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1983 Orange Bowl
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August 2023
1983 Orange Bowl 49th Orange Bowl File:Miami orange bowl stadium cropped.jpg The Miami Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, hosted the Orange Bowl. 1982 LSU Tigers Louisiana State University Nebraska Cornhuskers University of Nebraska 8–2–1 SEC 11–1 Big Eight Jerry Stovall Tom Osborne 13 13 3 3 7 7 3 3 7 0 7 7 January 1 Orange Bowl Miami, Florida * Turner Gill (Nebraska QB)
Dave Rimington (Nebraska C) Nebraska by 10½ pointshttps://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DNFRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9G0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=2296%2C66111 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The latest line January 1, 1983 13 Dixon Holman (SWC) 54,407 NBC List of announcers of major college bowl games Don Criqui and John Brodie 8.9
The 1983 Orange Bowl was the 49th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Saturday, January 1. Part of the 1982–83 bowl game season, it matched the thirteenth-ranked LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the #3 Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Eight Conference. Favored Nebraska won by a point, 21–20.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rW8RAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XuIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2922%2C451483 Eugene Register-Guard Oregon Associated Press Nebraska peels off an Orange win, 21-20 January 2, 1983 4Dhttps://vault.si.com/vault/1983/01/10/squeezing-it-out-in-the-orange https://web.archive.org/web/20200729050423/https://vault.si.com/vault/1983/01/10/squeezing-it-out-in-the-orange dead July 29, 2020 Sports Illustrated Looney Douglas S. Squeezing it out in the Orange January 10, 1983 25
The game suffered its lowest attendance (54,407) in 36 years, due to civil disturbances in the nearby Overtown neighborhood, as well as the game having no impact on the national championship, since second-ranked Penn State was playing #1 Georgia at the same time in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. In addition, Nebraska had played at Hawaii in December (and in the previous Orange Bowl), while LSU had lost two of its last three games of the regular season.
Teams
1982 NCAA Division I-A football season
LSU
1982 LSU Tigers football team
LSU began the season 7–0–1, notching two huge road victories in Southeastern Conference play, ousting #5 Florida 24–13 in October and #4 Alabama in November. The 20–10 triumph at Birmingham's Legion Field was the Tigers' first over the Crimson Tide since 1970 and lifted LSU to No. 6 in the national polls.
One week after toppling Alabama, any faint national championship hopes LSU harbored were blown away with a stunning 27–24 loss to Mississippi State in Starkville. The Tigers recovered the next week to rout Florida State 55–21 in Baton Rouge to earn an Orange Bowl berth, but they inexplicably dropped a 31–28 decision to Tulane, a 28-point underdog, at home in the regular season finale. It was the Green Wave's first victory at Tiger Stadium since 1948, and is Tulane's last triumph in the series, which has not been played on a yearly basis since 1994 and not at all since 2009. Despite the November swoon, LSU came into the bowl game ranked 13th in the AP and UPI polls. LSU was making a fifth Orange Bowl appearance, the first in nine years.
Nebraska
1982 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
Nebraska was 11–1 and ranked third in both polls, but they had been denied a chance to play for the national championship due to a controversial 27–24 loss at Penn State in September.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MPwxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=feQFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3442%2C3119205 Reading Eagle Pennsylvania Smith John W. Blackledge topples Nebraska September 26, 1982 71https://vault.si.com/vault/1982/10/04/ok-time-to-fasten-those-seat-belts https://web.archive.org/web/20200729025141/https://vault.si.com/vault/1982/10/04/ok-time-to-fasten-those-seat-belts dead July 29, 2020 Sports Illustrated McCallum Jack Jack McCallum O.K., time to fasten those seat belts October 4, 1982 2f The Huskers were in their ninth Orange Bowl, the second of three consecutive appearances.
Game summary
Nebraska forced a three and out, and then scored easily on their first possession, capped by a five-yard touchdown run by fullback Mark Schellen to take a 7–0 lead just four minutes into the game, and the heavily favored Huskers looked as if they would put the Tigers away early. But then a series of miscues turned the game on its head.
