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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 1995)
Frazier’s fourth-quarter play clears doubts By PereK Samson Senior Reporter MIAMI — For Nebraska’s first two series, it looked as if Tom Osborne had made a mis take in selecting Tommie Frazier as his starter for the 1995 Orange Bowl. But after the final two full series, Osborne looked like a genius as Frazier, along with fullback Cory Schlesinger, helped him win his first national championship with a 24-17 vic tory over Miami. Frazier, named the Orange Bowl most valu able player, led two late scoring drives to help Nebraska come from behind to beat the No. 3 Hurricanes. “That’s one thing I wanted and one of the reasons I came here was to win a national championship,” Frazier said. “Last year we didn’t do it, but we got it this time.” Last year, Frazier outplayed Heisman Tro phy winner Charlie Ward, but Nebraska lost the national championship to Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Frazier was named the starter against Mi ami, but he was replaced by Brook Berringer after throwing an interception on the Miami 3 yard line on Nebraska’s second possession. “I thought I was going to go back in the game, but I really couldn’t think about that,” prazier said. “Football is a game that changes — sometimes it might change for the good, sometimes it might not. I got the chance to get back in there and make something happen.” It wasn’t until two consecutive turnovers by Berringer that Frazier returned to the game. In Nebraska’s first possession after Frazier’s return, it again went three-and-out. When the Huskers got the ball back, Frazier led them 40 yards, and a Schlesinger touch down cut the lead to 17-15. A two-point con version tied it up. Frazier took over on Nebraska’s following and game-winning drive. The Florida native gained 25 and six yards on consecutive third-down situations to keep the drive alive. Schlesinger’s 14-yard touchdown run gave Nebraska the 24-17 lead and the eventual win. “We were confident, and we knew they were tired,” Frazier said. “Our line was starting to drive them off the ball, and we gave it to Cory because he’s very reliable.” Schlesinger said he was happy to contribute in any way he could. Nebraska’s Cory Schlesinger goes Into the end zone for one of his two touchdown runs In the Orange Bowl. Travis Heyii inj^DN 1 hey were both dinerent traps, Schlesinger said. “One of them was to the right and outside. I saw the guard and tackle on the linebackers and all I had to do was run. The second one was straight up the middle, and I went off the guard's block to run it in.” Schlesinger is no stranger to the end zone during big games. He finished the regular season with four touchdowns and 456 yards, and scored Nebraska’s first touchdown on a similar play against then-No. 2 Colorado Oct. 29th in Lin coln. “I think in games with this kind of hype, teams kind of forget about the fullback a little bit,” he said. “That’s when the fullback gets these kind of big plays.” But with the national spotlight centered on him twice, Schlesinger didn’t celebrate too much. “I’m not a showboat,” he said. “All I have to do is run the ball. The offensive linemen did a great job. They should have been the ones dancing. I’m not much of a dancer anyway.” Sapp says Miami defense not worn down by Nebraska By Tim Pearson Senior Editor MIAMI — With just more than three min utes left in the Orange Bowl, Nebraska took a timeout with the score tied 17-17. The Miami defensive players were sitting on their helmets, hunched over. The Nebraska offensive players were standing up, ready to go. But after the game, Miami All-American defensive tackle Warren Sapp refused to admit that the Hurricanes were worn down by the Nebraska offensive line. Sapp went up against Nebraska All-American Brenden Stai, who switched with Joel Wilks to line up against the Lombardi Award winner. “We knew they were worn down just by the way they were playing, their attitude, and they were taking their helmets off,” Nebraska full back Cory Schlesinger said. “They knew we had it, and we knew we had them worn down. “In the first half they were talking. The second half, they were too tired to talk.” Not so, said Sapp. No way. No. No way, he said when asked if the Hurricane defense was tired at the end of the game. Rather Sapp blamed his team for not mak ing the plays and credited Nebraska for win ning the game in the fourth quarter. But the Comhuskers didn’t do anything special. Tommie-Frazier wasn’t doing any thing special either, Sapp said, to fool the Hurricanes. Sapp said before the Orange Bowl that it didn’t matter to him or the Hurricanes who started for Nebraska at quarterback. Sapp did admit that Frazier made some big plays in the fourth quarter to lead the Huskers to die win. \ “I don't know what was going through our minds. We played the same defense the first two quarters. We had them." ■ WARREN SAPP Miami defensive tackle “It’s really not mind-boggling,” he said. “He was running the offense.” Sapp had six tackles, including two quarter back sacks for 17 yards in losses. “They’re a good team, a real good team,” Sapp said of Nebraska. “You can’t win them all, my mom used to say. “Sometimes you run into good teams and get beat.” Miami coach Dennis Erickson told his play ers not to be ashamed of their efforts, Sapp said. “He told us, ‘You played a helluva football team,’” he said. Miami simply did not make the plays it needed to make to win, Sapp said. “I don’t know what was going through our minds,” he said. “We played the same defense the first two quarters. “We had them,” Sapp took responsibility for not stopping Uie Husker option in the fourth quarter. “We didn’t make the plays,” he said. “We were right there to make the plays.” The loss at the Orange Bowl, the Hurri canes’ second in the last 64 games, doesn’t put a damper on the season, Sapp said. ! Jon Wailer/DN Miami quarterback Frank Costa receives a hug from Nebraska graduate assistant Clayton Carlin after the Orange Bowl. Carlin was Costa s coach in high school. “We won four national championships and 10 games,” he said. “We’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.” And neither does Nebraska, he said, which rightly deserves to hang on to the top spot after defeating Sapp and the Hurricanes. “How could you drop from No. 1 after beating a team like Miami?” Sapp asked.
