2025 Nebraska Offseason Thread

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Greatest Husker to wear 27: Irving Fryar, Wingback, 1981-1983

The 1983 Nebraska offense - better known as the "Scoring Explosion" - was one of the most prolific offenses in college football history.

It didn't matter what defenses did, the 1983 team went around, over or through their opponents and into every end zone they could find. The 1983 team averaged a ridiculous 52 points per game and set dozens of individual and team records.

The 1983 Cornhuskers made a dramatic statement in the original "Week 0" game: the inaugural Kickoff Classic at the New Jersey Meadowlands. It would be Nebraska's first game played in August and in the state of New Jersey. No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 4 Penn State would be another epic chapter in the Tom Osborne-Joe Paterno rivalry. Each team had won two of the previous four games. Nebraska's controversial loss in the 1982 game cost the Huskers a shot at the national championship.

The Huskers would exact their revenge. NU led 14-0 after one quarter and never looked back. A Penn State touchdown with 20 seconds left in the game saved Paterno from a shutout. Final score: 44-6.

A 56-20 blowout of Wyoming opened the home schedule before a memorable trip to Minnesota. The Huskers scored 21 points in every quarter on their way to an 84-13 annihilation of the Gophers. It remains the most points Nebraska has scored in the last century (NU beat Nebraska Wesleyan by a tidy 100-0 score in 1917).

Despite having 116 names on the roster, Big Eight rules allowed teams to take only 60 players on the road. Every Husker played before the fourth quarter started. Mike Rozier had to come back into the game late in the third quarter because his backups were getting gassed. He promptly ran for a 71-yard touchdown. Irving Fryar had 138 receiving yards… on two receptions… both in the first quarter.

It was that kind of night, and Nebraska had that kind of offense.

In the fourth game of the season (UCLA), Nebraska trailed for the first time all year, falling behind 10-0 early in the second quarter. The Huskers then scored 42 unanswered points to put the game away. The nonconference schedule ended with a 63-7 beatdown of Syracuse.*

*The Orange would remember the humiliating loss and get their revenge the following season in the Carrier Dome, 17-9. It is one of the biggest upset losses in school history.

The Big Eight schedule started with a 14-10 win at Oklahoma State. NU's 14-point total was the definition of a statistical outlier. Jimmy Johnson's Cowboys were not ranked at the time, but they finished the 1983 ranked No. 18 with an 8-4 record. The Huskers had five turnovers (four fumbles and an interception). The defense - not known as a strength of the 1983 team - saved the day by recording three interceptions, including one by safety Bret Clark in the end zone on the game's final play.

Nebraska's struggles continued the following week at Missouri, as NU led 20-13 going into the fourth quarter. But the Huskers scored twice in the fourth - including Fryar's second touchdown of the day* - to win by 21.

*Irving Fryar, who was battling the flu, sat out much of the second half. He still had seven receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns. ABC named him the player of the game.

After that, the offense started running wide open. 69-19 over Colorado, including an NCAA-record 48 points in the third quarter. 51-25 at Kansas State. 72-29 over Iowa State and 67-13 over Kansas.

Oklahoma was not ranked for their annual showdown against Nebraska, but Switzer's teams always gave Osborne fits. With 32 seconds left in the game, cornerback Neil Harris made a leaping play in the end zone to break up a pass intended for Buster Rhymes. Nebraska 28, Oklahoma 21. The win gave Osborne his third straight Big Eight title and a trip to the Orange Bowl to face Miami.

The heart and soul of the Scoring Explosion offense were quarterback Turner Gill, I-back Mike Rozier and wingback Irving Fryar. They were the rock stars - "Earth, Wind and Fryar" - forever immortalized on a famous poster* where they are exploding through the Memorial Stadium scoreboard. Switzer simply referred to them as "the triplets."

*Fun fact: The Scoring Explosion poster was originally created as a recruiting piece. When Nebraska realized they had a hit on their hands, they added the 1983 schedule to it and made it available to the public.

The credit for the poster's design has been given to NU's recruiting coordinator at the time, a Nebraska grad by the name of Steve Pederson.

Irving Fryar, by some accounts, may have been the most talented of the Scoring Explosion triplets, and yet I think he is the least heralded. While understandable (Rozier won the Heisman. Turner Gill finished fourth and is one of the greatest quarterbacks in school history as well as a longtime assistant coach), I think that is a shame. Consider: On the magical 1983 squad, Fryar touched the ball 83 times (catches, runs and kick returns). He averaged a staggering 14.6 yards per touch. He averaged 19.5 yards per reception.

