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CLEMSON 22
NEBRASKA 15
January 1, 1982 • Orange Bowl
After 86 years of playing football, Clemson
claimed its first National Championship with a 22-15
win over perennial Big Eight power Nebraska in the
48th Orange Bowl. After a 13-3 win over 1980
National Champion Georgia at home, the Tigers
worked their way to the number-one ranking in both
wire service polls by season’s end. The win over the
Cornhuskers gave Clemson the national title and its
third perfect season in history.
Nebraska took the kickoff, but three plays later,
Tiger middle guard William Devane recovered a
Mark Mauer fumble at the Nebraska 33. Quarterback
Homer Jordan drove Clemson to the Nebraska
24 before the drive stalled, and Donald Igwebuike
drilled a 41-yard field goal to put the ACC Champions
up, 3-0.
Nebraska came right back, however, as the Big
Eight title holder drove 69 yards in eight plays to
score on a 25-yard halfback pass from Mike Rozier
to Anthony Steels. Kevin Seibel’s extra point gave
Nebraska the lead at 7-3 with 6:43 to go in the first
quarter.
After an exchange of punts, the Clemson offense
moved from the Nebraska 42 yard line to the
21 to set up Igwebuike’s second field goal. The 37-
yard boot narrowed the score to 7-6.
A second-quarter Phil Bates fumble gave
Clemson the ball at the Nebraska 27, and the running
combination of Jordan, Kevin Mack, and Cliff
Austin moved the ball to the Cornhusker two. Austin,
who had been stuck in the hotel elevator for two
hours earlier in the day,
scampered in for the
score that gave
Clemson a lead it
would not relinquish.
On its second possession
of the second
half, Clemson drove 75
yards in 12 plays to score its final touchdown of the
night, a 13-yard pass from Jordan to All-American
receiver Perry Tuttle in the corner of the end zone. It
was Tuttle’s eighth touchdown grab of the season,
which set a school record. Bob Paulling’s extra point
put the Tigers ahead, 19-7.
After Billy Davis’s 47-yard punt return, Jordan
moved the Tigers to the Nebraska 20, where
Igwebuike kicked a 36-yard field goal, his third of the
evening, to put Clemson ahead 22-7 with two-and-a
half minutes left in the third stanza.
Nebraska was down but not out, though. After
a near-interception by Johnny Rembert, Mauer engineered
an eight-play, 69-yard drive that was capped
by a 26-yard run by Roger Craig. After a penalty,
Craig ran in the two-point conversion from eight
yards out to close the gap to 22-15 with nine minutes
to play.
The Clemson defense shut down the Big Red
on their final extended drive, then the offense held on
to the ball for nearly five-and-a-half minutes to run
down the clock to six seconds. Andy Headen deflected
Mauer’s desperation pass to preserve the
win and the championship for Clemson.
Jeff Davis led the Tiger defense with 14 tackles
in his final game. He also recovered a fumble, giving
him a school-record eight for his career. Bill Smith
added a career-high 10 tackles from his defensive
end position.
SOURCE: CLEMSON ATHLETICS
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