Husker Program Needs To Remember '89 Orange Bowl

This week is the 25th anniversary of the Huskers' heartbreaking 31-30 loss to Miami in the Jan 1, 1984 Orange Bowl. It was a great game, and featured the unforgettable decision by Tom Osborne to go for 2 points and the win with the Huskers behind 31-30 late in the game. The game was a high point in T.O.'s career for that gutsy call.

This week also marks the 20th anniversary of another Orange Bowl versus Miami--the 1989 matchup. You don't hear much about the '89 contest--mostly for good reason. Our Guys lost 23-3 in one of the most methodical beat-downs that an Osborne-coached team ever had. It took a 50-yard field goal from Greg Barrios to avoid a shutout.

But wait, there's more. The '89 clanger was the 2nd straight bowl loss for an Osborne team, and it was the first of 5 straight bowl games where the Huskers went down by double digits. In that run, Florida State and Miami each put the hammer down twice and Georgia Tech once.

In all fairness, these were good teams. (Osborne never really had a bad one.) But there was one important thing missing---that took several years to finally bring to the table.

Speed. Across the field. On both sides of the ball.

You can argue "playmakers"--with in mind Tommie Frazier's and Lawrence Phillips's huge contributions. No argument there. But, when the bowl game losing string was finally broken in the Orange Bowl on Jan 1, 1995, the momentum for that comeback came from the defense.

Which brings us to the last hours before the Gator Bowl between Nebraska and Clemson. And two final thoughts before the guys tee it up:

1) If there's not going to be a playoff in college football, at least let's continue with the regional matchups that bowl games bring. They can indeed serve as a measuring stick for a team and program. We've seen that in several games already, and I think we will for sure in the Gator Bowl.

2) This Old Husker Fan continues to be appreciative of the fact that Bo Pelini is our head guy--this time, because of his experience in the Southeastern Conference--where everyone can pick 'em up and lay 'em down. Having seen firsthand (and reaped the rewards of) the impact that speed can make in a team's profile, I think Bo will always have this characteristic right up there on his shopping list.

Those are the lessons to remember from 20 years ago. They're as important as the T.O. character seminar 5 years before.

GO BIG RED!!!

The Old Husker Fan