Fryar easily earned All-Big 8 and All-America honors in 1983. Do you understand how rare it is – and how good you need to be – to earn consensus All-America honors as a receiver on a team that leads the nation in rushing? Think about it, if your offense is rolling up 400 yards rushing every game, how many opportunities will you get to catch passes?

That’s probably why Fryar was only the second player in college football history to ever do it, Another Husker legend – Freeman White – was the first.

Fryar went on to become Nebraska’s second-ever No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. He enjoyed a lengthy and productive pro career. Fryar scored a touchdown in Super Bowl XX, but his New England Patriots did not win. Unfortunately, it was not the first time Fryar's team came up short in a championship game.

In the 1984 Orange Bowl, No. 1 Nebraska had to play No. 5 Miami in the Hurricanes' home stadium. The Huskers fell behind 17-0 but fought back to make it a one-point game with 48 seconds to go. If Osborne kicks the PAT, the game likely ends in a tie and Nebraska wins the championship. Osborne elected to go for two and the outright win. Gill's attempt was incomplete and the Scoring Explosion came up short.

Ironically, Nebraska's most famous offensive trio never won a national championship. An Orange Bowl loss to Clemson in 1981, a controversial loss at Penn State in 1982 and a missed two-point conversion in 1983.

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It’s time to visit Matt Rhule and the Huskers.

📺: Big Ten Network - 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

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Nebraska Football Fan Day is set for the afternoon of Saturday, Aug. 2, followed by the Big Red Preview open practice in the evening.

Fan Day is a free event that runs from 4:30 to 6 p.m. inside the Hawks Championship Center. Doors for Fan Day will open at 4:30 p.m. The Big Red Preview presented by 1890 will begin at 6:30 p.m. in Memorial Stadium, with gates opening at 5:30 p.m. Cost for the Big Red Preview is $30 for West Stadium club tickets, $20 for adult general admission tickets and $10 for youth (high school and under) general admission tickets. A $1 fee will be added to each ticket.

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Greatest Husker to wear 26: Wonder Monds, Defensive Back, 1973-1975


With Wonder Monds being honored today, it only makes sense that we talk about the Husker with an immediately recognizable name and a well-known head of hair that has inspired a ton of passionate opinions.

That's right, we're talking about Herbie Husker.

But before we talk Herbie, let's take a second and do a very brief history of Nebraska mascots:

1890s: Nebraska plays under names such as the "Old Gold Knights," "Antelopes," "Rattlesnake Boys" and "Bugeaters."
1900: Sportswriter Cy Sherman of the Lincoln Star first refers to the team as the "Cornhuskers." We won't get into how that name was an Iowa reject (they preferred "Hawkeyes"). The name would become official.
1955: Nebraska's first official mascot - "Corncob Man" debuts. At the name suggests, he's a man with a giant corn cob for a head. Sometimes, he wore olive green overalls (earning the nickname "Colonel Cob") and other times he wore a white Nebraska sweater and held a sign that read "Leave 'Em Cold."
1962: The first attempt to depict what a Cornhusker looks like comes with "Huskie the Husker," an on-field mascot. Former Nebraska cheerleader Deb Kleve White, who literally wrote the book on Husker mascots, described Huskie as "a 10-foot-tall costumed person dressed in a plaid shirt, with jean-bib overalls and a straw bucket for a hat."
1970: "Mr. Big Red," a gigantic fiberglass head worn with a red blazer and tie debuts. Mr. Big Red - also known as Harry Husker - started as an illustration by Lincoln artist Bill Goggins that first appeared in a 1964 issue of "Nebraska Farmer" magazine. Sports Information Director Don Fox and ticket manager Jim Pittenger acquired the rights to the illustration (reportedly, in exchange for lifetime season tickets). The head - measuring 5'8" tall and weighing 70 pounds - was too big for the team bus and too heavy for one person to wear throughout a quarter, let alone a game.
After the 1973 season, Nebraska was invited to the 1974 Cotton Bowl. Dirk West, a Texas artist, had created a series of illustrations that hung in the press room. One - a burly farmer in blue overalls - caught the eye of Bryant. He commissioned West to create a refined version that NU would own. A former Disney artist - Bob Johnson - was hired to design the first mascot costume.

Herbie Husker debuted in 1974, the same year Wonder Monds became a Blackshirt.

