bethelbacker Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 LINK WHEN A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IS NOT ENOUGH On Monday, Jan. 2, 1984, the undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers lost the Orange Bowl and lost the national title when the Miami Hurricanes beat them 31-30. Nebraska's powerhouse offense featured Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier at running back, future first-round draft pick Irving Fryar at wide receiver and All-American Turner Gill at quarterback. During the 1983 season, the Huskers averaged 52 points and had scored at least 63 points in five games. Gill was shattered. His pass to running back Jeff Smith on a two-point conversion attempt would have given Nebraska a 32-31 victory, but was tipped away by Miami safety Ken Calhoun at the last moment. The pain welled up in him as he walked off the field. "It hurt from the inside," Gill says. "Like it was coming on me from somewhere deep." Days later, at a college all-star game, he felt numb as he walked the sidelines behind the bench, replaying that last pass in his head: "I could see him catch it. I could erase the throw and start over, throw it just a little further out, beyond that other guy's fingertips." Now, as a head coach himself, it's not the pass Gill replays but the moment just before it, when Huskers coach Tom Osborne decided to go for two points. A point-after kick would have tied the game and secured the national championship, but Osborne wanted something more. The guys on the team had whispered it, "13-0," all season. It was a mantra. It was the difference between running and not running one more set of sprints at practice. It was the difference between kicking it and going for two. Every time they said it, they were making a promise. It was who they were, all they wanted. As time passes and memory softens, you find yourself still holding on to the desire, he says. Turner Gill was once the guy in Huskers red and white, rolling right and floating that ball toward Smith, reaching for No. 13. Gill, bright blue ball cap on, now the coach at the University at Buffalo, is the guy who knows perfection isn't a number at all: "The chase is the thing, the drive, something inside you that wants to be truly great and won't settle and won't ever be satisfied. That's perfect. That's as close as you can get." Quote Link to comment
DeathCultArmaggedon Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 LINK "The chase is the thing, the drive, something inside you that wants to be truly great and won't settle and won't ever be satisfied. That's perfect. That's as close as you can get." Awesome. Quote Link to comment
Cy the Cyclone Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 You really want to know why Nebraska lost that Orange Bowl game? Well...your looking at him! That's right! Good old Cy ruined that story book 1983 season for you! Bwahahahaha! Nebraska vs ISU in Ames, 1983. Colder than hell.... We got our asses kicked good...70 something to 29...where we spent most of the game watching Rozier run by us...and around us...and over us. Anyway, idiot of the year Criner thought he'd be teaching us some kind of moral victory lesson by keeping all the regulars in the whole game (Criner was the 80's version of Callahan...with less charisma)...and by the end, Cy was pretty pissed off...then we had to stand out there and do that "Good game" slap hands crap...just what we needed especially considering it wasn't a good game and we all kind of knew it. Anyway, going though the drill, I come upon Gill. Turner put his hand up and says "Good game man..." and I, in turn, said "good game" and then....Slapped his hand as hard as I could! That was it for Turner Gill! My super-human strength reduced him to a shadow of his former self! After that I bet he couldn't grip the ball right, couldn't move his arm properly...heck, hat's off the Turner's true toughness because most men would have needed to have their arm surgically reattached after I was done with them! And that's why Turner Gill's pass to Smith was off target... Quote Link to comment
AR Husker Fan Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 You really want to know why Nebraska lost that Orange Bowl game? Well...your looking at him! That's right! Good old Cy ruined that story book 1983 season for you! Bwahahahaha! Nebraska vs ISU in Ames, 1983. Colder than hell.... We got our asses kicked good...70 something to 29...where we spent most of the game watching Rozier run by us...and around us...and over us. Anyway, idiot of the year Criner thought he'd be teaching us some kind of moral victory lesson by keeping all the regulars in the whole game (Criner was the 80's version of Callahan...with less charisma)...and by the end, Cy was pretty pissed off...then we had to stand out there and do that "Good game" slap hands crap...just what we needed especially considering it wasn't a good game and we all kind of knew it. Anyway, going though the drill, I come upon Gill. Turner put his hand up and says "Good game man..." and I, in turn, said "good game" and then....Slapped his hand as hard as I could! That was it for Turner Gill! My super-human strength reduced him to a shadow of his former self! After that I bet he couldn't grip the ball right, couldn't move his arm properly...heck, hat's off the Turner's true toughness because most men would have needed to have their arm surgically reattached after I was done with them! And that's why Turner Gill's pass to Smith was off target... You..you bastard!!!!! Quote Link to comment
T_O_Bull Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Cy, you have to come to the spring game, I feel the need, the need to meet a truly funny character and that my friend is a compliment. First, cold one is on... >>>T_O_B Quote Link to comment
