Nebraska 21
LSU 20

Jan. 1, 1983 • 7:34 p.m. Central
Orange Bowl • Miami, FL • NBC
1st2nd3rd4th F 
LSU773320
Nebraska707721
Embed from Getty Images
First quarter
NEB: Mark Schellen 5 run (Kevin Seibel kick) 10:57
LSU: Dalton Hilliard 1 run (Juan Betanzos kick) 4:24
Second quarter
LSU: Hilliard 1 run (Betanzos kick) 9:32
Third quarter
LSU: Betanzos 28 field goal, 6:54
NEB: Mike Rozier 11 pass from Turner Gill (Seibel kick) 1:25
Fourth quarter
NEB: Gill 1 run (Seibel kick) 11:14
LSU: Betanzos 29 field goal, 5:05

                       LSU       NEB 
First downs ........... 12        22
  Rushing .............. 2        10
  Passing .............. 9         9
  Penalty .............. 1         3
Rushes-yards ....... 31-38    58-214
Passing yards ........ 173       184
  Comp-Att-Int ... 14-30-2   13-22-2
Total offense ..... 61-211    80-403
Return yards .......... 33        54
Punts ............. 6-39.2    1-31.0
Fumbles-lost ......... 1-0       4-4
Penalties-yards ..... 8-57      4-25
Possession time .... 25:28     34:32
Third-down conv. .... 1/13      8/16

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing
LSU: Hilliard 18-29, Clay Parker 1-12.
NEB: Rozier 26-118, Gill 12-37, Schellen 5-23.

Passing
LSU: Alan Risher 30-14-2-173.
NEB: Gill 22-13-2-184.

Receiving
LSU: Hilliard 8-82, Malcolm Scott 4-67, Eric Martin 2-24.

NEB: Irving Fryar 5-84, Todd Brown 4-51, Rozier 3-28.

ADDITIONAL STATS

Attendance: 54,407

Coverage

Recap

Huskers rally past underdog Tigers

Stung by their own miscues and the ferocious play of the Louisiana State Bayou Bengals, the Nebraska Cornhuskers battled from behind for an impressive 21-20 victory in the 1983 Orange Bowl game.

Nebraska struck early, then suffered an amazing string of uncharacteristic miscues before returning to form with a stirring second-half performance.

Four turnovers led to a 14-7 LSU lead at the half, and the Tigers made it 17-7 midway through the third quarter.

Then Nebraska regrouped with a vengeance, driving 80 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-14. That drive featured perhaps the key play of the game, when coach Tom Osborne called for a Turner Gill pass on fourth and one at the Tiger 35. The All-Big Eight quarterback hit split end Todd Brown with an 18-yard strike, and that was quickly followed by an 11-yard TD pass from Gill to Mike Rozier to cut the deficit to 17-14.

The Huskers got a break in short order when LSU’s Clay Parker experienced heavy pressure on a punt and decided to run. He missed the first down and the Cornhuskers got the ball at the Tiger 48. It took only eight plays to go the distance and Turner Gill got the final yard on a sneak for a 21-17 lead with 11:14 left in the game.

LSU came back to boot a 49-yard field goal with 5:05 left, but the Blackshirts kept the Tigers in check the rest of the way to wrap up victory No. 12.

Despite the close score, Nebraska nearly doubled LSU in total offense yardage, 403-211. Nebraska’s defense set a school bowl record by holding LSU to 38 yards rushing.

FULL RECAP

Recap source: 1983 media guide

Todd Brown

Todd Brown’s fourth-and-one reception in the third quarter was pivotal. | Courtesy of Nebraska Athletics
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1982 schedule
04/24Red 24, White 9
09/11IowaW 42-7
09/18New Mexico St.W 68-0
09/25@ Penn St.L 24-27
10/02@ AuburnW 41-7
10/09@ ColoradoW 40-14
10/16Kansas St.W 42-13
10/23MissouriW 23-19
10/30@ KansasW 52-0
11/06Oklahoma St.W 48-10
11/13@ Iowa St.W 48-10
11/26OklahomaW 28-24
12/04@ HawaiiW 37-16
01/01LSUW 21-20
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