CLASSIC LOON DROPPINGS
Nebraska 42, Tennessee 17
National
Championship
January 2, 1998
It is an American tradition that when a respected co-worker retires, the company goes to Younkers or Dillards or some such fancy place and buys the old geezer a nice going-away gift, which usually turns out to be a gold watch. Spotted at Gateway Mall this past week, Nebraska AD Bill Byrne reportedly had a shiny new timepiece all picked out to give to his retiring football coach. But for some odd reason, Bill held off on buying it. Good thing, too: Judging from the fire coming Friday from Dr. Tom Osborne, who hung up his headphones for good after his team's 42-17 eradication of the Tennessee Volunteers, it appears the stoic coach would instead prefer a nice, shiny crystal trophy from Sears as his retirement gift. The Master Angler has even reserved a spot for No. 3 it in his trophy case -- right next to that prized striped bass he plans to catch this spring.
A few takes:
HALF 'N' HALF: Though it took the Big Red Machine about 30 minutes to get warmed up, when Frost & Co. finally got to cranking, things got ugly in a big hurry. And speaking of big uglies, NU's offensive line must've received shots of pure testosterone during the halftime break -- cuz at the start of the third quarter they pounced on the Vols harder than Bill Clinton at White House Intern Orientation Day. The best way to whip the quick-strike Volunteers was to keep the ball away from Peyton Manning and his speedy corps of receivers, and that's exactly what the Big Red Grain Thresher did, chewing up yardage and the Orange Bowl clock in the meantime. Meanwhile, the heart and soul of the Blackshirts -- Grant Wistrom and Jason Peter -- went out in grand style. The Vols took such a beating that by the time the game ended, Phillip Fulmer was seriously considering putting in Smokey, UT's doggie mascot, in for a few plays.
FROSTY THE THROWMAN: Nebraska's humble, soft-spoken ambassador to the AP Pollsters -- Scott "Wait, Let Me Finish" Frost -- made his case for No. 1 following the game in an emotional plea to those determining college football's top dog. Someone should have told No. 7 that he probably had made a big enough statement on the field. Sure, Scotty's three TDs on the ground were nice-looking and embodied that vintage Nebraska football that we Loons have all come to expect as a birthright. But I was particularly impressed with Frost's timely passes in the first half. The 25-yard pitch-n-catch to Sheldon Jackson, followed by the sweet down-and-out to freshman phenom Bobby "Duke" Newcombe, was the turning point in this game. In a sport where "style points" are oh-so-freakin'-important, I'm sure Frosty is looked down upon for throwing the football like a shot-put, but the kid nearly rung up as much air mileage as that pedigreed, NFL-bound golden boy on the other side of the ball. No offense, Peyton, but No. 7 was the complete package Friday.
FOREVER AND EVER, AHMAN: It didn't hurt that Scott had No. 30 to hand the ball off to. In what will likely be Ahman's final game wearing the scarlet and cream, Nebraska's quiet man burst for an Orange Bowl record 206 yards. Ahman had more big alleys in front of him than the entire PBA Tour on Friday, and the junior made the most of it. Let's hope Green's years-played-to-championship ratio is as good for him in the No Fun League as it was in college. Meat Loaf woulda been proud of this lad -- 'Cause Two Out of Three Ain't Bad.
MICHI-GANDER AT THIS: Word has just arrived at The Pond that Nebraska, the team that wouldn't quit, the team that refused to accept ABC's declaration that the season was over on New Year's Day, the team that demolished the SEC champ in a bowl game for the second time in three years, has just topped the Coaches Poll. That means that Michigan -- who beat out the Huskers in the AP Poll because most scribes were too busy to watch the Orange Bowl while sitting at their typewriters trying to think up new flowery adjectives for Charles Woodson -- gets that crummy, two-dimensional, plastic-looking AP trophy, while the Almighty Big Red gets the pretty, shiny one! Might I recommend a pair of Ray-Bans the next time you visit the South Stadium offices -- otherwise, the glare from all that crystal is gonna make you go blind. Three National Championships in four seasons ...way to go, HUSKERS!
THE BOTTOM LINE: You know, it didn't take a miracle catch back in November for most folks to realize this group of Cornhuskers was something special. You could see it coming in September, though the first two games didn't mean Zip. The "mighty" Washington Huskies said they were tough enough to battle the Big Red, but NU said "See you latte!" as they zoomed past them in the polls following the 27-14 win in Seattle. As things turn out, the Miracle in Missouri not only saved the day for the Big Red, but also an unbeaten season. Colorado nearly Buffaloed the whole year, though, but the Cornhuskers escaped and made A&M look like a bunch of M&Ms in San Antonio. Savor this one, o Red Clad Loons, and remember the man who brought it to you. 'Cause though Fearless Frankie is a fireball that overachieves, there will never be another one like Dr. Tom. Go Big Red! Nebraska 13, Opponents Zip.
==STEVE==