Welcome to installment No. 18 of ‘The Cob’s Archive Dive’, where each week, I’ll share headlines and excerpts from past articles printed in the Falls City Journal. Hopefully you’ll find a piece of Husker football history that makes you feel the sights and sounds of gameday.

On this day in Cornhusker Football History:

November 16, 1970 – Headline: ‘Huskers Accept a Bid to Orange Bowl Game’

Oklahoma is next on Nebraska’s schedule, but it’s the New Years blind date in Miami’s Orange Bowl that is the talk of Cornhusker football fans. The Huskers in the wake of Saturday’s 51-13 thrashing of Kansas State accepted the Orange Bowl bid Sunday night. No opponent has been named, but Devany mentioned Notre Dame, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi, and Air Force as being possibilities. Devany urged his team to accept the Orange Bowl bid, saying, “I thought having this thing on their minds about a bowl would have a bad effect on preparing for Saturday’s game against Oklahoma.” A Nebraska victory against Oklahoma would give the Cornhuskers undisputed claim to the Big Eight championship.

(This was back in the day when bowl bids were handed out before the season ended. Much has changed with CFP and the selection committee process.)

November 10, 1980 – Headline: Headline: KSU Coach Says Huskers the Best

Nebraska may have put together their best three quarters of football this season for Kansas State Saturday. The result was a 55-8 Big Eight Conference victory for the nation’s fifth rated Cornhuskers. “Total domination. Nebraska is the best team we’ve faced all year, there is no question about that. If they aren’t the nation’s No.1 team, they are mighty close,” said KSU Coach Jim Dickey. Nebraska led 34-0 at halftime and Dickey lost count of the Nebraska running backs sent into the game in the second half. By the final gun Osborne had used 18 ball carriers, including six quarterbacks. The Huskers piled up 495 yards rushing and held Kansas State to 78. “At this stage of the season, it’s nice to have a game like this and rest some of those people,” Osborne said.

(Part of Nebraska’s success during the 70’s and 80’s was their ability to play their 2’s and 3’s in games, getting them valuable experience and reps. Rhule wants to be a developmental program, Osborne developed players on the field. You don’t do that by worrying about putting too many points on a team and embarrassing them.)

October 20, 1990 – Headline: Huskers Crush Cowboys

Gone are Oklahoma State stars Mike Gundy, Hart Lee Dykes and Barry Sanders, the Cowboys who gave Nebraska fits the past two years. But it wasn’t offensive players Osborne was worried about before the game. “Probably the least predictable feature of the Oklahoma State team will be their defense,” Osborne said.

Osborne was right to be concerned as Saturday Nebraska failed to solve Oklahoma State’s blitzing defense until the second half, getting only a 12-yard touchdown run on Leodis Flowers’s fourth-and-one run with 5:50 to go in the fourth quarter. “They blitzed every play for the most part,” Osborne said. The Huskers, who lead the nation with 379 rushing yards a game, had just 37 in the second quarter and 127 in 28 carries by halftime.

It was the kicking game that allowed No. 4 Nebraska to take over in the third quarter. Two kick returns by Tyrone Hughs and a recovery of a fumbled kickoff by Robert Hicks for a touchdown helped the Huskers break open the game and roll to a 31-3 victory. “The kicking game was probably the biggest difference today,” Osborne said. The Cornhuskers have not lost to Oklahoma State in the last 29 meetings.

(As you read through the articles concerning this 1990 team you start to see inconsistencies on offense and a defense that wasn’t challenged until late in the season. The special teams bailed this team out more than once during the season.)

October 30, 2000 - Headline: Sooners are No. 1 for the First Time in 13 Seasons

With their rousing 31-13 victory over Nebraska on Saturday, the Sooners soared to the top spot of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, replacing the Cornhuskers. Oklahoma was last ranked No. 1 after a 17-7 win over Nebraska in the final game of the 1987 regular season. Nebraska (7-1) dropped to No. 5 in the polls and will face Kansas Saturday. “After the loss to Texas last year we played Kansas, struggled through that one and nearly got beat,” Nebraska wide receivers coach Ron Brown said. “It was a tough rebounding situation, and I think our kids will be much more aware of that this year. When you show up for practice you’d better be moving on to Kansas – because they’re a good enough team to beat you.” Part of that Kansas team is 6’3”, 315-pound offensive lineman Marc Owen, who has yet to yield a sack and has 27 pancake blocks this season. He leads an offense that has made 27 trips inside the red zone this season and scored 22 times. “Everyone on this team feels like we have a chance to beat Nebraska,” Owen said.

(Two things, with a win Nebraska and Oklahoma usually catapulted themselves to the top of the standings. And while I hate to say it, Nebraska often used Kansas to get themselves right again.)

Be sure to look for next week’s edition as the ‘Cob’ dives into each week’s headlines as they once appeared in the Falls City Journal.

GO BIG RED!! SIMPLE, FAST VIOLENT!!

All headlines and excerpts were gathered from Associated Press articles, and most but not all were published in the Falls City Journal. Home - Falls City Journal - Falls City, NE

Photographs were gathered from multiple sources.

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