1995 Orange Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 1995 Orange Bowl a 1994-1995 college football bowl game was played on January 1, 1995, for the national championship. This 61st edition to the Orange Bowl featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers
, and the Miami Hurricanes
. Nebraska came into the game with a 12-0 and #1 AP ranking, whereas Miami came into the game with a 10-1 record and #3 AP ranking. The game was a rematch of the classic 1984 matchup
.
Miami placekicker Dane Prewitt scored the first points of the game with a 44 yard field goal to open up a 3-0 Miami lead. Miami quarterback Frank Costa
fired a 35 yard touchdown pass to Trent Jones
for a 10-0 Miami lead. Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer
fired a 19 yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Gilman before halftime, to close the deficit to 10-7. In the third quarter, Frank Costa threw a 44 yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Harris
, to open a 17-7 third quarter lead.
Nebraska outside linebacker Dwayne Harris
sacked Miami quarterback Frank Costa in the end zone for a safety before the end of the third quarter, and Miami only led 17-9. Fullback Cory Schlesinger
scored on a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to trim the lead to 17-15. Tommie Frazier
then found tight end Eric Alford in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 17. A 14-yard touchdown run by Schlesinger gave Nebraska a 24-17 lead, and the defense held on to win the national championship.
.
1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska...
, and the Miami Hurricanes
1994 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 1994 Miami Hurricanes represented the University of Miami in the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. The club was coached by Dennis Erickson and played in the Orange Bowl. In the regular season, the only loss the Hurricanes suffered was against the Washington Huskies The 1994 Miami...
. Nebraska came into the game with a 12-0 and #1 AP ranking, whereas Miami came into the game with a 10-1 record and #3 AP ranking. The game was a rematch of the classic 1984 matchup
1984 Orange Bowl
The 1984 Orange Bowl was the 50th annual Orange Bowl Classic, played on January 2, 1984, between the unbeaten Nebraska Cornhuskers and the once-beaten Miami Hurricanes, for the national championship. After leading 31-17 in the fourth quarter, Miami held on for a 31-30 victory...
.
Miami placekicker Dane Prewitt scored the first points of the game with a 44 yard field goal to open up a 3-0 Miami lead. Miami quarterback Frank Costa
Frank Costa
Frank Costa OAM is an entrepreneur, 1997 Order of Australia Medal recipient, and philanthropist. The Geelong native has been a prominent figure in the region for more than four decades, after inheriting the family's produce business in the late 1950s...
fired a 35 yard touchdown pass to Trent Jones
Trent Jones
Trent Jones is an American soap opera writer, singer, and actor. His wife is Francesca Jones, a freelance artist.He began playing rock star Ken George Jones on the ABC soap opera Ryan's Hope. He not only acted in the role, but sang and even composed some of his character's songs...
for a 10-0 Miami lead. Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer
Brook Berringer
Brook Warren Berringer was an American quarterback for the University of Nebraska football team in the mid-1990s. Berringer came to Nebraska from Goodland, Kansas, and played a back-up role to Tommie Frazier...
fired a 19 yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Gilman before halftime, to close the deficit to 10-7. In the third quarter, Frank Costa threw a 44 yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris was an American stage and film character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the TV version of The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space...
, to open a 17-7 third quarter lead.
Nebraska outside linebacker Dwayne Harris
Dwayne Harris
Dwayne Lenard Harris is an American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He played college football at East Carolina. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys as the eleventh pick of the sixth round.-High School:...
sacked Miami quarterback Frank Costa in the end zone for a safety before the end of the third quarter, and Miami only led 17-9. Fullback Cory Schlesinger
Cory Schlesinger
Cory Schlesinger is a former American football fullback of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft...
scored on a 15-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to trim the lead to 17-15. Tommie Frazier
Tommie Frazier
Tommie James Frazier, Jr. is a former American football player and coach in the United States. He played quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers....
then found tight end Eric Alford in the back of the end zone to tie the game at 17. A 14-yard touchdown run by Schlesinger gave Nebraska a 24-17 lead, and the defense held on to win the national championship.
Aftermath
Nebraska finished the season with a 13-0 record, and won the national championship (Coach Tom Osborne's first). Miami finished the season ranked 6th with a 10-2 record . It was Nebraska's first bowl win since the 1987 Sugar Bowl1987 Sugar Bowl
The 1987 edition to the Sugar Bowl featured the fifth ranked LSU Tigers, and the sixth ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. It was the third time in five seasons that the two teams had met in a bowl game, with Nebraska winning all three encounters....
.