Rick Berns picks up yardage against the Tide. | Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska 31
Alabama 24

Sept. 17, 1977 • 12:50 p.m. Central
Memorial Stadium •Lincoln, NE • ABC
1st2nd3rd4th F 
Alabama7100724
Nebraska1077731
First quarter
NEB: Billy Todd 29 field goal, 10:38
ALA: Jeff Rutledge 7 run (Roger Chapman kick) 7:36
NEB: Rick Berns 7 pass from Randy Garcia (Todd kick) 0:31
Second quarter
ALA: Tony Nathan 2 run (Chapman kick) 10:45
NEB: Berns 2 run (Todd kick) 3:26
ALA: Chapman 37 field goal, 0:10
Third quarter
NEB: Curtis Craig 17 run (Todd kick) 10:54 
Fourth quarter
ALA: Nathan 1 run (Chapman kick) 12:24
NEB: Berns 1 run (Todd kick) 7:12

                        ALA        NEB
First Downs ............ 17         25
Rushing Net......... 57-232     50-238
Passing Net ........... 198        179
  Comp-Att-Int .... 13-32-5    11-17-1
Total Offense....... 89-430     67-417
Return yards ........... 13         70
Punts ................ 4-44       6-37
Fumbles-lost .......... 1-0        2-2
Penalties-yards........4-22       9-75 

RUSHING
ALA: Nathan 16-90; Davis 13-69; Rutledge 13-36, Crow 6-16, Ogilvie 2-15, Faust 2-8, Jones 1-3, English 1-minus-1, Shealy 3-minus-4.

NEB: Berns 23-128; Hipp 6-38; Anthony 10-33, Craig 5-28, Sorley 1-6, Garcia 4-4, Steward 1-1.

PASSING
ALA: Rutledge 13-31-5 198; Jones 0-2-0 0.
NEB: Garcia 7-11-1 123; Sorley 3-5-0 20; Berns 1-1-0 36.

RECEIVING
ALA: Newsome 8-132; Bolton 4-42; Neal 2-23.
NEB: Hipp 1-53; Craig 1-36; T.Smith 1-33; Spaeth 3-24; Berns 3-22; Lee 1-6; Brown 1-5.

ADDITIONAL STATS

ATTENDANCE: 75,899 (Capacity No. 89)

NU OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF GAME: Rick Berns (Big 8, Sports Illustrated, Offensive Player of Game ABC-Chevrolet, AP, UPI, Back of the Week).

NU DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF GAME: Jim Pillen (ABC-Chevrolet Defensive Player of Game)


Coverage

Recap

Huskers upset fourth-ranked Crimson Tide

Nebraska unleashed its most colorful and emotional effort of the Tom Osborne era to hang a 31-24 shocker on Alabama. With a Memorial Stadium crowd of 75,899 and a near-nationwide audience of millions watching on ABC, the Huskers pulled out all the stops to give Bear Bryant’s Tide their only defeat of the season. Alabama would finish the season ranked No. 2 in both polls.

Both teams were awesome, sensational, colorful and hard-hitting throughout the well-played TV spectacular. The Huskers scored first on a Billy Todd field goal, but the Tide drove the length of the field to grab the lead 7-3. Nebraska countered with a fake field goal pass that made it 10-7 at the quarter.

Back rolled the Tide, pepped by Jeff Rutledge-to-Ozzie Newsome passes, and it was 14-10 in the second quarter. Then Husker Randy Garcia hit I.M. Hipp with a swing pass that was good for 53 yards, and two plays later Rick Berns scored his second TD to make it 17-14. Rutledge passed Alabama into field-goal position, and with :10 left in the half it was 17-17.

Early in the third quarter, Lee Kunz intercepted a Rutledge pass, and two plays later — 22 yards by Berns and a 17-yard TD sprint by Curtis Craig — the Huskers had a 24-17 edge.

Alabama tried it again early in the fourth quarter, but Nebraska followed with an 80-yard TD drive. Berns leaped high over the goal-line pile with 7:12 left in the game to conclude the scoring.

Nebraska’s young defense — led by two Jim Pillen interceptions — kept the Tide from rolling, and the Cornhuskers were back in the national spotlight with a 1-1 record.

Rick Berns, with 128 yards rushing, three pass receptions for 22 yards, and three TDs, won Big 8 and national honors for his part in the rousing victory.

Game stories
Pregame & team info
1977 schedule
04/30Reds 23, Whites 21
09/10Washington St.L 10-19
09/17AlabamaW 31-24
09/24BaylorW 31-10
10/01IndianaW 31-13
10/08@ Kansas St.W 26-9
10/15Iowa St.L 21-24
10/22ColoradoW 33-15
10/29@ Oklahoma St.W 31-14
11/05@ MissouriW 21-10
11/12KansasW 52-7
11/25@ OklahomaL 7-38
12/19North CarolinaW 21-17
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