1972 Orange Bowl

Miami, Fla., Jan. 1, 1972--It was supposed to be another "Game of the Century," rivaling Nebraska's 35-31 win over Oklahoma a few weeks earlier. The 12-0 Huskers were No. 1, the 11-0 Alabama Crimson Tide was No. 2, but the Orange Bowl had a dream game for a little less than a quarter.

The Huskers struck early on a 2-yard TD run by Jeff Kinney, before Johnny Rodgers broke the Tide's back with a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown on the last play of the first quarter. The Huskers added two more scores in the second stanza, and by halftime, the Huskers left no doubt about who was No. 1, as Nebraska led, 28-0. The Huskers continued to dominate and rolled to a 38-6 win, giving Nebraska a second straight national title and Coach Bob Devaney a satisfying first win in three tries over 'Bama Coach Bear Bryant.

1972 Orange Bowl

Teams	1	2	3	4	Final
Nebraska	14	14	3	7	38
Alabama	0	3	6	0	6

 

Statistics	NU	UA
First Downs	15	16
Rushing, Net	183	241
Passes Att., Comp., Int.	20-11-0	13-3-2
Passing, Net	159	47
Total Offense	342	288

Scoring Summary
First Quarter
NU-Jeff Kinney 2 run (Rich Sanger kick failed), 3:01
NU-Johnny Rodgers 77 punt return (Maury Damkroger pass from Jerry Tagge), 0:00

Second Quarter
NU-Tagge 1 run (Sanger kick), 12:43
NU-Gary Dixon 2 run (Sanger kick), 8:49

Third Quarter
AU-Terry Davis 3 run (Joe LaBue kick failed), 5:49
NU-FG Sanger 21, 0:00

Fourth Quarter
NU-Van Brownson 1 run (Sanger kick), 4:45