Coverage & retrospectives
Complete recap
Omaha World-Herald
Miami News: 1, 2, 3, 4
Sports Illustrated
CNNSI
Commentary: 1, 2, 3
Fumbleroosky video
Video of two-point try
Game photos
CBS Sportsline
Husker Press Box
Best bowl game ever?
St. Pete Times (2001)
Lincoln Journal Star (2012): 1, 2
Bolding Sports Research
UM game recap
Pregame article in Time
Steinkuhler update (2001)
Recap
Instead of playing for a tie and an almost guaranteed national title, the Huskers went for the win, attempting a two-point conversion that failed in the final minute as Miami stunned one of the greatest Husker teams ever, 31-30, at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2, 1984.
Trailing 31-17 entering the fourth quarter, the Huskers mounted a furious comeback without Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier, who left the game in the third quarter with a badly bruised ankle. Rozier's replacement, Jeff Smith, scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 6:55 left in the game to trim the deficit to 31-24.
On the Huskers' final drive, Turner Gill completed clutch passes to Irving Fryar (29 yards) and Ricky Simmons (19 yards) to advance the Huskers into Hurricane territory. On a fourth-and-eight play from the Miami 24-yard line, Smith took an option pitch from Gill and scampered 24 yards to the end zone.
Trailing 31-30, the Huskers went for a two-point conversion, but Ken Calhoun deflected a Gill pass intended for Smith to end the comeback threat.
"This was a championship game and (Osborne) went after it like a champion," Miami Coach Howard Schnellenberger said.
Nebraska trailed fourth-ranked Miami by 17 points in the first half before pulling within three at halftime.
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Miami 31
Nebraska 30
Jan. 2, 1984
Orange Bowl, Miami, FLMiami 17 0 14 0 — 31
Nebraska 0 14 3 13 — 30
First Quarter
MIA — Glenn Dennison 2 pass from Bernie Kosar
(Jeff Davis kick), 5:42
MIA — FG Davis 45, 10:09
MIA — Dennison 22 pass from Kosar (Davis kick) 14:11
Second Quarter
NEB — Dean Steinkuhler 19 run
(Scott Livingston tick) 6:06
NEB — Turner Gill 1 run (Livingston kick) 12:43
Third Quarter
NEB — FG Livingston 34, 1:51
MIA — Alonzo Highsmith 1 run (Davis kick) 5:23
MIA — Albert Bentley 7 run (Davis kick) 10:16
Fourth Quarter
NEB — Jeff Smith 1 run (Livingston kick) 8:05
NEB — Smith 24 run (Gill pass failed) 14:12
Attendance: 72,549
MIA NU
First downs 22 25
Rushes-yards 28-130 57-306
Passing yards 300 172
Att-Comp-Int 35-19-1 30-16-1
Total offense 63-430 87-478
Sacks by 2-12 0-0
Punts 4-42 3-37
Fumbles-lost 1-1 6-1
Penalties-yards 12-99 4-51
Time of possession 25:53 34:07
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
RUSHING
MIA: Highsmith 7-50, Bentley 10-46. Keith Griffin 9-41
NEB: Mike Rozier 25-147. Smith 9-99, Steinkuhler 1-19,
Gill 11-19.
PASSING
MIA: Kosar 19-35-1-300.
NEB: Gill 16-30-1-172.
RECEIVING
MIA: Ed Brown 6-115, Stanley Shakespeare 3-63,
Dennison 3-44, Bentley 3-36, Griffin 3-35.
NEB: Irving Fryar 5-61, Ricky Simmons 2-34,
Monte Engebritson 2-21, Scott Kimball 2-21,
Mark Schellen 2-15.
MISSED FIELD GOALS
MIA: Davis 42.
NEB: Livingston 44, 47.
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