Barry Switzer, Gary Gibbs, Schnellenberger, Blake, then Stoops. Gibbs coached six years, then one year of Schnellenberger, three of Blake (all losing seasons), and then they skyrocketed with Stoops again.

 
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The only reason I know is when we hired Bo I was saying that lots of programs have these rough transitions when they go from a legendary coach. OU went through three coaches before they got to Stoops, another legend in the making. We went through two after Osborne, and (hopefully) Bo is the next Big Thing.

 
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