Two minutes, 54 seconds into the game, Nebraska football led Iowa State 14-0 on the way to a 49-17 victory at Memorial Stadium in mid-November 1993. The AP fourth-ranked Huskers improved to 10-0.
It happened this way. Mike Minter forced a fumble on the opening kickoff. Tyrone Williams recovered at the Iowa State 27-yard line and three plays later, quarterback Tommie Frazier scored from 1 yard out. On the first play of the Cyclones’ following series, Mike Anderson forced a fumble. Williams recovered at the Iowa State 20 and four plays later, I-back Calvin Jones scored from a yard out.
Nebraska increased its lead to 21-0 on Frazier’s 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Gerald Armstrong with 8:23 remaining in the first quarter.
Iowa State managed a touchdown before the quarter ended and added a second-quarter field goal to pull within 21-10 at halftime. But Nebraska scored 14 points each in the third and fourth quarters, the final touchdown following a Barron Miles blocked punt. He recovered the ball at the Cyclone 23-yard line and returned it 2 yards. Three plays later, Clinton Childs scored from a yard out.
Damon Benning, like Childs a back-up I-back, also scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run.
Jones was the starting I-back, of course, and he showed why, rushing for 208 yards and the second touchdown on 26 carries. He became the third Husker with 3,000 career-rushing yards and climbed to second on the all-time list, behind 1983 Heisman Trophy-winner Mike Rozier.
Jones, who came to Nebraska from Omaha Central High, achieved his total despite having to leave the game three times to catch his breath. The junior suffered from asthma.
Frazier was similarly impressive, rushing for 125 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries and completing 4-of-10 passes for 68 yards and the Armstrong touchdown, with no interceptions.
Only 10 passes? Nebraska rolled over the Cyclones on the ground, rushing for 438 yards. Sixty-one of the Huskers’ 71 plays from scrimmage were runs.
Linebacker Ed Stewart led the Blackshirts with 14 tackles, 10 of them unassisted. Outside linebacker Trev Alberts had 10 tackles, a sack and three tackles-for-loss, breaking Nebraska’s career record. The sack, his 15th, tied the school single-season record held by Jim Skow (1985).
Fan chatter surrounding the game focused on the national rankings. As noted, Nebraska was fourth in the AP media poll — third in the coaches’ poll. “The polls, to me, have about become a humorous thing,” Coach Tom Osborne said. And that day’s results seemed to support his comment.
Top-ranked Florida State lost to second-ranked Notre Dame 31-24. That left the Fighting Irish, Nebraska, Ohio State and Auburn as the only undefeated teams. Auburn was on NCAA probation so not included in the coaches’ poll and seventh in the AP rankings. Ohio State, fifth-ranked, had tied Wisconsin the previous week, dropping from third to fifth in the polls. Miami, its one loss to Florida State, was third-ranked by the AP, fourth by the coaches. The Hurricanes defeated unranked Rutgers.
Despite the loss, and Nebraska’s win, Florida State remained ahead of the Huskers in the AP poll, second, with Notre Dame first. Nebraska did, however, move ahead of Miami to third in the AP rankings — second by the coaches, ahead of Florida State.
The AP poll seemed the most prominent, though. Humorous?
No Husker fans were laughing.
