Aaron Graham: Florida Had No Idea What Was Coming

'95 Huskers Remain in a League of Their Own

Who Was Better? 1971 or 1995 Champions?

Machine-Like '95 Champs Didn't Miss a Beat

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

On the eve of the 20th anniversary of what many consider to be Nebraska’s greatest football team – the 1995 turbo-charged Huskers – I asked Aaron Graham to describe his favorite memory from the Huskers’ 62-24 thrashing of previously unbeaten Florida in a Fiesta Bowl showdown for the national title.

One of three first-team All-Americans and one of five 1995 captains, Graham immediately framed his choice for posterity. “My favorite memory was the entire buildup to that game, including running out on the field before kickoff,” he said. “I remember hoping that our fans would be there and thinking how Big Red fans always show up. I’ll always remember running onto the field with the other captains with the crowd exploding and all you could see was red everywhere.”

For Quiet, Confident Huskers, Losing Was Simply Not an Option

A senior center from Denton, Texas, Graham (pictured above snapping the ball to Tommie Frazier) also remembers the Huskers heading straight to their sideline while “Florida ran straight to the center of the field, using their hands to do the Gator Chop,” he recalled. “I’m looking at everybody up and down our sideline, and they’re looking at me. We all had that same look and were all thinking the same thing – they have no idea about what’s getting ready to happen. We had a quiet but an overwhelming sense of confidence. Losing was simply not an option.”

It may not have been an option to the Huskers, but many in the national media favored the unbeaten Gators to spoil Nebraska’s bid for a second straight national championship. But an upset was not in the cards, as No. 1 Nebraska outscored Florida 29-0 in the second quarter. The Huskers led by 25 at halftime and by as many as 44 before taking a knee to end the game inside the Gators’ 5-yard line. In the end, in an epic battle of two unbeaten teams, Nebraska had outgained Florida by 360 yards and held the Gators to negative-28 rushing yards.

Closest Game for Frazier-Led Huskers Was a Two-Touchdown Margin

The Fiesta Bowl romp was a fitting finale, as the Huskers were never seriously challenged in 1995, winning every game by at least two touchdowns to push their winning streak to 25 games. Nebraska led the nation in rushing (399.8 yards per game), scoring (52.0) and total offense (556.3). Frazier (pictured above in the Fiesta Bowl) and walk-on rush end Jared Tomich joined Graham as first-team All-Americans. Senior teammates serving with Graham as co-captains were middle linebacker Phil Ellis, Grand Island, Neb.; tight end Mark Gilman, Kalispell, Mont.; defensive tackle Christian Peter, Locust, N.J.; and free safety Tony Veland, Omaha.

The Huskers opened the 1995 season with a 64-21 win over Oklahoma State, then beat Michigan State (50-10), Arizona State (77-28), Pacific (49-7), Washington State (35-21), Missouri (57-0), Kansas State (49-25), Colorado (44-21), Iowa State (73-14), Kansas (41-3), Oklahoma (37-0) and Florida (62-24) in the Fiesta Bowl. Of Nebraska’s 12 games in 1995, four came against top-10 opponents, with the Huskers victorious in those top-10 battles by an average margin of 31 points.

Tenopir: Only Bad Fiesta Bowl Memory Was Taking a Knee at the End

On Thursday, I connected with Milt Tenopir, Nebraska’s legendary offensive line coach. He was heading to Omaha to join a panel of coaches and players discussing the 1995 national championship team. “People forget we were behind in that Fiesta Bowl game, but it didn’t bother many,” he said. “I don’t think they were any faster than us and we were awesome physically that night. I have good memories of the entire experience. The only bad memory I have from that game is that we didn’t go for it when we had it on the half-yard line.”

Let the record show that Tenopir made that statement with a playful laugh. Still, “if we run it and go for two, we make it 70 (points),” Tenopir said. “Matt Turman (Nebraska’s third-team quarterback) was told to take a knee and kneel on it. I thought that was more humiliating than going ahead and punching it in. It was all good and didn’t make any difference. I just remember how that game ended and how our fans took over the stadium. Three quarters of the stadium or more was ours. It was like a home game for us. It was a fun week, a fun game and a good way to end the season. Our kids were pretty strong all the way to the finish.”

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