Wonderful Terrific Monds Jr. (yep, that is his real name*) is more than just a captain on the All-Name Team, or the owner of an Afro that would make Kenny Bell jealous. Monds was a standout defensive back on some very talented teams at the start of the Tom Osborne era.

*Per Wikipedia, the origin story of "Wonder" name goes like this: His dad's dad (the NU Wonder's grandfather) had been blessed with multiple daughters. When, a long last, a son was born, dad's reaction was "Wonderful! Terrific!"

The original Wonderful Terrific Monds passed the name onto his son (Wonderful Jr.), who played at Nebraska. Junior - and stay with me, because this gets confusing - has four kids. In order of birth:

Wonderful III - A minor league outfielder in the Braves, Rockies and Reds farm systems. His son, Wonder Monds IV, is a highly touted quarterback recruit in the class of 2028. Monds IV goes by the name "Champ" and already holds offers from numerous power conference schools.
Mario - A defensive tackle who played collegiately at Cincinnati and in the NFL with the Bengals and Dolphins.
Devin - Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers
Wonderful II - Played defensive end at the University of Buffalo and Florida International.
Yes, Wonder Monds Jr. named his eldest and youngest sons "Wonder Monds."

Monds grew up in Florida and graduated from a junior college in Ottumwa, Iowa, before coming to Nebraska. Playing the "monster back" position in Monte Kiffin's defense, Monds was asked to support the run and cover receivers. It was the perfect role for somebody who was sprinter fast, yet large enough to pack a punch.

In 1974, Monds was wonderful, earning second-team All-Big Eight honors with 31 tackles and two interceptions as a junior. His 1975 senior season was truly terrific. Tackles, tackles for loss, pass breakups, fumble recoveries, punt blocks - Monds did it all. He earned first-team All-Big Eight and All-America honors on his way to a career in the NFL and Canadian Football League.

As for Herbie, he's had his ups and downs over the years. The original iteration - blond hair, blue eyes, barrel chest, with a red cowboy hat and an ear of corn in the pocket of his blue bib overalls - was beloved.

Well… by most people.

In the midst of the 1990s championship run, athletic director Bill Byrne decided to de-emphasize the "corn" in Cornhuskers. In a 1995 article in the Chicago Tribune, Byrne said, "We've found that Cornhuskers and Herbie just don't sell outside of Nebraska." Byrne claimed to have data showing "the group that buys these products just doesn't go for Herbie." Byrne tried to retire Herbie, but fan pushback - and a petition drive - brought him back.*

*Mitch Sherman - now of The Athletic, then of the Daily Nebraskan student newspaper, wrote an article about how Byrne "tabled" the decision to phase out Herbie. As a result, Herbie was seen on the sidelines during previous weekend's game at Michigan State.

Most days, this would have been the lead story. Sadly, on this day the top story was "Osborne kicks Phillips off team."

Another motivation for Byrne trying to phase out Herbie was the success of Lil' Red. The first inflatable mascot in college or pro sports, he was a smash hit when he debuted in 1993. Originally, the plan was to use the 8'4" cherub with a sideways hat specifically for the volleyball team, and to appeal to kids. But Lil' Red's silly antics - especially a bit where the person inside the suit would flip around, so it looked like Lil' Red was standing on his head - were a hit. Soon Lil' Red was appearing alongside Herbie at football games.

Steve Pederson replaced Byrne as AD at the end of 2002. One of his first acts was giving Herbie a substantial makeover. Herbie lost weight, dyed his hair a chestnut brown and traded his bibbies for jeans and a red button-up shirt. Instead of a husky farmer, Herbie now looked like a guy who sold insurance in Millard and posted pictures of his daily workout on Instagram.

Herbie Husker has undergone multiple transformations over the last several decades. This is the latest version of the Nebraska mascot. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
In 2023, athletic director Trev Alberts retired brunette Herbie and introduced a updated version of the beloved Husker mascot - a muscular blonde in overalls, with a cob or corn in his pocket. Herbie traded his original "OK" hand sign for a "#1" index finger in the air. In addition to the physical mascot, sport-specific Herbies were introduced for most of NU's athletic teams.

Blonde Herbie was back! The fans rejoiced, "Wonderful! Terrific!"

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Greatest Husker to wear 25: George Sauer, Fullback, 1931-1933

In the years before name, image and likeness (NIL) laws, fans could buy replica Husker jerseys in one of the dozens of shops around the state that specialize in Husker merchandise.

