The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 124

rwr t-ri rr nTi w-r i' i i UM 23 NEBRASKA 3 SHk TUESDAY JANUARY 3 1989 LI THE MIAMI HERALD ANDREW INNERARITY Miami Herald Staff Bubba McDowell blocks a John Kroeker punt field goal Statistics First quarter Miami Conley 77 pass from Walsh (Huerta Kick) Time left: 7:00 Drive: 33 yards six plays Key plays: Spencer returns punt 21 yards to the Nebraska 33 Conley gains eight to the Nebraska 22 on a sweep left on third and seven Miami 1 Ne-braksaO Second quarter Miami FG Huerta 18 Time left: 8:58 Drive: 49 yards eight plays Key plays: Crum intercepts Taylor pass at the Nebraska 49 Walsh hits Chud zinski for 20 yards to the Nebraska 4 Miami 10 Nebraska 0 Miami Conley 42 pass from Walsh (Huerta kick) Time left: 5:49 Drive: 60 yards four plays Key play: Walsh passes to Chudzinski for 18 yards to the Nebraska 42 Miami 17 Nebraska 0 Miami FG Huerta 37 Time left: 2:28 Drive: minus-nine yards four plays Key play: McDowell blocks punt at the Nebraska 14 and Golden recovers at the 1 1 Miami 20 Nebraska 0 Third quarter Nebraska FG Barrios 50 Time left: 9:06 Drive: four yards five plays Key plays: Lewis intercepts Walsh and returns 31 yards to the UM 37 Clark gains 16 to the UM 21 Miami 20 Nebraska 3 Fourth quarter Miami FG Huerta 37 Time: 7:32 left Drive: 44 yards 11 plays Key plays: Walsh passes 15 yards to Gary to Nebraska 40 and 17 yards to Con- ska" ley to Nebraska 23 Miami 23 Nebraska 3 Attendance 794 Team ij i 7 i'x Cn i SACKS Mark 2-18 Crum 1-5 Hawkins 1-4 to set up a second-quarter 1 rr 4 4 1 I Hi it' N- '3 IS to feel fortune-blessed during that drive when Conley fumbled in full stride after a catch and saw the funny shape carom right back onto his gut And again Nebraska had to punt this one after a 39-yard completion to near midfield was wiped out when Taylor strayed past the scrimmage line Miami started after that kick from its 40 and needed just four plays to find the end Zone Conley again finished it on a 42-yard catch and run that left Cornhuskers dazed and fans dazzled Conley took a short pass and hip-juked a couple of fakes that left defenders Lorenzo Hicks and Fryar flat-out prone Then Rob Chudzinski Hill and Dale Dawkins chipped in sideline blocks to help complete one of the spectacular plays It was 17-0 now with 5:49 left in the half UM's defensive dominators finished though The Midwesterners went 1-2-3-punt Actually it was 1-2-3 -block! DAVIDWAUTERS Miami Herald Staff MVP! Miami quarterback Steve Walsh celebrates after setting OB Classic records for completions (21) and attempts (44) riAumtAJA UL Punt-blocker savant Bubba McDowell angled in for his 10th career block which teammate Derrick Golden fell upon at the Husker 11 Settling for Huerta's 37-yard kick (after a personal foul on lineman Barry shove pushed it back) made the score 20-0 2:28 before halftime last series of the half change the numbers Fittingly final pass was intercepted by Carter as the floats and bands rollicked onto the turf The second half start much better for the visiting Despite a first down Nebraska soon had to punt again But the Cornhuskers then finally gave themselves a break when long pass for Hill was badly underthrown and picked off by Tahaun Lewis who returned 31 yards to the UM 37 Nebraska had inched to 20 and had third and nine when the defense reasserted itself with Greg sack for a 13-yard loss Barrios followed with a career-high 50-yard field goal to finally light the other half of the score-board UM still led 20-3 with 9:06 to play in the third quarter Then UM had to give it right back with a punt after Broderick Thomas sacked Walsh Could the Cornhuskers take a sliver of momentum and begin a rally? Not now they Another punt ended a Husker series that at least showed a flash Cornerback Donald shoetop tackle of Richard Bell after Bell had beaten him for a 34-yard gain saved a TD Crum forced the punt with his open-field tackle of tight end Todd Millikan after a short catch Third quarter turned to fourth with the Cornhuskers again on the ball after Fryar intercepted Walsh But again defense rose like Goliath as another Mark sack forced another Husker punt and turned third-down efficiency to a shocking 0-12 Miami moved after taking the punt to score on 37-yarder to pad the margin to 23-3 with 7:32 to play The boot was consolation after a deliciously lofted timing pass slipped off fingers at the goal line Now the Cornhuskers had half a quarter to make three touchdowns to make a