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The 5 missing NC's of Tom Osborne

BigRedFA said:
I am just going to pump the brakes on this one here. The 2001 Miami team was loaded with high caliber NFL talent. I agree that our team was no slouch but that was a game we never really had a chance in.
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Yeah but didn't we have an issue for having the wrong type of shoes that put us behind the eight ball from the very start?
 

Greatest Fan of All said:
Tom had a pretty tough go of it for many years, being on the cusp of winning the NC many times, but always coming up short. It is no wonder that as soon as his luck changed and he won 3 NC's, he was gone before heartache returned. Anyway, TO won 3 NC's but could have won as many as 8, if some really poor luck wasn't shadowing him. Remember, TO was a lifelong learner, he was often slow on the uptake but once he learned something, he added it to his bag of tricks and ultimately brick by brick he built the greatest CFB dynasty ever, though only for a brief 5 year span, before retiring early.

Here are TO's "lost" 5 national championships:

1. 1978 - Though the Huskers were not the best team in the nation in 1978, they beat the best team in the country--Oklahoma-- and were clearly ready to win TO's first NC. One small problem, as luck would have it, the NU/OU game wasn't the last regular season game (except for a few Hawaii vacation games) for the first time in anyone's memory and the Huskers were emotionally spent from defeating the #1 Sooners. the Huskers fell to a very good Missouri team the following week to spoil TO's first likely NC.

2. 1981 - In a rare spot of good luck for TO, a strong but 2-loss Husker team lucked into playing Clemson in the OB with an opportunity to win the National title. On the flip side, Turner Gill was unable to play in the game and the Huskers were not up to the task without TG at the helm.

3. 1982 - Not much more needs to be said than the referee's at Penn State literally cheated the Huskers out of a National championship.

4. 1983 - TO made himself a living legend in the heartbreaking loss in the 1984 OB. To lose by missing a 2-point conversion, after losing Rozier for most of the game, and fighting back from large deficits twice on Miami's home field...was tough to take.

5. 1993 - Another game stolen by referee's. A non-existent "clip" on a punt returned for a TD. A non-called fumble on a 1 yard TD run that never even broke the LOS. And, the love affair going on between Bowden, Ward and the media made for a really ugly NC loss.

I'd go into the 2 or three other NC's that TO would likely have won in the next 5 years had he not quit in 1997, but...heck, he thought he built a system that could maintain our status. Sadly, it didn't take long to be brought down.
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One comment I'll make is TO would have likely one 3 more with today's rule book (for games). Instant reply would have likely lead to wins against PSU and FSU. The Skerz had ALL the mo in the 4th Q against Miami. Much like the 95 OB our superior conditioning was very helpful in the 4th Q. No way we'd have lost overtime with the way its structure.
 
Greatest Fan of All said:
Not with Frank Solich as the coach and after 3 years of Frank Solich recruiting. If TO was the coach, we'd have had much better recruiting and coaching, quite possibly enough to beat even an outstanding Miami squad. Remember, a pissant upstart Tosu team with a QB nobody remembers beat Miami the very next year...another supposedly unbeatable Miami team.
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The officials gave that game to Ohio state with the phantom call after the play was over.
 



Sooner 24 said:
The officials gave that game to Ohio state with the phantom call after the play was over.
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You missed the point completely, Miami was beatable, and by a nobody Tosu team no less. A TO coached Nebraska squad with continued TO recruiting beats Miami in 2001 and 2002.
 




2 plays will always stand out to me...The Penn State sidelines "reception" that was CLEARLY out of bounds, and the "Ruud awakening" hit that wasn't called a fumble...There are others but for me, those two stand out the most...
 
Greatest Fan of All said:
Tom had a pretty tough go of it for many years, being on the cusp of winning the NC many times, but always coming up short. It is no wonder that as soon as his luck changed and he won 3 NC's, he was gone before heartache returned. Anyway, TO won 3 NC's but could have won as many as 8, if some really poor luck wasn't shadowing him. Remember, TO was a lifelong learner, he was often slow on the uptake but once he learned something, he added it to his bag of tricks and ultimately brick by brick he built the greatest CFB dynasty ever, though only for a brief 5 year span, before retiring early.

