NU vs Tennessee

FedEx Orange Bowl

Huskers rumble over Vols 

MIAMI -- Nebraska won its third national championship in four years Friday night after a 42-17 blasting of No. 3 Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. 

By a margin of two votes, college football coaches earlier today declared the Huskers national champions in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Michigan, which beat Washington State Thursday in the Rose Bowl, overwhelmingly won The Associated Press media poll by a vote of 51 to 18. 

Nebraska won 32 of 62 first-place votes from coaches, giving the team its fifth national championship and third under retiring Coach Tom Osborne. The Huskers also shared the national championship in 1970, the team's first of back-to-back titles under Coach Bob Devaney. 

Within minutes of Friday night's Orange Bowl, broadcasters, reporters and Big Red fans began speculating about the polls, while Osborne tried to make his way through the final crowd of reporters. 

"That's enough for me," Osborne said as he ended 25 years as head coach at Nebraska. "There isn't a better way to go out. There aren't better people to work with or a better ending to the whole thing." 

Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost was less diplomatic. 

"If all the pollsters honestly think after watching the Rose Bowl and watching the Orange Bowl that Michigan could beat Nebraska, go ahead and vote for Michigan by all means," Frost said. "But I don't think there's anybody out there with a clear conscience who can say that Nebraska and that great man Tom Osborne doesn't deserve a national championship for this. At least a share." 

Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer was among the coaches who voted Nebraska No. 1. "They did everything as advertised, especially in the third quarter," he said. "As for Coach Osborne, he is a great gentleman, but not too kindly to us in the second half. He is a special man and is everything that's good about college football." 

The final game in Osborne's 25 years as head coach at Nebraska was one for the ages. Nebraska's offense of the option, the power dive and the fullback trap more than matched the fast-break "modern" offense of Tennessee. 

Osborne's farewell came in the form of Nebraska rushing for 227 yards and three touchdowns in the third quarter to present the best argument it could for a third national championship in four years. 

"We had to pass, who would believe that?" said tight end Sheldon Jackson. "We did. We got them to back off and then our line just smashed them over and over. Kind of like Nebraska football the way you expect." 

By the end, Frost had 60 yards rushing and three touchdowns and 125 yards passing. Ahman Green had two touchdowns and an Orange Bowl-record 206 yards rushing. 

Nebraska was almost classic with 534 yards of total offense -- 409 yards rushing and 125 yards passing. The Black Shirts, meanwhile, held Tennessee to 315 yards of offense, including 134 yards passing by quarterback Peyton Manning. 

"We were gassing them," said NU center Josh Heskew. "They were on their knees, drinking water, sucking gas trying to catch their breath in the second quarter. 

"We knew we could start to beat them down and get to throwing them around in the second half," Heskew said. 

Center-guard Matt Hoskinson said the feeling was euphoric. "We were laughing and giggling because we  were having so much fun," he said. "We played our hearts out for Coach Osborne because he gave his heart for us." 

Husker fans in the Orange Bowl crowd of 72,385 chanted "Osborne, Osborne." And they waved their No. 1 signs. 

The Huskers had perfect seasons and won national titles in 1994 and 1995, as well as in 1970 and 1971.  The 13-0 mark was enough for a shared national championship in 1998. 

"These guys were playing for Tom and for all of his former players. They knew that there wasn't one guy in the last 25 years who would love to trade places with them," Nebraska defensive coordinator Charlie McBride said. "They had the honor of playing in Tom's last game and they showed it."