Technically, these jerseys were (wink, wink) not intended to represent a specific player. That was possibly for the best, as a player would have been ineligible if he collected a penny of profit from the sales of a jersey with his number on it. But, wouldn't you know it, the number on that year's replica jerseys just happened to be the number of the best player on the team. And this is how Memorial Stadium has been full of jerseys bearing (chronologically) 12, 30, 15, 30, 7, 5, 93, 22, 80 and more over the years.

When George Sauer played for Nebraska, there was no such thing as officially licensed apparel, Husker shops, or replica jerseys. Besides, this was during the Great Depression.

But that didn't stop Sauer's fans and admirers. Sauer was so idolized that kids across the state would ask their mothers to sew a "25" on their sweaters, just like their hero George.

Sauer was born in Stratton, Neb., but attended Lincoln High where he played alongside future Husker teammates Bernie Masterson, Clair Bishop and Bruce Kilbourne. A natural athlete, Sauer lettered in football, baseball, track and wrestling. He would bring that versatility with him on the short trip to Nebraska's campus.

At Nebraska, Sauer was listed as a fullback. He also played linebacker on defense. He threw for 701 career yards and served as NU's punter too.

Sauer was something special from the start. A recap of the 1931 Northwestern game said this about Sauer: "The individual work of George Sauer, Husker sophomore back, was the outstanding feature of the game. Sauer ran, passed and punted in All-American style, and stood out as a bulwark on defense."

That was the second game of his career.

Sauer scored a touchdown in his first game (against South Dakota). By his third career game (against Oklahoma), Sauer had moved into the starting lineup. The game appeared destined for a scoreless tie when Sauer took a direct snap and ran for a 47-yard touchdown.*

*Or, as Frederick Ware of the described it: "(Sauer) pried open the Sooner line at right guard, shook his hula hips at most of the secondary defense and began a prance in double-quick time that ended 47 yards from where he began."

Old-timey sports writing is the best.

Near the end of the game, the Sooners were driving for the tying score. A pass into the flat was intercepted by Sauer and returned 70 yards for a touchdown. He also averaged 53 yards on three punts.

Again, this was just his third career game. No wonder the kids were begging their mothers to sew a "25" on their sweaters. Sauer was All-Big Six in 1931, the first of his three years as an all-conference performer.

As a junior in 1932, Sauer led Nebraska to one of its greatest seasons to date. The Cornhuskers finished 7-1-1, with a one-point loss to Minnesota and a scoreless tie against a Pittsburgh team that played in the Rose Bowl. George Sauer was an honorable mention All-American.

In Sauer's senior season (1933), Nebraska improved on its 1932 success, going 8-1. In the 1933 clash at Pittsburgh, the Panthers frequently drove the ball into NU's red zone. But time and time again, they were turned away without a score. The Cornhusker yearbook claimed that "more than three-fourths of the tackles made inside the 15-yard line" were made by Sauer. The Huskers lost 6-0 as Pittsburgh completed a three-yard pass in the fourth quarter. Sauer's play was widely credited with drawing more national attention to Nebraska.

Sauer ended the season as a first-team All-American. He was the leading vote-getter for the nationwide East-West Shrine Game all-star game on New Year's Day - where Sauer starred. He scored the only touchdowns in the game and intercepted multiple passes.

The first Heisman Trophy would not be awarded for another two years. Had it existed in 1933, Sauer likely would have been a finalist - if not the winner. National writer Lawrence Perry said that Sauer "stands clearly as the premier ball carrier in the nation." Clyde McBride of the Kansas City Star wrote, "In George Henry Sauer, Nebraska has a man who need doff his cap to no football player in the country."

Head coach Dana X. Bible absolutely raved about Sauer.* In the 1934 Cornhusker yearbook, Bible said: "He is one the best all-around players with whom I have ever been associated. He can kick and pass, and he is a very fine ball carrier. He backs up the line on defense and is a player whose spirit is never broken." Bible also said, "(Sauer) was probably my best all-around athlete. He was great at carrying the ball and he was one of the best on defense. He simply rolled up his sleeves and met the ball carrier head on."

*Dana Bible was so impressed by Sauer's ability that that he offered Sauer's son (George Jr.) a scholarship to Texas. 

The offer came on the day George Jr. was born in 1943. Bible retired from coaching in 1946, but George Jr. did play for the Longhorns in the 1960s.