Here are TO's "lost" 5 national championships:

1. 1978 - Though the Huskers were not the best team in the nation in 1978, they beat the best team in the country--Oklahoma-- and were clearly ready to win TO's first NC. One small problem, as luck would have it, the NU/OU game wasn't the last regular season game (except for a few Hawaii vacation games) for the first time in anyone's memory and the Huskers were emotionally spent from defeating the #1 Sooners. the Huskers fell to a very good Missouri team the following week to spoil TO's first likely NC.

2. 1981 - In a rare spot of good luck for TO, a strong but 2-loss Husker team lucked into playing Clemson in the OB with an opportunity to win the National title. On the flip side, Turner Gill was unable to play in the game and the Huskers were not up to the task without TG at the helm.

3. 1982 - Not much more needs to be said than the referee's at Penn State literally cheated the Huskers out of a National championship.

4. 1983 - TO made himself a living legend in the heartbreaking loss in the 1984 OB. To lose by missing a 2-point conversion, after losing Rozier for most of the game, and fighting back from large deficits twice on Miami's home field...was tough to take.

5. 1993 - Another game stolen by referee's. A non-existent "clip" on a punt returned for a TD. A non-called fumble on a 1 yard TD run that never even broke the LOS. And, the love affair going on between Bowden, Ward and the media made for a really ugly NC loss.

I'd go into the 2 or three other NC's that TO would likely have won in the next 5 years had he not quit in 1997, but...heck, he thought he built a system that could maintain our status. Sadly, it didn't take long to be brought down.
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Great post....I remember each heart breaker.
 



Greatest Fan of All said:
Tom had a pretty tough go of it for many years, being on the cusp of winning the NC many times, but always coming up short. It is no wonder that as soon as his luck changed and he won 3 NC's, he was gone before heartache returned. Anyway, TO won 3 NC's but could have won as many as 8, if some really poor luck wasn't shadowing him. Remember, TO was a lifelong learner, he was often slow on the uptake but once he learned something, he added it to his bag of tricks and ultimately brick by brick he built the greatest CFB dynasty ever, though only for a brief 5 year span, before retiring early.

Here are TO's "lost" 5 national championships:

1. 1978 - Though the Huskers were not the best team in the nation in 1978, they beat the best team in the country--Oklahoma-- and were clearly ready to win TO's first NC. One small problem, as luck would have it, the NU/OU game wasn't the last regular season game (except for a few Hawaii vacation games) for the first time in anyone's memory and the Huskers were emotionally spent from defeating the #1 Sooners. the Huskers fell to a very good Missouri team the following week to spoil TO's first likely NC.

2. 1981 - In a rare spot of good luck for TO, a strong but 2-loss Husker team lucked into playing Clemson in the OB with an opportunity to win the National title. On the flip side, Turner Gill was unable to play in the game and the Huskers were not up to the task without TG at the helm.

3. 1982 - Not much more needs to be said than the referee's at Penn State literally cheated the Huskers out of a National championship.

4. 1983 - TO made himself a living legend in the heartbreaking loss in the 1984 OB. To lose by missing a 2-point conversion, after losing Rozier for most of the game, and fighting back from large deficits twice on Miami's home field...was tough to take.

5. 1993 - Another game stolen by referee's. A non-existent "clip" on a punt returned for a TD. A non-called fumble on a 1 yard TD run that never even broke the LOS. And, the love affair going on between Bowden, Ward and the media made for a really ugly NC loss.

I'd go into the 2 or three other NC's that TO would likely have won in the next 5 years had he not quit in 1997, but...heck, he thought he built a system that could maintain our status. Sadly, it didn't take long to be brought down.
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'82, yes and '83, yes, but there was no way on gods green earth we were going to beat Clemson. That we made a game out of it was commendable though.

As for '93, that was the most frustrating loss of Tom's career, imo.
 
MR863HUSKER said:
2 plays will always stand out to me...The Penn State sidelines "reception" that was CLEARLY out of bounds, and the "Ruud awakening" hit that wasn't called a fumble...There are others but for me, those two stand out the most...
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But we won that game anyway.
 

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