Depending on the poll, Nebraska football was first (Coaches) or second (Associated Press) going into the Orange Bowl game against Florida State, second or first, on January 1, 1994.
And the scoreboard would tell the tale: Florida State 18, Nebraska 16.
The previously unbeaten Huskers came within seconds, or a second, of winning.
“As far as I’m concerned, we won,” Coach Tom Osborne said. “They (Huskers) didn’t win on the scoreboard, but they did what they had to do. They played great football, and we could have won it just as easily as we lost it. I doubt if we’ll ever get voted the championship now. There may be folks somewhere who say, ‘Yeah, they got one loss but Florida State does, too.’
“That would be nice. The main thing is playing like champions; they did that.”
First, consider the finish. With 1:16 remaining, Nebraska led 16-15. Florida State had the ball, first down at its 35-yard line. Eight plays later, the Seminoles’ Scott Bentley kicked his fourth field goal of the game, in five attempts, a 22-yarder with 21 seconds remaining.
That was the game-winner, but not the end of the game’s excitement. The Huskers had first-and-10 at their 43-yard line following a 23-yard Barron Miles return. On first down, Tommie Frazier’s pass to tight end Trumane Bell fell incomplete. On second down, Frazier and Bell connected on a 29-yard pass, after which Frazier immediately called a timeout. One second remained.
Florida State fans began storming the field. Officials had to get them off so Nebraska’s Byron Bennett could attempt a 47-yard field goal for the win. It missed left. The Seminoles had pulled it out.
They might not if the officials hadn’t called a block-in-the-back penalty on Nebraska, nullifying what would have been a touchdown on 71-yard punt return by Corey Dixon in the first quarter.
An NBC television replay indicated there might not have been a penalty.
Then there was uncertainty about Florida State’s lone touchdown, by William Floyd from 1-yard out early in the second half. Floyd fumbled and Husker linebacker Mike Anderson recovered the ball. But the officials ruled Floyd had had reached the goal line.
Again, television replay indicated he might not have.
The officials from the Big East Conference had issues, according to NBC’s broadcaster team, Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy. “This will give the Cornhuskers something to chew on in Lincoln this winter,” Enberg said at the telecast’s end.
As had been the case all season, Nebraska was less than full strength during the game. I-back Calvin Jones and wingback Abdul Muhammad missed the second half with injuries.
Frazier was Nebraska’s leading rusher with a net of 77 yards on 14 carries. Lawrence Phillips carried 13 time for 64 yards, 12 of the carries for 48 yards in the fourth quarter. Frazier completed 13-of-24 passes for 206 yards and a 34-yarder to Reggie Baul for the game’s first touchdown.
But Frazier also threw two interceptions.
Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward completed an Orange Bowl-record 24 passes in 43 attempts for 283 yards. He was sacked five times, including three by outside linebacker Trev Alberts and one each by outside linebacker Dwayne Harris and free safety John Reece. Bowl statistics weren’t included in season totals at the time, so Alberts’ record-tying sack and career-sacks total didn’t increase.
The Blackshirts held Florida State, which ranked first nationally in total offense, to 333 yards, and again, only the one controversial Floyd touchdown.
“I’m glad Bobby Bowden got his national championship,” Osborne said. “I’m sorry we didn’t. Maybe, like I said, someone will vote us a national championship. Who knows what people will do?”
Osborne was complimentary, as was Florida State’s Bowden, sort of.
“Nebraska deserved to win it,” he said. “They deserved to win it as much as we did.”
But, Bowden said, “I think Notre Dame and Florida State are the best two teams in the country. I think the national championship should be based on the whole season and not just one game.”
Florida State’s loss was to Notre Dame, which lost to Boston College in the final week of the regular season before defeating Texas A&M 24-21 in the Cotton Bowl. So instead of finishing third, Notre Dame moved up to second and Nebraska dropped to third in both polls.
