Lincoln Journal Star from Lincoln, Nebraska • 17

TUESDAY, JANUARY g. 1 WO LINCOLN WP mmi IIUSKEll! 5lZj17 iMothemax Taking time in biff way IKK. I nil, liU i tl iPifli. Ill iir ...1 gSPS! lai ip. si wpie.

tiliiaiWK- mm' w. i 1 I iiiipiiiiik iir fiiiMiiiif fiiiim 1 going to take advantage of It the next time we got down there. We Just came ngni oack and did what we had to do." Willis described that mission as simply getting the ban to what be calls the most talented receiving corp in college. "We feel like if I get the ban where they can get it, they're going to get it," he sail "I tried to get the ban up where they could have a Jump ban on certain occasions and they Just made some super catches." And no matter what Nebraska tried, Willis and his receivers usuaUy came up with the right solution. By game's end, Willis had thrown to eight receivers, connecting with wide receiver Terry Anthony and tight end Reggie Johnson tor two scores apiece, and tailback Dexter Carter for another.

Willis latest performance had many people wondering why he didn't start before this seasoa But to Willis, the previous years of anonymity didn't seem to matter. "We went 11-1 two straight years without me playing so we weren't hurting," he said. Tm just glad I'm a part of the team this year. Ill take a feeling like this anytime to win the Fiesta Bowl and finish 10-2. "I've been here five years and I've said before I know why they put the limit at five years.

That's a lot of foot-ban and It's a lot to give to one thing. Tm. ready to move on, wherever it may be." Likely, neH be somewhere to prime time. "I do not think he's maxed out," Ftor- ua oww vwui mjvwj ovmnu bom. sees the film, hell see how Peter Tom ByCurtMcKeever, Journal 3portWrttr 1 TEMPE, Ariz.

Everything about Peter Tom Willis was prime time Mon- day in the Fiesta Bowl -4 The fifth-year quarterback burned Nebraska for a Fiesta Bowl-record 422 "yards and five touchdown passes to lead Semlnoles to a 41-17 victory. "I said before the game, sure I wanted to play good, but the main thing ls I wanted us to win this game so bad for aS the seniors," said Willis, voted the game's most valuable offensive player, 2, "It's Just a great feeling to go out this iway. We won 10 straight games against jthe toughest schedule in the country, I dont care what anybody says, and I feel we're the best team in the country." Willis completed 25 of 40 passes on the way to his second-best career output and most passing yards against the Despite the way he kept Ne-Z braska defenders off balance, he refused to knock the beaten foe. "Ill be honest with you, I thought they WS Pil i klili 1 I Willis goes prime were pretty tough the whole game," he Said Of NU. "We lust came tm with anru big plays.

"I dont think they pve up. I thought going in they'd be a tough defense and I stin think that Tm going to have to go spend a couple of hours in the Jacuzzi." WiW courage after taking numerous big hits from Nebraska rushers typified the determination of the Semlnoles Monday. Florida State was turned away deep in Husker territory the first three times it had the ball But after the Semlnoles recovered the second of three NU fumbles, Willis needed Just two passes to put the Semlnoles on the board, It took just 11 seconds. Two possessions later, Willis guided a three-play, 68-yard drive to put FSU ahead to stay, 14-10, with 6:55 left in the first halt That march took Just 57 seconds. It was frustrating but we knew we were going to get some more opportunities," Willis said of Florida State's opening three possessions.

"We were moving the ball real well and we knew we were ti 4 gives the Semlnoles Peter Tom Willis a hard hit with 3:37 left In the secono quarter. NU defenders very frastrated I 75': vi wPBWWH. 'W By Ken Hambleton Jourtwl Sports WHUr TEMPE, Ariz. Late in the game, as Peter Tom Willis was riddling the Nebraska defense tor the last of his 25 completions for 422 yards and five touchdowns the thought hit Tyrone Byrd. "Is this ever going to endr the freshman Nebraska defensive back said.

"They (Florida State) were playing a great game. There's none better than Willis. He has a great arm, great accuracy and great receivers. "They protected him wen. TheyYe the best team in the country," Byrd said.

"But I couldn't stop thinking how we helped them, too. The turnovers, our mistakes." Jeff Mills said he couldnt begin to describe the feeling of seeing Nebraska lose to Florida State 41-17. iiii7iiiiith fl a JjGm ht. Li t- imf Nebraska's Tyrone Byrd breaks up a pass Intended for Florida State's Rorcld Lewis (7) in the third quarter. Nebraska's Kenny Walker (top) "You can only leave it to the Imagination to try and understand how a Nebraska team can get beat like that -ever in history," said Mills, a senior out sidettnebackbr.

