GOODBYE GIFT
Nearly 30 years have passed. Times have changed, as they always do.
On December 10, 1997, four days after No. 2 Nebraska defeated No. 14 Texas A&M 54-15 in the Big 12 Championship game in San Antonio, a Wednesday, Tom Osborne held a news conference in the South Stadium lounge to announce his retirement following the Orange Bowl.
The 12-0 Huskers were to play No. 3 Tennessee January 2.
The day before, No. 1 Michigan played, and defeated No. 8 Washington State 21-16 in the Rose Bowl, which was locked into the Big Ten and Pac-10. A Nebraska-Michigan bowl matchup couldn’t happen.
A headline in the USA Today sports section the day before the Rose Bowl said: “Title is Michigan’s to win.” The subhead said: “Nebraska, Tennessee wait it out.”
The story, by noted sports writer Steve Weiberg, said if the Wolverines defeated Washington State, they “should wrap up college football’s national championship in maize and blue.”
And they did, according to the Associated Press poll, anyway, a vote of sports media.Michigan had 1,731.5 points, including 51.5 first-place votes, Nebraska 1,698.5, and 18.5.
But wait, there’s more . . .
First, the Orange Bowl, Nebraska’s 11th under Osborne, against Tennessee, which came to Miami with an 11-1 record under the direction of All-America quarterback Peyton Manning. The Volunteers had won nine in a row following a 33-20 loss at then-No. 3 Florida.
There was some question whether Manning would play. He was dealing with a knee problem. Nebraska defensive tackle Jason Peter was dealing with back spasms. But he played, as did Manning.
The Huskers scored first, with 1:10 remaining in the first quarter. I-back Ahman Green carried the final yard, one of an Orange Bowl record 206 on 29 carries. He scored another touchdown, on a 22-yard run with 29 seconds remaining in a 21-point third quarter, and was named Nebraska’s game MVP.
Wide receiver Shevin Wiggins scored Nebraska’s second touchdown on a 10-yard run early in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead. A Volunteer field goal made the score 14-3 at halftime.
Then the floodgates opened. Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost scored touchdowns on runs of 1 and 13 yards in the third quarter and 9 yards in the fourth to make the score 42-9.
Back-up quarterback Tee Martin tossed a 3-yard touchdown pass and a 2-point conversion, with 58 seconds remaining, to make the final 42-17. Manning, who threw a 5-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter, finished 21-of-31 for 134 yards, with one interception. He was sacked once, by Mike Rucker. Eric Warfield made the interception. Peter led the Huskers with seven tackles, six unassisted.
Manning went to the Nebraska locker room afterward to congratulate Osborne and the Huskers.
Green was asked if Osborne had been different during bowl preparations after announcing he was stepping down and would be replaced by assistant head coach and running backs coach Frank Solich.
No, Green said, “he was poised as usual.”
What did he say to the team after the game?
“He just told us he loved coaching us,” said Green. “He loved the coaches that he coached with over the past 25 years, and to give him a win like this, he just couldn’t put it into words. I can’t put it into words myself because he’s been a great, great guy to the team.”
As for a national championship?
“My thought on it is something we can’t control,” Green said.
As it turned out the Huskers could. Based on the decisive victory against No. 3 and being 13-0, Frost made an impassioned play post-game. And coaches who voted in the UPI poll responded.
Nebraska was the UPI champion, Michigan the AP, the 10th time teams shared the national championship since 1950. Nebraska shared it with Texas in 1970, when the final UPI poll was released before bowl games. The Longhorns lost to No. 6 Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, 24-11, and No. 2 Ohio State lost to No. 12 Stanford, 27-17, in the Rose Bowl, while the No. 3 Huskers defeated No. 5 LSU, 17-12, in the Orange Bowl to earn the AP national title—Nebraska’s first of five
The fifth was Osborne’s third in four seasons, a parting gift you might say.
Mike Babcock