After Nebraska, Sauer helped the Green Bay Packers win a championship in 1936. He retired from pro football and started a successful coaching career, with stops at New Hampshire, Kansas, Navy and Baylor.

Sauer served as Baylor's athletic director until 1960, when he became the general manager of the New York Titans (which became the New York Jets) of the AFL. Sauer was instrumental in the team drafting and signing Joe Namath. Sauer also drafted a wide receiver from Texas: his son, George Sauer Jr., who would become a four-time AFL All-Star and Super Bowl champion.

The elder Sauer has been elected to the Nebraska High School, Nebraska Football, and College Football Halls of Fame.

He is one of the true legends of Nebraska football.

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Spectators of the Big Red Preview posted photos of purchased beers that were available for the sessions, as well as concession stand prices for the new beverages available for Husker fans. While Nebraska remains a Pepsi-affiliate for all soft drinks. Michelob Ultra and Bud Light were available for purchase at general concession stands on Saturday.

"GBR Classics" were available at concession stands, including the Nebraska-famous Runza sandwich, Valentino's Pizza, the Fairbury Red Dog, peanuts, popcorn, and theater box candy. The Runza and Valentino's pizza were the most expensive food items, running at $7 each, with a Red Dog costing $3.75. Peanuts, popcorn, and the theater box candy all cost $5 each.

Beverage options include Aquafina water, Gatorade, Pepsi-branded bottled soda, and two beer options: Bud Light and Michelob Ultra, both at 16 oz. cans. A Michelob Ultra costs $12 compared to the Bud Light for $11, while a bottled soda costs $4, Gatorade at $5, and bottled water at $3.75.

Food and beverage combination specials were also included at the Big Red Preview, with two options available. Two Fairbury Red Dogs and a bottled soda cost $11, while the two Red Dogs and a Michelob Ultra special cost $19.

The second option available for Husker fans included the signature Runza sandwich and a bottled soda for $11, while a Runza and Michelob Ultra cost $19. There was not an option for a combination including Bud Light.

On Thursday, Nebraska athletic deputy athletic director for revenue generation Tyler Kai shared on social media photos of new concession venues at Memorial Stadium. They included a "walk-thru" refrigerated section, refrigerators filled with Aquafina bottled water, 16 oz cans of Busch Light, Bud Light, Modelo, Michelob Ultra, and a variety of flavors of NUTRL seltzers, and two new food stands: the 'Blackshirt Barbecue' and 'Herbie's Burger Co.'

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Greatest Husker to wear 24: Lloyd Cardwell, Halfback, 1934-1936

In the early 1930s, radio usage was exploding nationwide. However, radio coverage of college football did not. Many schools - including Nebraska - allowed only one radio broadcast per season.

Why? Money, of course.

Schools feared that if the meteorological forecast was bad, potential ticket buyers would choose to stay home and listen on the radio. These folks became known as "fair-weather fans." Since many schools were trying to pay off their newly constructed stadiums, they wanted fans in the stadium, not gathered around the family radio. The lone game broadcast on the radio was usually one likely to be sold out.

Without radio broadcasts, fans had two options for keeping up with a Nebraska game:

Wait for tomorrow's newspaper.
Find a Grid-Graph near you.
What the heck is a Grid -Graph, you ask? It was an early way to allow fans to follow along with a game, on a lit-up scoreboard.

Picture a 15'x12' scoreboard, shaped like a football. In the middle of the ovular board is a glass football field with yard lines, five feet high and ten feet long. Above the field is basic scoreboard information - score, quarter, time and down. On the left and right sides are the names of the 11 players for each team (remember - this was an era where players played both ways). Below the field was a bunch of words corresponding to common football plays (forward pass, end run, punt, touchdown, penalty, etc.) Everything surrounding the field has its own light bulb next to it.


Here's how a Grid-Graph worked:

Somebody at the game would send a telegram - usually in Morse code - with the details of what happened in the previous play.
A telegraph operator would receive and decipher the telegram. Depending on how far he or she was from the Grid-Graph, a courier might be used to relay the messages.*
The Grid-Graph operator would read the telegram containing details of the last play and light the corresponding bulbs on the Grid-Graph board to match.
A second Grid-Graph operator, standing behind the glass field would represent the movement of the ball. He typically knew what yard line to end up at, but often used artistic license (and some flourish) to show the path taken. A 10-yard run up the middle might be shown as a double reverse.
*Prior to the invention of Grid-Graphs, some outlets would "megaphone" games. They'd follow steps 1 and 2 above. Step 3 was "shout the play into a megaphone." The Lincoln Star did this for games in the 1920s at Notre Dame and Pittsburgh.

