This Week in Husker History: Week 2

Nebraska Drowns Notre Dame in a Sea of Red

 

Sept. 8, 2001

 

In one of the most highly anticipated home games at Memorial Stadium in recent history, two of college football’s most tradition-rich programs battled it out under the lights when Nebraska faced Notre Dame on Sept. 8, 2001.

 

Complete with ESPN’s College Gameday and a primetime ABC national telecast, No. 4 Nebraska drowned No. 17 Notre Dame in a Sea of Red, 27-10, in front of a then-Memorial Stadium record crowd of 78,118.

 

The win was a major step toward Nebraska’s Rose Bowl berth and the second straight victory over the Irish. In 2000, Nebraska downed the Irish in South Bend, 27-24, when Eric Crouch scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime. But no heroics were needed on Sept. 8, 2001, as the Huskers put up 17 first-quarter points and never looked back while improving its all-time record against Notre Dame to 8-7-1.

 

“It’s something that two times in a row, probably doesn’t happen to too many teams,” Crouch said after the game. “Notre Dame is a great program with a top-notch tradition. Any time you play a team like that and you come out with a win, then you’re doing something right.”

 

Crouch led Nebraska on a 64-yard touchdown drive on the first possession of the game that was capped by a two-yard Dahrran Diedrick touchdown run.

 

Notre Dame’s first possession provided a polar opposite, as the Irish fumbled on the first play. After Jamie Burrow recovered the loose ball, Crouch and the Huskers wasted little time hitting paydirt again, delivering a 22-yard touchdown pass to John Gibson on first down.

 

Nebraska led 27-3 at halftime after a Sandro DeAngelis 19-yard field goal and another short touchdown run by Diedrick. Meanwhile, the Blackshirts kept the Irish offense in check, holding Notre Dame to minus-34 yards rushing in the first quarter and just 43 for the game in front of a frenzied Memorial Stadium crowd.

 

“It was hard to keep our emotions in check,” Diedrick said. “The crowd was so great tonight, and when we came out, everyone was extra hyped up. It was a great feeling running onto the field tonight.”

 

Nebraska and Notre Dame have played a long line of storied battles, dating back to their first match-up in 1915, a 20-19 Husker victory. In 1922 and 1923, Nebraska became the only team to ever defeat Notre Dame’s “Four Horsemen” as the Huskers defeated the Irish, 14-6 and 14-7. Both of the historic contests were in Lincoln, but neither could have matched the electricity of Sept. 8, 2001.

 

Osborne Leads Huskers Past UCLA in First Game as Head Coach

Sept. 8, 1973

Nebraska opened the Tom Osborne era and avenged a 1972 season-opening loss to UCLA with a resounding 40-13 win over the No. 10 Bruins on Sept. 8, 1973 in front of 74,966 fans at Memorial Stadium.  All-time, the Huskers are 5-0 on Sept. 8.

No. 4 NU scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to build on a 20-13 halftime lead.  Tony Davis ran for two touchdowns, including a 43-yard scoring run with 13:22 remaining in the game to put the game out of reach and give the Huskers a 33-13 lead.  Davis finished the game with 24 carries for 147 yards, with 63 yards and nine touches coming after halftime.

“We were in a pretty big sweat at the half,” Osborne said after the first of his 255 wins at Nebraska.  “We were afraid the momentum had shifted to UCLA.”

The Bruins cut the Huskers’ lead to 20-13 with 11 seconds left in the first half with a three-yard touchdown run by quarterback Mark Harmon, set up by a 43-yard run by Kermit Johnson one play earlier on 4th-and-2 from the NU 46. 

But on the first drive of the third quarter, Nebraska marched 80 yards in 15 plays and 7:04 and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Davis, his fourth straight carry on the drive, to boost the Huskers’ lead to 26-13 and begin the run of 20 consecutive points. 

The Blackshirts stuffed the Bruins’ passing game, allowing just 20 yards through the air and only two of nine UCLA passing attempts to be completed. 

In addition to being Osborne’s first game as the head coach of the Huskers, it was also the first game solely as the athletic director for Bob Devaney.

“I don’t know why I didn’t start sitting up in the stands a long time ago,” Devaney said.  “It’s sure a lot more fun!”

Nebraska finished the season 9-2-1 and No. 7 in the nation after the Huskers’ 19-3 win in the Cotton Bowl over No. 8 Texas.  UCLA closed the 1973 season with an identical 9-2-1 mark in Pepper Rodgers’ final season as the Bruins head coach.  Future NFL coach Dick Vermeil took over the following season. 

Nebraska and UCLA have met six times since 1973, with the Huskers holding a 5-1 series edge.  The Bruins defeated NU, 41-28, on Sept. 10, 1988 in a matchup of top-five teams, but in the other five matchups, Nebraska has defeated UCLA by an average of 21.8 points.  Three of those wins for the Huskers were by more than four touchdowns.