Second-quarter safety
Huskers Post Perfect Back-to-Back National Championships
The entire country was anxious to see if Nebraska’s “Bump and Run” defense could keep up with the “Fun and Gun” and whether Florida could stop the nation’s premier rushing force.
The result was a 62-24 dismantling of Florida, and it didn’t take long. For a quarter, it looked as if it would be a ball game. Two lead changes occurred and Florida led 10-6 after one period. But Nebraska scored 29 unanswered points in the second quarter, much to the delight of the more than 40,000 red-clad fans. The 29 points were the most ever scored in the second quarter of a bowl game.
Final Score: Nebraska 62, Florida 24. The 38-point margin of victory between a No. 1 and No. 2 team was the second-largest ever (Army 48, Notre Dame 0, 1945). The 62 points set a Nebraska bowl record and was the second most ever in a bowl game.
Afterward, coach Tom Osborne confirmed what everyone in attendance knew, when he said, “There is still a place in college football for a running quarterback.” Indeed, Tommie Frazier rushed for 199 yards and two TDs on 16 carries. His yards were Nebraska bowl and Fiesta Bowl records for most yards rushing and set an NCAA bowl record for most yards rushing by a QB.
“We saw in the film that when Nebraska ran a lot of non-option plays, teams were there but they just couldn’t make the tackle. Danged if that didn’t happen to us too.”
— James Bates,
Florida linebacker
Lawrence Phillips carries