Nebraska 62
Florida 24

Jan. 2, 1996 • 7:30 p.m. Central
Fiesta Bowl • Tempe, AZ • CBS
1st2nd3rd4th F 
Florida1008624
Nebraska629141362

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First quarter
FLA: Bart Edmiston 23 field goal, 11:07
NEB: Lawrence Phillips 16 pass from Tommie Frazier (kick blocked) 8:10 
FLA: Danny Wuerffel 1 run (Edmiston kick) 1:17
Second quarter
NEB: Phillips 42 run (Brown kick) 14:28
NEB: Safety, Wuerffel sacked in end zone by Jamel Williams, 12:42 
NEB: Ahman Green 1 run (Brown kick) 9:13
NEB: Brown 26 field goal, 3:46 
NEB: Michael Booker 42 interception return (Brown kick) 2:40 
NEB: Brown 24 field goal, 0:08
Third quarter 
NEB: Frazier 35 run (Brown kick) 2:21 
FLA: Ike Hilliard 35 pass from Wuerffel (Reidel Anthony pass from Wuerffel) 0:58
NEB: Frazier 75 run (Brown kick) 0:01
Fourth quarter
NEB: Phillips 15 run (kick failed) 8:25
NEB: Berringer 1 run (Ted Retzlaff kick) 4:44
FLA: Anthony 93 kickoff return (pass failed) 4:31 

                          FLA      NEB    
First downs .............. 15       27   
  By rushing .............. 2       21
  By passing ............. 12        4
  By penalty .............. 1        2
Rushed-yards ........ 21-(-28)  68-524   
Passing yards ........... 297      105   
  Comp-Att-Int ...... 20-38-3   6-15-2  
Total offense ........ 59-269   83-629
Sacked-Yards lost ...... 7-40      0-0   
Punt returns-Yds ..... l-(-8)     4-14
Kickoff returns-Yds .. 10-268     5-88
Interceptions-Yds ....... 2-5     3-50
Punts-Average ........ 4-41.3   1-36.0   
Fumbles-Lost ............ 1-1      1-0   
Penalties-Yards ........ 9-78     4-30   
Time of possession .... 24:43    35:17   
Third-down conv. ....... 4-12     8-17
Fourth-down conv. ....... 1-2      2-3

RUSHING
FLA: Williams 6-6, T Jackson 4-4, Anthony 2-(-1), Wuerffel 9-(-37). 

NEB: Frazier 16-199, Phillips 25-165, Green 9-68, Sims 2-35, Je Makovicka 6-32, Childs 3-14, Jo Makovicka 2-4, B Schuster 1-4, D Benning 1-3, Berringer 1-1, Legate 1-1, Turman 1-(-2). 

PASSING
FLA: Wuerffel 17-31-3-255; Kresser 3-7-0-42.
NEB: Frazier 6-14-2-105; Phillips  0-1-0-0. 

RECEIVING
FLA: Doering 8-123, I Hilliard 6-100, Anthony 2-40, McGriff 2-19, T Jackson 1-10, Evans 1-5. 

NEB: Johnson 2-43, Holbein 1-33, Phillips 1-16, Je Makovicka 1-8, Vedral 1-5. 

ATTENDANCE: 79,864 

CONDITIONS AT KICKOFF 
Temperature: 58 degrees.
Wind: North, 7 mph. Skies: Clear.

OFFICIALS: Referee: Pat Flood. Umpire: Dennis Angel. Line judge: Charles Czubin. Side judge: Thomas Szymanski. Head linesman: Dale Newhouse. Back judge: David Cutaia. Field judge: Bernard Samuels


• EXPANDED STATSSCORING SUMMARY

Coverage

Game recap
Safety: Jamel Williams sacks Danny Wuerffel in end zone

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.

 

quotes (1K)“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
Omaha World-Herald*
Lincoln Journal Star
Daily Nebraskan
More Neb. Sources
Gainesville Sun
More Florida sources
New York Times*
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Photos/Audio/Video
Pregame press
Team info
1995 schedule
04/22Reds 34, Whites 40
08/31@ Oklahoma St.W 64-21
09/09@ Michigan St.W 50-10
09/16Arizona St.W 77-28
09/23PacificW 49-7
09/30Washington St.W 35-21
10/14MissouriW 57-0
10/21Kansas St.W 49-25
10/28@ ColoradoW 44-21
11/04Iowa St.W 73-14
11/11@ KansasW 41-3
11/24OklahomaW 37-0
01/02FloridaW 62-24

Commentary

Shatel

It was with startling ease that the Huskers outplayed, outworked, outblocked, outtackled, outran and generally outclassed the latest jugger-not from the state of Florida.

Omaha World-Herald
Winters

Revel in the season. Celebrate the victory. You've seen the best team that Nebraska ever put on the field.

Lincoln Journal Star
Kelley

Nebraska isn't merely the repeat national champion. It is one of the greatest teams of all time.

Seattle Times
Lincicome

The postmodern attack of Spurrier was no match for the same offense they’ve been running in Lincoln for generations.

Chicago Tribune
Hyde

A fatal flaw was exposed by Nebraska’s pressure. Wuerffel began throwing balls he never had.

Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
Vescey

The dedication, the tenacity, the devotion of Nebraska fans was an omen of the stomping that was to follow in a long evening at the Fiesta Bowl.

New York Times
Whitlock

Nebraska's greatest moment will always be tainted. The sad part is that it didn't have to be.

Kansas City Star
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