// This is the single game page 1998 Orange Bowl, Nebraska vs. Tennessee football | HuskerMax game page

Nebraska 42
Tennessee 17

Jan. 2, 1998 • 7:30 p.m. Central
Orange Bowl • Miami, FL • CBS
1st 2nd 3rd 4th  F 
Tennessee 0 3 6 8 17
Nebraska 7 7 21 7 42

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First Quarter
NU: Ahman Green 1 run (Kris Brown kick) 1:10
Second Quarter
NU: Shevin Wiggins 10 run (Brown kick) 11:28
UT: Jeff Hall 44 field goal, 8:28
Third Quarter
NU: Scott Frost 1 run (Brown kick) 10:11
NU: Frost 11 run (Brown kick) 5:07
UT: Peerless Price 5 pass from Peyton Manning (pass failed) 1:58
NU: Green 22 run (Brown kick) 0:29
Fourth Quarter
NU: Frost 9 run (Brown kick) 4:24
UT: Andy McCullough 3 pass from Tee Martin (Travis Stephens pass from Martin) 0:58 

                          TENN      NEBR
First downs ............... 16        30
  By rushing ............... 6        22 
  By passing ............... 9         7 
  By penalty ............... 1         1 
Rushed-yards .......... 21-128    68-409
Passing yards ............ 187       125
  Comp-Att-Int ....... 25-35-1    9-12-0
Total offense ......... 56-315    80-534
Return yards ............... 4        59
Int. returns-Yards ....... 0-0      1-28 
Punt returns-Yards ....... 2-4      3-31 
Kickoff returns-Yards ... 5-94      1-29 
Punts ................. 6-52.3    4-39.0
Fumbles-lost ............. 2-2       3-2
Penalties-yards ......... 5-37      8-63
Time of possession ..... 23:57     36:03
Sacked-Yards lost ........ 1-9       0-0 
Third-down conversions .. 2-10      4-10 
Fourth-down conversions .. 1-1       1-2 

RUSHING
UT: Lewis 14-90, Levine 2-30, Martin 1-11, Stephens 3-6, Manning 1-minus 9

NU: Green 29-206, Makovicka 9-61, S Frost 17-60, Wiggins 3-28, Sims 4-23, Newcombe 3-16, Buckhalter 2-14, Alexander 1-1

PASSING
UT: Manning 21-31-1-134, Martin 4-4-0-53
NU: Nebraska-S Frost 9-12-0-125

RECEIVING
UT: Nash 5-53, Copeland 4-30, Bryson 4-25, Lewis 4-4, McCullough 3-50, Price 3-9, C Wilson 1-13, Edmonds 1-3

NU: S Jackson 4-56, Green 3-31, Newcombe 1-22, Davison 1-16.

Att: 72,385

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Coverage

Stats & Recap
Complete Stats

National champs again: Huskers run over Vols

One of the most successful eras in college football came to a close as the Huskers defeated Tennessee, 42-17, in the 1998 Orange Bowl to win a share of their third national title in four seasons.

The win was the final one for head coach Tom Osborne, who retired after compiling a 255-49-3 record in 25 seasons.

In a showdown between two of the nation’s top offenses, the Nebraska defense stole the spotlight early on, forcing a pair of Vol turnovers that led to a pair of touchdowns and a 14-3 halftime lead.

The Huskers took command after intermission by scoring touchdowns on all three of their third-quarter possessions — drives of 80, 73 and 80 yards. Ahman Green rushed for 159 yards during the quarter on his way to an Orange Bowl and NU bowl-record 206 yards.

Overshadowed in the offense’s effort was a defense that held UT quarterback Peyton Manning to a season-low 134 yards in the air.

Full official recap
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Grand Island Indep.
Omaha World-Herald
Lincoln Journal Star
Daily Nebraskan
Associated Press
Opponent sources
Knoxville News-Sentinel
UT Daily Beacon
More sources
Hail Varsity
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New York Times
Detroit Free Press
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Chicago Tribune
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Paul Fell
Photos/Audio/Video
Photos
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Pregame & team info
NU logo   vols logo
Pregame reads
Pregame video
1997 schedule
04/26 Reds 34, Whites 28
08/30 Akron W 59-14
09/13 Central Florida W 38-24
09/20 @ Washington W 27-14
10/04 Kansas St. W 56-26
10/11 @ Baylor W 49-21
10/18 Texas Tech W 29-0
10/25 @ Kansas W 35-0
11/01 Oklahoma W 69-7
11/08 @ Missouri W 45-38
11/15 Iowa St. W 77-14
11/28 @ Colorado W 27-24
12/06 Texas A&M W 54-15
01/02 Tennessee W 42-17

Commentary

Colonel Mustard

The Southern teams are finesse and can't take the constant pounding, and Peyton looked rattled. Tee Martin would have been more trouble than Peyton.


Colonel Mustard
HuskerMax
Shatel

The two remaining undefeated teams in the nation should play. ... Where are the power brokers of the game when you need them?

Tom Shatel
Omaha World-Herald
Hamar

The Wolverines deserved it. But here's some news just in: The Huskers were just as deserving.

Bob Hamar
Grand Island Independent
Vescey

I don't buy the gold-watch-retirement-present theory for Doctor Tom, as he is known in Nebraska.

George Vescey
New York Times
Buck

Let's face it. Michigan is the only real No. 1 team in the nation, or should be, and that should go for both polls.

Ray Buck
CBS SportsLine
Weber

Yes, Frost was the best quarterback on the field. And the best thing the guy in scarlet and cream did was keep the guy in orange and white off the field.

Rick Weber
Florida Today
Dufresne

Got a stray puppy? Send it along to the 32 coaches who voted Nebraska No. 1 in Saturday's final coaches' poll. Those mush-hearts couldn't refuse it.

Chris Dufresne
Los Angeles Times
Connors

Michigan was more consistent. But when both were at their best, Nebraska was better and should have been No. 1, barely, in both polls.

Bill Connors
Tulsa World
Adams

Nebraska's success against good teams is what distinguished it from Michigan and everybody else.

John Adams
Knoxville News-Sentinel
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