"We got beat up bad Beat down. Beat," he said. "They are a great team with a great quarterback, great receivers and apparently we were not prepared to play." Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said he felt preparation wasnt deficient "They did get time to throw and sometimes we dklnt cover, but there were times when it was a great catch trade against great coverage," he said. Stin, it was a convincing toss, Mills sakL "They are the best team in the country," he said. "We stopped the run, but that didn't matter to them.

They Just if. Petko said the frustration began to build as Florida State continued to pile up the touchdowns. "For instance, we had them first down and 40 yards and they ended up scoring," he said. "They'd just throw the ban up and catch it "Our defensive backs played fairly good, but everything went in Florida State's favor. "I remember one pass when I was flowing with the run, I saw a pass sail way over my head and a guy came out of nowhere and jumped up and got the balVhesaid.

"Willis is a great quarterback and he picked us apart. "That's so frustrating. We'd get an pumped up and they're throw the ban up there and catch it Just lob, jump and catch tt." conversion of the end busting them up, hey, it's natural to have a Utile doubt" Willis, who threw a bowl-record five touchdown passes, agreed. Tm sure it was disheartening for Nebraska to be leading most of the "first half and us go in with a 21-10 leadT he Raid "Fsrwiallu In thn uiav on rflH tf to have us first-and-4Q backed up and then give up a first down and let us put it in the end zone." But Willis and the Seminoles almost seemed as comfortable in long-yardage situations as they did with third-and-L "We've got such a balanced attack we tend not to get aU out of whack when you have a (long-yardage) situation like that" Carter said. "We have Peter Tom back there and have players that catch the baU very wen.

"They stop us twice down on their goal line most teams would've dropped their confidence. But we-Just said we know what this offense can do and we've got to go back out there and convert Then bam, bam, we started hitting it like there was no tomorrow." Florida State offensive guard Nick' Ekonomou was called for all three of the holding penalties on the final scoring drive of the first half. Carter was asked if that was intentional, considering the kind of afternoon Willis and his receivers were having, "No, it was, 'Do it once more you're going to get he said "I mean, you know what the situation's for and you get tired of it It takes a little, maturity to stop that" back after a layoff than it is getting a running game going for a bowl game," be said. "You see in M-Star games! lot more passing than running because its easier to put together. dont think Miami or Florida State could make a Uving in the Big Ten or the Midwest off of what we do.

But I'm not sure a running team could play in the south with an option or wishbone attack," he said. "The bowls are probably to our advantage." Nebraska senior Gdowski said he disagreed to a certain extent dont know if you could say that's why we were out of synch after the first quarter. "But we certainly didnt get anything going on offense after awhile, and on defense we didnt get or make many breaks after the start of the game." 1 passed us sffly. "Their quarterback (Peter Tom Willis) has a quick release and we didn't get the pressure on to help our coverage." Junior linebacker Pat Tyrance and sophomore linebacker Mike Petko agreed. "We came out and played wen in the beginning of the game," Tyrance said.

"But we continued to make mistakes and against a team as good as Florida State, those mistakes are eventuaUy going to cost 1 dont think we gave ourselves a chance. Each mistake on offense and each one on defense takes something out of you. "We'd get them stopped on first and second down and they'd find the bole on third down," he sakL 1st and 40 beginning ByCurtMcKeever Journal Sport Writw TEMPE, Ariz. Florida State's destiny against Nebraska in Monday's Fiesta Bowl was decided late in the first At least that's how most Seminole players felt after their 41-17 victory. Leading 14-10, FSU got the ban at its 49-yard line with 5:02 left before half-time.

After picking up a first down at the Nebraska 35, Florida State was catted for three straight holding penalties, giving it a first-down-and-40 situation at its 35. Six plays later, the Seminoles were in the Husker end zone and led 21-10. "We. were first-and-40 and we converted to a first down. Anytime you do that you're going to break their backs," said tailback Dexter Carter, who caught a 10-yard touchdown oass from auarter- back Peter Tom Willis to cap the drive.

"I mean, we had 40 yards to go for a first down and we did it "They're a great team. They never mue doubt Anytime a team can convert Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne was another who thought he did. "Florida State may be the best team in America," he said. "I cant argue with that after we were beaten so today." Fiesta passes and they got them. "They are the best team we played this year.

