Bulldawg Illustrated · Dec 28, 2023
Loran Smith: Going for the win – January 2, 1984
Loran SmithMIAMI – By nightfall, Jan. 2, 1984, the football world had already gone into a tailspin with Georgia having upset No. 2 Texas in the Cotton Bowl in the afternoon, 10-9, which opened the door for Miami to claim the national championship.
All the Hurricanes had to do was defeat No. 1 Nebraska, a team considered by many to be the best of all time. The Cornhuskers had already been called “the team of the century” by some soothsayers.
Howard Schellenberger, the Miami coach, seethed at such commentary. He had evaluated every Cornhusker game film over and over, and told a close friend, John Underwood of Sports Illustrated, that while Nebraska was good, they were certainly beatable.