Husker 1995 Flashback

[SwiftFan87]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5dgHH_m8dU

[beanman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5dgHH_m8dU

 

Great find. I gotta say, I remember every play of that game nearly, but don't recall any of the national predictions so I enjoyed seeing these for the first time.

[TheCheshireCat]

I love Lee Corso's ingenious reasoning that it would be the grass vs. turf that would decide the winner.

[ESPY]

I remember thinking we would destroy FL knowing how many people were picking them to defeat us that game. It was unbelievable to think we were the underdog going in - talk about a chip on your shoulder. Admittedly, I totesmagotes forgot the grass vs artificial turf arguments leading up to the game (probably one of the dumbest things I've ever heard). I mean, have you heard that argument used in any big games since then? I don't think so

[huskeraddict]

Assign two men to Frazier? They tried all 11 and it didn't work.

[ESPY]

Tell you what, that game was almost over before it began. Remember Florida's 1st drive? Farley dropped what would've been an easy pick6. Wuerffel didn't even see him .... oh, that would've been sweeeeeeet

[JTrain]

Corso: Florida will win it with the running game (draw plays)

 

Florida's leading rusher had six carries for six yards. As a team, they rushed for negative 28 yards.

 

Predictions are for entertainment and don't amount to much more than educated guesses, but I still had to point out that one.

[shyndy]

i like how Bowden basically said not to count us out when that interviewer was being all biased toward Florida in his questioning.

[cornhuskers4ever]

I remember a short time before the 1996 Fiesta Bowl I was at a barber shop, probably getting my hair cut nice for Christmas so around the 22nd or 23rd, and I picked up a Sports Illustrated magazine that gave the run down of the Fiesta Bowl. There was a cartoon of Florida's players and Spurrier in Formula One Racing Cars and Tom Osborne and the Cornhuskers in Steam Rollers, saying that Nebraska was gonna be too slow I guess. The final outcome that SI's writer predicted was "Florida will be bruised and battered but #1" The barber, Dean, had me sit down in the chair and asked what I thought of the article. I told him how much of a die hard Cornhusker Fan I was and he told me how long he's been rooting for the Cornhuskers, while showing me the walls in his shop which was pretty much a Cornhusker Shrine, "Son.." He said, "There is no way Nebraska is gonna lose this one... In fact, Nebraska is gonna blow them away."

 

So many people counted Nebraska out before the bowl game. I wonder if they even saw Nebraska play in 1995?

[husker rob]

i was at that game, and was at the Tempe block party that was before the game. all of the Florida fans said that Nebraska wouldnt be able to keep up with the speed of Florida and all of that.

 

after the 3 qtr there wasnt any florida fans around to talk sh#t to

[T_O_Bull]

All I remember is how slow Farley and Washington looked . There was also the fact that Florida had a great scheme for defending Frazier after all, "Look at Tommie Frazier, how many tackles can one man break... touch down Tommie Fraaaaaaaazzzier."

 

National Championship Game on Tuesday night. How stuuuuupid.

 

T_O_B

:cheers :bonez

[T_O_Bull]

For all you guys who were to young to stay up for a game played on a school night:

 

Pregame hype

The game was billed as a classic #1 vs. #2 matchup, featuring two completely different but equally potent offenses.

 

Nebraska, the defending national champion, opened the season by defeating Oklahoma State by a score of 64-21. During the 1995 season, no opponent came within 13 points, including three Top-10 ranked opponents whom the Huskers defeated by a combined score of 134-49. The Huskers averaged nearly 53 points a game and 400 yards rushing, both NCAA records at the time.

 

Florida, behind the passing of future Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel, had racked up similarly impressive offensive numbers, though mostly through the air, and had emerged through a brutal Southeastern Conference schedule unbeaten, having throttled rivals Tennessee and Florida State, and whipping Arkansas 34-3 in the SEC championship game. Florida, like Nebraska, had rarely been tested; its closest margin of victory being 11 points.

 

Experts and oddsmakers had made Florida a slight favorite going into the game, as it was thought that Nebraska's option attack would not succeed very well on Sun Devil Stadium's grass field, and that Wuerffel's passing arm would be too deadly for Nebraska to stop.

 

[edit] First Quarter

Florida received the opening kickoff and drove to the Nebraska 5, before settling for a 23 yard Edmiston field goal. Aided by good field position, the Huskers countered on their opening series with a 53 yard scoring drive, capped by a 16-yard cross-field throwback pass from Tommie Frazier to Lawrence Phillips. The Huskers missed the extra point but led 6-3. Late in the period, Florida went back ahead on a short 1-yard sneak from Wuerffel and led 10-6. As the Gators scored, the CBS announcer stated 'Nebraska better not get too far behind.'

