Brunt: Nebraska’s loss to Wisconsin worst for Big Red since 1970
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Nebraska fans, you now officially know what Florida’s fans felt like after the National Championship Game following the 1995 season.
As a native Nebraskan now living in Indianapolis, I got to see history Saturday night when the Cornhuskers played Wisconsin. I got to see the worst performance in the past 40 years of Nebraska football.
I’m not kidding. In 30 years of following the Huskers and studying the previous 10, never has Nebraska been so outclassed and dominated.
Here is my Sports XChange/Reuters story from last night. Wisconsin 70, Nebraska 31.
Here’s why it’s the worst of the worst.
In most of the other notable losses in Nebraska history — the countless losses to Florida teams in the ’80s and ’90s, the yearly bashings by Oklahoma in the 1970s, even many of the losses in the Bill Callahan era, one thing was usually consistent — the teams Nebraska lost badly to or lost heartbreakers against were very good or excellent.
Wisconsin is a good team, but nothing about the Badgers showed that they should have even beaten Nebraska, much less given them one of the worst losses in school history. Nebraska has never allowed more yards rushing than it did on Saturday night. This against a team the Huskers beat earlier in the season.
Wisconsin didn’t even win its division. The Badgers were in the title game because Ohio State and Penn State, who both finished ahead of them in the Leaders Division standings, were ineligible for the title game because of NCAA rules violations. The Badgers had five losses, including three of their last four (though they all were in overtime).
A colleague of mine joked that Barry Switzer must have been somewhere laughing. I respectfully disagree. He probably was somewhere shedding a tear watching what Nebraska had become. Oklahoma always needed Nebraska to be great to prove its own greatness. It’s no fun if your rival is no good.
The Huskers were shifting to an allegedly weaker conference when they left the Big 12, but they didn’t reach the title game their first year in the Big Ten. That’s OK because they were adjusting to new competition. This year, the Huskers reached the title game, played a third-place team in a down year in the league and got crushed by 39 points in a game that honestly wasn’t even that close.
They lost more than that, too. They lost a BCS bid and national respect, and Taylor Martinez lost a golden opportunity to make himself a Heisman frontrunner for next year. Bottom line: Something was on the line, and a capable, talented Nebraska team didn’t even show up. Now, the Huskers get Georgia in their bowl game? They’d better be ready or that one might actually be worse.
I take nothing from Wisconsin. The Badgers played an outstanding game. But Nebraska’s ineptitude was just as responsible for the final score as Wisconsin’s excellence. Bo Pelini got outcoached, big time.
Here, in my opinion, are the worst losses in Nebraska history since 1970, the year the Huskers arrived on the national scene by winning their first national title.
No. 10
1/1/92
Miami 22, Nebraska 0 — Nebraska gained 171 total yards and nine first downs in another Orange Bowl disaster. At that point, the Huskers hadn’t been shut out since 1973. Why it’s not higher: Miami won the national title with the victory.
No. 9
9/21/96
Arizona State 19, Nebraska 0 — This was right after the second national title in the 1990s, and a new kid named Scott Frost was trying to make a name for himself at quarterback. He eventually would, but Arizona State quarterback Jake Plummer was the man that day. This loss in the desert ended Nebraska’s 26-game win streak. It’s on the list because of the shutout and the timing.
No. 8
11/3/07
Kansas 76, Nebraska 39 — Most points Nebraska has ever allowed. The only reason this isn’t higher is that Kansas was unbeaten and ranked in the Top 10 at the time. Nebraska fell to 4-6 after this loss. Todd Reesing threw for 354 yards that day. Kansas had beaten Nebraska just twice in the previous 39 years.
No. 7
12/30/10
Washington 19, Nebraska 7 – Nebraska beat Washington 56-21 in Seattle early that season and got stuck in a rematch in the Holiday Bowl. Washington was barely bowl-eligible, sneaking into postseason play at 6-6. The Huskers were held to 189 yards.
No. 6
10/16/10
Texas 20, Nebraska 13 — Nebraska was unbeaten and ranked No. 5 coming into this game against an unranked Texas team that had lost two straight. Fans thought Nebraska was going to give Texas a beating before leaving the Big 12, and instead, the Longhorns left the Huskers with one more humiliating moment. Texas won nine of the final 10 meetings with Nebraska in the series.
No. 5
10/25/86
Colorado 20, Nebraska 10 — No. 3 Nebraska was unbeaten and Colorado was 2-4. This was the win that launched Colorado’s challenge to Nebraska’s and Oklahoma’s dominance in the Big Eight. This looks better looking back because of what Colorado became, but at the time, it was flat out terrible.
No. 4
9/29/84
Syracuse 17, Nebraska 9 — Who knew that Syracuse actually played football? Nebraska, ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time, gained just 214 total yards in the Carrier Dome. Craig Sundberg clearly wasn’t Turner Gill. The timing of this one was tough because this was the team that followed the 1983 Scoring Explosion squad. Syracuse finished the season with a 6-5 record.
No. 3
11/18/78
Missouri 35, Nebraska 31 — Nebraska had just beaten rival Oklahoma and needed only to beat the Tigers to play for a national title. James Wilder and Kellen Winslow were too much that day. Missouri was talented and somewhat of a nemesis for Nebraska in the 1970s under Warren Powers. This one is so high because of what might have been. Tom Osborne had to wait another 16 years to finally win his first national title.
No. 2
11/14/92
Iowa State 19, Nebraska 10 — Nebraska made Iowa State’s Marv Seiler look like Jamelle Holieway for a day. The Cyclones’ quarterback ran for 144 yards on 24 carries against the No. 5 Huskers. Nebraska had just blown out nationally ranked Kansas and Colorado but somehow fell flat here. It was Iowa State’s first win over the Huskers since 1977.
No. 1
Saturday’s debacle, for all the aforementioned reasons. Which loss do you think was the worst?
Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbrunt_isl.