We felt we could have won when we played Colorado." "This game, turnovers aside, we got kicked." Nebraska An-American center Jake Young said, tt was a combination of things. "They played great and we played like crud." Bowden explained that his team had an edge. "Either they were completely out of synch, or we played very good," he said. "I tend to think, we played pretty good "This was as good as we can play. And we climbed up a notch because our team and Peter Tom Willis kept getting better and better and better." Bowden also explained that a passing attack has an advantage in a bowl game.

"It's easier getting a passing attack Florida State's Dexter Carter falls to the ground on fourth down and 20 with 8:56 left In the first quarter. To the right are Semlnoles HavwanlHavnesrfilflnriTanvYAmfin7m Atioft i.hau..eiror' iam mih.m 9 -4 ft Seminole notes, quotes Slow season start hurts FSU 1 Wide receiver Terry Anthony on Seminoles offensive attack: "We felt as long as we executed and the line gave P.T. (quarterback Peter Tom WH- lis) time to pass we'd pick them apart We know with P.T. he's going to put the ban where no one can get it but us. If he does that we cant be stopped.

I think if you look back at the films you wouldn't think that we'd do this against Nebraska, but we just kept on executing and every-I thing fen into place." 'ZiS Cornerback Leroy Butler, on '2 FSlTs defense: "They did a reverse, a throwback to the quarterback, and we stuffed a lot of those type of things. It Just had them wondering what can they against this defense? They cant throw, they cant run. We Just tried to pound them into IS On Nebraska using a pass play out of a punting formation early in the game: "It shows that tbeyH do anything mto win. They knew they had to take a and they might have been in- ByCurtMcKeever Journal Sports Writer TEMPE, Ariz. Fifth-ranked Florida State, with a 9-2 record entering Monday's Fiesta BowL wasnt in much position to start talking about national championships.

But after a 41-17 victory against Nebraska, it was bard to find anyone who disagreed with the belief that the Seminoles finished the season as the nation's top college ootban team. "If I could do one thing over, I would not underestimate our early opponents," said Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden, referring to losses against Southern Mississippi and Clemson in the first two games. "HI say this. I think we're the best football team in the country right now. But they dont make the polls based on just the end of the season.

"Over the 12-game haul we just dont hold up at 10-2. But today, there's no question in my mind we are the best ootban team in the country." Some who voted for Tuesday's Associated Press Top 20 pon might have had flmfflar thoughts. At least, Seminole wide receiver Terry Anthony thinks the team with the nation's longest active winning streak should merit consideration, "I think we put some doubt in the poU-sters minds," said Anthony, who caught touchdown passes of 14 and 24 yards. "There's no doubt in my mind that we're the No. 1 team in the country, Well suit up with any team next week and we win come out on top.

"Of course, we can say that we are (in favor of a national championship playoff) because of the position we're in." Tailback Dexter Carter, who caught a 10-yard TD pass just before halftime to make it 21-10, agreed, "We knew we couldnt go out there and win the national championship outright because we'd tost two games, but at least we could show the nation that this baUclub may be the best team in the country," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind, Look at the teams we beat We started out 0-2 and we came back and beat the top teams in the nation, at their home, at our home. Miami, Auburn, Syracuse, Florida, Nebraska. "The No. 1 team in the nation (Colorado) only beat Nebraska by 6 points.

Look at how bad we beat them, and we didnt even fake advantage of a lot of opportunities that we had. "If Colorado wins, they're national champions. But if they dont and the Sugar Bowl is not too amazing, you never know." Wmis on the performance of the referees, a crew from the Southeastern Conference: "I just cant see how we got that many holding penalties (six) in one game. I think that's more than the whole year. And tt wasnt just holding penalties.

There was a fumble they missed and there were a couple of pass interferences in the end zone. And they were being jerks to us. We couldnt ask them anything. Referees shouldnt be that big a part of the game. I asked one of them, 1 guess we cant get in the SECT He wasnt too happy with that comment'' On Nebraska's pass rush: "Nebraska was getting it right as I was throwing it I dont mind getting hit as long as I have time to throw it" 1 Willis' 422-yard passing effort was the fourth-best in Florida State history.

Bin Cappleman set the record of 508 in 1969. I Florida State in Fiesta Bowls (both against Nebraska) and is 74-1 in Its last eight bowl appearances since los tog to Oklahoma 18-17 in the 1981 Orange Bowl The Fiesta Bowl attendance of 73,953 was the second highest in the game's 19-year history. i tlmidated to the point that they thought they just couldnt punt punt punt keep giving us the ban. They just knew they had to make some big plays. I think we made more and that was the difference In the game.".