Cy the Cyclone Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Cy, you have to come to the spring game, I feel the need, the need to meet a truly funny character and that my friend is a compliment. First, cold one is on... >>>T_O_B Oh no you don't! Last time I went to a game in Lincoln I was spit on and threatened by a bunch of drunken, dope-smoking, long haired fans. All the windows in my car were smashed out, the tires were all slashed and...no, wait....that was Boulder. I hope to be able to make it...maybe I'll bring the old man. He can spend the whole game telling everybody about how wimpy football players are now compared to when he was a kid, when, according to him, they played football on a field that was covered in 30 feet of snow all year round and that ran uphill both ways...and nobody had shoes. Quote Link to comment
hack Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 You really want to know why Nebraska lost that Orange Bowl game? Well...your looking at him! That's right! Good old Cy ruined that story book 1983 season for you! Bwahahahaha! Nebraska vs ISU in Ames, 1983. Colder than hell.... We got our asses kicked good...70 something to 29...where we spent most of the game watching Rozier run by us...and around us...and over us. Anyway, idiot of the year Criner thought he'd be teaching us some kind of moral victory lesson by keeping all the regulars in the whole game (Criner was the 80's version of Callahan...with less charisma)...and by the end, Cy was pretty pissed off...then we had to stand out there and do that "Good game" slap hands crap...just what we needed especially considering it wasn't a good game and we all kind of knew it. Anyway, going though the drill, I come upon Gill. Turner put his hand up and says "Good game man..." and I, in turn, said "good game" and then....Slapped his hand as hard as I could! That was it for Turner Gill! My super-human strength reduced him to a shadow of his former self! After that I bet he couldn't grip the ball right, couldn't move his arm properly...heck, hat's off the Turner's true toughness because most men would have needed to have their arm surgically reattached after I was done with them! And that's why Turner Gill's pass to Smith was off target... this... outrage... will not be forgotten, cy... ! Quote Link to comment
BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 ^^^ And sometimes not being PC is funny! Quote Link to comment
Cy the Cyclone Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Great...now even the clowns that work in the cafeteria are after me... Quote Link to comment
hack Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 ^^^ And sometimes not being PC is funny! actually i used my mac. Quote Link to comment
Cy the Cyclone Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 ^^^ And sometimes not being PC is funny! actually i used my mac. Is it a coincidence that "Hack" rhymes with "Mac"? I think not! Behold HE WHO IS HACK (on the right for you CU alumni)...a skinny punk! Fall can't get here soon enough can it..... Quote Link to comment
walksalone Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 You really want to know why Nebraska lost that Orange Bowl game? Well...your looking at him! That's right! Good old Cy ruined that story book 1983 season for you! Bwahahahaha! Nebraska vs ISU in Ames, 1983. Colder than hell.... We got our asses kicked good...70 something to 29...where we spent most of the game watching Rozier run by us...and around us...and over us. Anyway, idiot of the year Criner thought he'd be teaching us some kind of moral victory lesson by keeping all the regulars in the whole game (Criner was the 80's v ersion of Callahan...with less charisma)...and by the end, Cy was pretty pissed off...then we had to stand out there and do that "Good game" slap hands crap...just what we needed especially considering it wasn't a good game and we all kind of knew it. Anyway, going though the drill, I come upon Gill. Turner put his hand up and says "Good game man..." and I, in turn, said "good game" and then....Slapped his hand as hard as I could! That was it for Turner Gill! My super-human strength reduced him to a shadow of his former self! After that I bet he couldn't grip the ball right, couldn't move his arm properly...heck, hat's off the Turner's true toughness because most men would have needed to have their arm surgically reattached after I was done with them! And that's why Turner Gill's pass to Smith was off target... That's almost as stupid as... link Quote Link to comment
Blackshirt316 Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 I disagree with this one. If we had made that conversion yes we would have won the national title, but it wouldn't be nearly as talked about as it is since we missed it. The fact that we went for it and missed it, knowing that a tie would win the championship makes it far more immortal than if we had just taken the tie. Saying that I don't know if theres a man alive that wouldn't trade that immortality for the title. Quote Link to comment
Huskers4ever Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 If we had made the conversion like you said, it would still be talked about because we still risked it by going for 2. It would be immortal that we went for it, regardless of whether or not the conversion succeeded or not. Quote Link to comment
Spartness Posted January 28, 2008 Share Posted January 28, 2008 Here's some homework for someone. If we made the conversion, how much time would Miami have had on the clock? I am thinking there was about 48 seconds left -- enough time for QB Bernie Kosard(sp?) to move down to field into FG range. Remember, that was probably Osborne's worst defense. If I have remembered correctly, the game wouldn't had been over. Can someone check that out? Quote Link to comment
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