Huskers, Hurricanes Share Memorable History

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Huskers Hit the Road for First Time in 2015

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Saturday night, after the Huskers dominated South Alabama, Mike Riley did his usual live postgame press conference in the Ndamukong Suh Strength Complex, then went into a room to share his strategic thoughts with the Husker Sports Network. When Riley got home at 12:30 a.m. Sunday, he turned on the TV and saw Nebraska’s Tom Osborne winning a national championship chess match with Miami’s Dennis Erickson in the 1995 Orange Bowl. “I watched a little bit of that,” Riley said, knowing that the Huskers exploded in the fourth quarter to beat the ‘Canes, 24-17.

Wouldn’t it be nice if Nebraska can go into the same kind of Florida heat Saturday and outscore host Miami, 15-0, in the fourth quarter, like the Huskers did on Jan. 1, 1995? Who knows? Maybe Andy Janovich, the Huskers’ 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior fullback from Gretna, Neb., can be pivotal like Cory Schlesinger was with 15-yard and 14-yard fourth-quarter touchdown runs in the ‘95 Orange Bowl.

Riley on Janovich: ‘I Really, Really, Really Like Him a Lot’

“Janovich (pictured above) is a good football player. I really, really, really like him a lot,” Riley said at Monday’s press conference. “He comes to play and brings a special quality to us that’s important. He’s kind of played two positions. He played H-back, and he’s played fullback. And he’s doing a lot of what a tight end does.”

Make no mistake. “I understand the great history of this (Miami) game and some of the historical ramifications of the game against Miami being played for national championships,” Riley said. “That’s pretty good stuff, and it’s led to a nice, current-day rivalry. I know our players…I did not realize how they felt except through time, hearing them talk. I think… unfortunately it won’t happen, but I think the first thing De’Mornay (Pierson-El) said to me when he got hurt was, 'I really want to play in that Miami game’. So I’ve been getting a feel for what this means to this team and this program.”

Amen to that and kudos to Riley for embracing Saturday’s road game challenge in Miami. “Everybody that plays college football, or plays football at all, understands you have away games,” he said. “I think that if you want to be a great team you have to win on the road, so really, what you have to do is be able to approach it, preparation-wise, as if it’s the same. I mean it has to be a great week of practice. You can’t be focusing on the trip. You do have to make note of the environment. We’re going to head back into a hot environment, a muggy environment, a grass-field environment. So we can talk about some of those things and actually practice on the grass some this week.”

Saturday’s Major Road Game Great Time for Team to Bind Together

The Huskers also started talking Monday about the importance of hydration. “We can start preparing for some of that, but the other part of it is it’s a great time for the team to bind together,” Riley (pictured above) said. “You’re going into an environment where it’s really… we’re going to have good fans there, but it’s going to be about us and going into somebody else’s environment and playing the game, all that stuff.

“I always talk about the common denominators,” Riley said. “There’s going to be a field and lines on the field and goal posts, so there’s going to be a football game break out, but it’s different. You have to handle the travel. You’ve got to do all that stuff, and then you’ve got to play in a game. I think it’s really good for us right now and I think that, again, how you do on the road is a big part of what your season is going to be about.”

While some Husker fans who will make the road trip think about white beaches, seashells and, perhaps, a sunny session of golf, Riley analyzes the enormity of the rivalry. He wants to optimize a nation-leading statistic his team has put together: In its  first two games this season, Nebraska has made 51 plays of 10 yards or longer.  

“We feel good,” Riley said. “We would like some of those to go all the way, and we’re going to continue to do that. I think that if we can take our shots, get some big plays, and keep a high percentage, then we’re on the right track. When you keep a good percentage, it means there’s a good mixture of stuff.”

Offensive Coordinator Langsdorf Designs Calls for Higher Percentage

Danny Langsdorf (pictured above) is Nebraska’s offensive coordinator. He makes the calls that are designed to achieve a higher percentage of success. “It’s very, very nice to be able to stretch the defense and make them cover the whole field in the throwing game,” Riley said. “I think (junior quarterback) Tommy (Armstrong Jr.) has done a nice job in both games, efficiency-wise. I think we have to continue to study what’s best for him, and then what fits the opponent the best. That will be an ongoing thing for us to do.”

Nebraska’s offensive success is dependent, in large measure, in keeping its group of receivers healthy. “I really like them,” Riley said. “I think it’s a good mixture of guys, and then one day, if we can add De’Mornay (Pierson-El) back in, this is a pretty good group. I didn’t mention that (junior tight end) Cethan Carter will play again. He’s athletic and can provide much-needed depth at tight end. He’s also a different kind of athlete that is presented as an inside receiver. If we can stay healthy and we can add these guys back, with Cethan coming back and eventually De’Mornay, it’s a pretty good group.”

Having won a combined 10 national championships since 1970 (five each), Nebraska and Miami will meet for the 12th time on Saturday. The series has featured many memorable games, including several with a national championship on the line.

Nebraska-Miami Historic Rivalry Started in 1951 in Florida

For those who prefer the full historical picture of the rivalry, here are the facts:

• Six of the 11 meetings have been in bowl games, including the five matchups prior to last season. In those last six NU-UM games, the winner was crowned as the national champion four times.

• The first meeting in 1951 (Miami) was a 19-7 Hurricane win. It also marked the first night game in NU history.

• Nebraska's 36-34 win in the 1962 Gotham Bowl in New York was the Huskers' first-ever bowl victory.

• The 1984 Orange Bowl marked the first time the winner was crowned national champion. Miami also completed a title run by defeating NU in the 1992 Orange Bowl and captured the crown with victory in the 2002 Rose Bowl.

• NU rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit for a 24-17 win in the 1995 Orange Bowl. That win secured the first of three national titles in four years under Tom Osborne.

• Overall, Nebraska and Miami combined for seven national titles in 15 seasons from 1983 to 1997, facing each other in four bowl games during that span.

• The Huskers' 41-31 win last season in Lincoln was the first regular-season matchup since 1976. NU rushed for 343 yards in the victory.

• Nebraska and Miami's history also extends off the field. Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst served in the same role at Miami in 2011 and 2012, before moving to Lincoln. Nebraska Executive Associate A.D. Steve Waterfield also served on Eichorst's staff in Coral Gables. Miami Athletic Director Blake James worked in the Nebraska development office in 1997 and 1998.

Nebraska Has Played 22 Bowl Games in Florida

Florida is a regular destination for the Nebraska Football program in the postseason. Nebraska has played 22 bowl games in Florida, including 17 appearances in the Orange Bowl in Miami.

Two of Nebraska's 17 Orange Bowl appearances came at Sun Life Stadium. First a 41-21 victory over Virginia Tech following the 1996 season, and a 42-17 win against Tennessee to clinch the 1997 national title – Nebraska's third national title in four seasons.

• Nebraska's most recent visits to Florida have been a stretch of four bowl games in six years in the Sunshine State. NU played in the 2009 and 2014 Gator Bowls (Jacksonville) and appeared in the 2012 and 2013 Capital One Bowls (Orlando). 

• Nebraska is 10-12 in bowl games played in Florida and 10-13 overall in the state.

• The Huskers' only regular-season game in Florida was the 19-7 loss to Miami in 1951.

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