1970 National Champions - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site

Early in the 1970 season, Jerry Murtaugh predicted Nebraska would win the national championship. Murtaugh was a senior linebacker and co-captain who, in just three seasons, set the Cornhusker career record for tackles. A quarter of a century later, Murtaugh's mark still stands.

It was obvious that Murtaugh was capable of backing up whatever he said, which, in the case of the 1970 season was not without some justification. Nebraska had been 9-2 the previous season, winning its final seven games, including a decisive 45-6 victory against Georgia in the Sun Bowl.

After the Sun Bowl game, Georgia coach Vince Dooley said the Cornhuskers hadn't belonged in El Paso, Texas; they deserved better competition than his team could provide.

Still, 1970 was a new season. And though Nebraska had several starters returning on offense, Murtaugh was one of only three defensive starters returning. Dave Walline and Jim Anderson were the others.

Besides, winning a national championship wasn't something over which a team had complete control. It would depend not only on being successful, but also on the votes of writers and broadcasters in the Associated Press poll of selected coaches in the United Press International poll.

Two games into the season, Murtaugh's brash prediction became a longshot, at best. After opening with a 36-12 victory against Wake Forest, the ninth-ranked Cornhuskers played Southern California to a 21-21 tie at the LA Coliseum. The Trojans tied the score with 8:16 remaining, after a failed 12-yard field goal attempt, resulting from a poor center snap, kept Nebraska from putting the game away.

"We should have won the game," Johnny Rodgers said years later. Rodgers was a sophomore in 1970, his first varsity season.

A tie at USC was certainly no disgrace. Coach John McKay's team was ranked No. 3. Nebraska even moved up in the next week

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