Many colleges purchased Grid-Graphs in the 1920s to allow fans to stay informed on road games. Some schools placed their Grid-Graphs indoors and charged fans an admission of 50 cents. An Omaha business had one on the side of it building near 15th and Farnam Streets that had fans flooding the streets. I have read two accounts that make reference to Lincoln having a Grid -Graph as well, but the locations are conflicting.

Grid-Graphs were not always accurate. Due to the timing and logistics involved, it was easy for operators to fall behind. There is one account of a Nebraska-Illinois game where the Grid-Graph operators were so off that they had to improvise a 70-yard Red Grange touchdown run (that never happened) in order to get the score to be accurate.

Maybe in those days it was better to stick with the newspaper - even if the scribes of the day enjoyed using their own artistic flourish.

In October of 1934, sophomore halfback Lloyd Cardwell - already a rising star - got a carry against Iowa State.

According to reports, he "stormed around end, knocked several of Iowa State's would-be tacklers off their feet and ran 45 yards for a touchdown."

After the game, Frederick Ware of the Omaha World-Herald wrote: "It's his roaring, tearing, gay, freebooting way that reminds me of the defiant, joyous, speeding wild horse that loves to run with the wind on the plains."

This beautiful piece of prose begat one of the great nicknames in school history: Lloyd Cardwell, the Wild Hoss of the Plains.*

*Ware's original nickname was "Wild Hoss," although several publications referred to Cardwell as "Wild Horse." The newspapers also liked to call him "Cardie."

Like a galloping horse, Cardwell took powerful strides, seeming to glide on top of the field. Where some players would run around would-be tacklers, the Wild Hoss of the Plains knew the shortest distance between two points was a straight line. He was going through, thank you, not around.

In the 1935 season opener, Nebraska hosted the University of Chicago and its star back Jay Berwanger. Berwanger scored on an 18-yard run. The Wild Hoss of the Plains had a 7-yard touchdown run, a 9-yard touchdown reception and a 86-yard kickoff return touchdown. The Lincoln Star wrote, "With Jay Berwanger galloping hither and yon no margin was considered safe. He did all that was expected of him. The difference between he and Cardwell was that Cardie did more than any human could or should expect."

Berwanger would win the first Heisman Trophy later that year.

A Seward, Neb., native, Cardwell scored 20 touchdowns in his 24-game career. He helped lead the Cornhuskers to back-to-back Big Six titles and the program's first-ever ranking in the AP poll (ninth in 1936, the first year of the poll). Cardie's final carry as a Cornhusker? A 58-yard touchdown run against Oregon State in 1936.

The Wild Hoss of the Plains could not be stopped.

As for radio, schools eventually eased up on the one-broadcast-per-season rule. Radio stations realized businesses would pay to advertise during games and universities and/or conferences found a way to get a cut of that money by signing contracts with broadcasters.

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Rabid Rattlesnake boy - otherwise known as Wild Hoss

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Greatest Husker to wear 21: Mike Brown, Rover, 1996-1999

Of Nebraska's five national championship teams, 1997 gets the least amount of love.

1970 was the first. 1971 was a dominating force, considered as one of the greatest teams in history. 1994 was the "refuse to lose" team that simply willed themselves over every obstacle in their way. The 1995 team is the - to me and many, many others - the GOAT.

As for 1997? To some, the split title - Michigan was ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press, Nebraska was No. 1 in the coaches poll - lessens it. Some will say they weren't as talented as 1995 or as singular focused as 1994. Others have a hard time separating the quarterback of the 1997 team from the failed head coach.

For me, the 1997 team holds a special place in my heart. The offense was a juggernaut, the defense was stellar, and there was no shortage of stars and big personalities. Like the 1994 squad, there was a laser focus on winning it all,* spurred on by the two painful losses in 1996. And I was a senior at UNL in 1997. It felt right to cap my college years with another championship.

*The 1997 team didn't have an "Unfinished Business" motto, but don't mistake that for not having goals. "This was one of the most focused groups of players I've ever been around," Nebraska coach Tom Osborne said. "They knew exactly where they wanted to be this Jan. 2nd. The reason we were here was not by accident."