 

[edit] Second Quarter

The Huskers exploded for 29 unanswered points and with it, took control of the game and of the national title. Phillips began the quarter with a dazzling 42-yard touchdown run that put the Huskers back in front. On the very next possession, Florida took over at its own 22, but was pushed back into the shadow of its own end zone. On second down, the Huskers appeared to have sacked Wuerffel in the end zone for a safety, but officials ruled his forward progress had brought him out to the 1. On the very next play from scrimmage, Jamel Williams blitzed and sacked Wuerffel untouched in the middle of the end zone, forcing the resulting safety that had been denied from the play before, and the score was 15-10. A 1-yard dive from freshman Ahman Green and a Kris Brown field goal made the margin 15 points. Then, cornerback Michael Booker picked off a Wuerffel pass and returned it 42 yards for another Nebraska score, this one making it 32-10. Nebraska quickly forced a punt and added a second Brown field goal to take a decisive 35-10 advantage into the locker room.

 

[edit] Third Quarter

Florida continued to struggle against Nebraska's aggressive, blitzing defense. On their first possession of the second half, Wuerffel was intercepted by Eric Stokes at the NU 28. The Huskers' first two possessions both ventured deep into Florida territory before turning it over on an interception and on downs. Frazier then broke through the line for a blazing 35-yard touchdown run later in the third, putting the Huskers further in front at 42-10. Florida countered with a 77-yard scoring drive, capped by a 35-yard pass from Wuerffel to Ike Hilliard, and a 2-point conversion made the score 42-18. The Huskers took over possession at their own 20 with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter. What followed was one of the most memorable plays in Nebraska football and Fiesta Bowl history.

 

[edit] The run

Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier had finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting, behind Ohio State running back Eddie George. Disappointed with this result, Frazier had set out to show Heisman voters (who some felt may have been reluctant to vote for an option quarterback due to a lack of huge passing numbers) that they had made a mistake. On second down from the NU 25, Frazier ran an option play to the right, and decided to keep the ball rather than pitch. He gained 11 yards before being met by a group of Florida defenders at the 36 yard line, which he then dragged approximately 10 yards before shrugging them off and breaking free, streaking 75 yards down the sideline to give Nebraska a 49-18 lead. Frazier had broken no less than seven tackles on the play. Frazier would finish the game with 199 yards rushing, the most ever for a quarterback in NCAA history up to that point. Nebraska also set records for most rushing yards in a bowl game, with 524, and the most points in the second quarter of a bowl game, with 29.

 

[edit] Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter was something of an anti-climax, with the result having more or less been decided. Nebraska backup quarterback Brook Berringer came in to relieve Frazier and led the Huskers on two more scoring drives, the latter of which he capped himself with a 3-yard scoring run, and the Huskers led 62-18. Reidel Anthony of Florida returned the ensuing kickoff 92 yards to end the scoring.

 

Florida attempted a two point conversion, but the quarterback was sacked and appeared to fumble. Nebraska defensive tackle Christian Peter recovered to return it for two points (high-stepping the last 20 yards to the amusement/bemusement of the crowd) but the play had been blown dead.

 

Third-string quarterback Matt Turman drove the Huskers into Florida territory before taking a knee to run out the clock, and Nebraska had won 62-24, and with it, claimed a second consecutive national championship. They were the first team to win back-to-back titles since Alabama in 1978-1979.

 

[edit] Epilogue

The 1995 Nebraska squad has been voted as the greatest college football team of all-time in many surveys, including the all-time Sagarin ratings.[1] An ESPN poll has them at #3, only behind the 1971 Huskers and 1972 USC Trojans.[2]

 

Though they had been badly beaten, Florida would come back in 1996 to win a national championship of their own, with Danny Wuerffel winning the Heisman trophy. Nebraska would be unable to "three-peat" in 1996, having been upset twice, first at Arizona State and then later by Texas in the inaugural Big XII Championship game. However, the Huskers would return in 1997, splitting the national title with Michigan and sending retiring coach Tom Osborne out a winner.

 

Now that is a Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner.

 

T_O_B

 

[ESPY]

For all you guys who were to young to stay up for a game played on a school night

I pity the fool whose parents put him to bed early that Tuesday night.

[SaturnDrew]

For all you guys who were to young to stay up for a game played on a school night

I pity the fool whose parents put him to bed early that Tuesday night.

 

LOL---I had to finish my homework before the game or I couldn't watch it. (I think it was an empty threat, but like hell I was going to risk that.)

[Enhance]

I remember watching the first half of the game, and then being too bored to keep watching, I went to play with hot wheels.

 

But hey, I was only 6.