miracle something like in five OBs ago It going to happen this night Nebraska reached third down at 28 but saw Crum register a fifth sack of Taylor then saw a fourth-down pass kiss the turf The Canes now with Craig Erickson in for Walsh stalled on downs at 14 But UM had sufficiently made the clock and all Nebraska hopes expire There were 23 seconds left when the Big Eight champs got it back Two plays later UM freshman Pharms made an interception on the final play of the game And the bittersweet bowl and season had ended ORANGE BOWL from ID 21 completions broke the OBC record of 20 set by Steve Sloan in 1966 Halfback Leonard Conley would have been a fair choice too after turning Walsh passes into 22- and 42-yard touchdowns UM also scored on Carlos two extra points and field goals of 18 37 and 37 yards Nebraska (11-2) held without a touchdown for the first time since 1978 and almost held scoreless for the first time since 1973 scored only on Gregg 50-yard field goal in the third quarter after a 20-0 halftime lead had shaped the triumph got fired up that the chance to be voted national champion was out of Walsh said wanted to show we were the best on the field if not in the Walsh a junior eligible to turn pro if he chooses said after the game he has not firmly decided but hinted he will return to UM going to be tempting to come back and try to win a second he said Of his MVP award: should have an he said had a great game And it was unbelievable the way our defense stopped Unbelievable: The Cornhuskers with a nation-leading rushing average of 382 yards per game were held to a season-low 80 Ken Clark a 1500-yard back managed 36 on 14 carries Unbelievable: Double-threat Husker QB Steve Taylor target of UM concern going in completed only eight of 21 passes for 55 yards and gained only 12 net yards on 17 runs Unbelievable: Miami showing increased blitzing as a defensive surprise walloped Nebraska for five sacks held the third-dowrn efficiency to an unreal 1 for 14 and forced nine punts Linebacker Maurice Crum a terror all night for UM led the domination Crum Rod Carter and Charles Pharms all had interceptions Fryar had two interceptions of Walsh got beat by a better Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said flatly That was clear early The opening series ended in a Miami punt but the negative turned positive when Tim Ratal's climbing spiral was downed at the Nebraska three From there the Cornhuskers move and their punt was carried back 21 yards by Darryl Spencer to the Nebraska 33 22-yard TD catch came six plays later with seven minutes left in the first quarter throw spun over the reach of linebacker LeRoy Etienne and reached its mark at the five and Conley squirmed in from there His own eight-yard run on third and seven had earned a crucial first down from a situation that almost always Finds UM passing instead The 7-0 score would last awhile Nebraska again had to punt and Individual Miami Orange Bowl: The University of Miami quarterback completed 2 1 of 44 attempts for 277 yards two touchdowns and three interceptions to earn the award in a vote by NBC The 21 com pletions broke the Orange Bowl Classic record of 20 set by Steve Sloan of Alabama against Nebraska in 1966 The 44 attempts broke the OB Classic record of 37 by Joe Namath of Alabama against Texas the year before The record for passing yardage is 300 by Bernie Kosar against Nebraska in 1984 College: First-team All-American as a fourth-year junior Completed 233 of 390 attempts this season for 31 15 yards 29 TDs and 12 interceptions Completed 176 of 298 attempts last season for 2249 yards 19 TDs and seven interceptions SACK -Hicks 1-4 mm UM had to do the same twice the second time after 27-yard gallop on a faked attempt was nullified by a holding call against Mike Azer Eschewing good fortune the Huskers punted again (albeit after a maiden first down with 3'2 minutes left in the opening quarter) Another trade of punts moved the match into the second period and a quick swap of interceptions followed toss to Randal Hill was speared instead by Fryar but all of a minute later the Canes had it back when pass skipped off the fingers of Tyreese Knox and into the mitts of Crum along the bedia-matic UM sideline Ill-fated play? Knox the backup I-back had caught only one pass (for minus-three yards) all season Miami took over at the 49 and soon parlayed the takeaway into Huerta's 18-yard chip and a 10-0 lead with 8:58 left in the first half UM fans might have begun I.