But the 1997 season didn't start off all sunshine and rainbows. Nebraska blasted Akron 59-14, but the following week against Central Florida had more intrigue than anybody expected.

A day or two before the game, Osborne announced that backup quarterback Frankie London would play in the first half. This was something Osborne liked to do when his confidence in winning the game was higher than his confidence in his quarterback depth. London led the team on a 65-yard drive, scoring an 8-yard touchdown to give Nebraska a 14-10 lead.

Central Florida - in just its second season at the Division I-A (now FBS) level - answered with a touchdown of its own. On Nebraska's next possession, Frost ran out with the offense. He was greeted with boos from fans who felt London should be the starter. Veteran observers of the program believe it was the first time a Nebraska player was booed in Memorial Stadium's 70+ year history.* UCF - led by future NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper - led 17-14 at the half, before Nebraska roared back for a 38-24 win.

*As somebody who was there, I'll tell you that it was not a deafening chorus of boos. But it was clear what was happening - much of it originating in the student section.

I was not booing, but I can speak to why it happened. In addition to the reality of the backup quarterback always being the most popular guy on the field, some fans blamed Frost for the 19-0 loss at Arizona State the year before. A few were still holding onto a grudge because Frost picked Stanford over Nebraska out of high school - even though NU had Tommie freaking Frazier and Stanford had Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh. 

Bottom line - Frost had not yet won over the hearts of all Husker fans.

But he would…

The next week, No. 7 Nebraska traveled to Seattle to face No. 2 Washington. Tensions were high. Nebraska's sense of invincibility was gone. Scott Frost ran for two first-quarter touchdowns and the Huskers raced to a 21-0 lead. The Blackshirts played a great game and the offense ran for 384 yards (129 by Ahman Green and Joel Makovicka, plus 97 from Frost).

Another ranked opponent (No. 17 Kansas State) was up next. Green rushed for four touchdowns as NU won by 30. The next month would be more of the same as the Huskers beat Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas and Oklahoma* by wide margins. The Blackshirts pitched back-to-back shutouts over Tech and Kansas.

*In a sign of just how far OU had fallen post-Barry Switzer, Nebraska won 69-7. It was the biggest margin of victory by either team in the 78-game series, beating the 52-point whooping NU laid on the Sooners the year before. The game, played on a rainy day in Lincoln, was Tom Osborne's 250th win as Nebraska's head coach. During a postgame ceremony to present Coach with the game ball, the clouds broke and a rainbow formed over the stadium.

Next was Nebraska's first-ever overtime game, a 45-38 win over a plucky Missouri team. The "Miracle in Missouri" - which we discussed in depth at #84 - served to refocus the team, even if it did cost the Huskers their No. 1 ranking. NU finished out the regular season with a 77-14 win over Iowa State and a narrow three-point escape at Colorado.

The Huskers won their first Big 12 championship with a convincing 54-15 win over Texas A&M. A few days later, Tom Osborne announced his retirement, effective after the Orange Bowl. Nebraska dominated No. 3 Tennessee 42-17 and (with some politicking by their quarterback) won at least a share of the national championship, finishing No. 1 in the coaches poll.

The Blackshirts were a big reason Nebraska won the championship in 1997. They held teams to just 16.4 points per game and 257.3 yards per game. Opponents converted only 25% of their third-down opportunities.

There was NFL talent all over the field. Grant Wistrom, Jason Peter, Jay Foreman, Mike Rucker, Carlos Polk, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Ralph Brown and numerous others. Sixteen defenders from the 1997 team (nine starters and seven backups) would play in the NFL.

Mike Brown was just a sophomore on the 1997 team, but he was already a star. He led the national championship defense with 77 tackles. He added two interceptions, four tackles for loss and four pass break-ups.

The position name "Rover" is such an apt description for how Mike Brown played football. He roved sideline to sideline and from goal line to the opponent’s backfield making plays. Brown ended his career second on the all-time tackle charts.

This does not surprise me, because Mike Brown is the greatest open-field tackler I have ever seen.

Period.

It didn't matter who had the ball, how fast they were, or what moves they had. Mike Brown would bring them down. I sincerely believe that Mike Brown could have tackled Barry Sanders one-on-one in his prime.

Teammate Grant Wistrom described Brown as "integral" to the 1997 team's success, adding "Mike didn't get the credit he deserved at Nebraska."

[847badgerfan]

Mike Brown was a great Chicago Bear.

[FearlessF]

yup, a player