Toby Williams intercepted a Tiger pass at the Husker seven to thwart a promising LSU drive. But the Huskers fumbled the ball right back to LSU on the very next play from scrimmage, and Dalton Hilliard scored from the one to tie the game at seven.
Nebraska drove to the LSU 15 before fumbling again, then inexplicably fumbled a third time after forcing LSU to punt. Turner Gill then threw an interception. The Tigers took advantage with a second Hilliard 1-yard touchdown run, and Nebraska found itself trailing 14–7 at halftime after committing four turnovers on four consecutive series.
Halftime provided no relief for the mistake-prone Husker offense, with a missed field goal on the opening drive of the second half, followed by yet another fumble. LSU converted the latest Husker error into a 28-yard Juan Bentanzos field goal, which gave them a 17–7 lead.
On the very next series, Nebraska held on to the football and went on a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive, capped by an 11-yard swing pass from Turner Gill to Mike Rozier which pulled the Huskers within three at 17–14.
Gill then finished off a seven-play, 47-yard drive with a quarterback sneak early in the fourth to put the Huskers ahead 21–17. Another miscue, this time a dropped pass on a fake field goal, prevented the Huskers from extending their lead. LSU got a 49-yard field goal from Bentanzos late following an interception (Nebraska's sixth turnover of the night), but they could not get the ball back again, and the Cornhuskers held on to win 21–20.
Scoring
First quarter
Nebraska – Mark Schellen 5-yard run (Kevin Seibel kick), 10:57
LSU – Dalton Hilliard 1-yard run (Juan Betanzos kick), 4:24
Second quarter
LSU – Hilliard 1-yard run (Betanzos kick), 9:32
Third quarter
LSU – Betanzos 28-yard field goal, 6:40
Nebraska – Mike Rozier 11-yard pass from Turner Gill (Seibel kick), 1:25
Fourth quarter
Nebraska – Gill 1-yard run (Seibel kick), 11:14
LSU – Betanzos 49-yard field goal, 5:05
Source:https://www.orangebowl.org/assets/1/7/2019_Capital_One_Orange_Bowl_Media_Guide-proof2.pdf 2019 Capital One Orange Bowl media guide Game-by-game recaps: 1983 January 2019 39 July 29, 2020 August 5, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200805235236/https://www.orangebowl.org/assets/1/7/2019_Capital_One_Orange_Bowl_Media_Guide-proof2.pdf dead http://www.huskersnside.com/pdf4/18478.pdf? https://web.archive.org/web/20200723001548/http://www.huskersnside.com/pdf4/18478.pdf dead July 23, 2020 2005 Nebraska Cornhuskers football media guide (supplement) Bowl games: 1983 Orange Bowl 2005
Statistics
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
! Statistics !! 5LSU5 !! Nebraska
|-
|align=left|First downs || 12|| 22
|-
|align=left|Rushes–yards|| 31–38|| 58–219
|-
|align=left|Passing yards || 173 || 184
|-
|align=left|Passes (C–A–I)|| 14–30–2 || 13–22–2
|-
|align=left|Total offense || 61–211 || 80–403
|-
|align=left|Punts–average ||6–39|| 1–31
|-
|align=left|Fumbles–lost ||1–0|| 4–4
|-
|align=left|Turnovers|| 2|| 6
|-
|align=left|Penalties-yards ||8–57|| 4–25
|-
|align=left|Time of possession ||25:28||34:32
|}
Source:
Aftermath
Nebraska remained in third in the final AP poll and LSU climbed to eleventh.https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LXEjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=B2AEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6316%2C1476438 Pittsburgh Press Donovan Dan National title belongs to players - Paterno January 3, 1983 C1
Nebraska played in its third consecutive Orange Bowl the following year; through 2024, LSU has yet to return.
These two teams met again in the Sugar Bowl in January 1985 and 1987, both won by Nebraska.
References
2
External links
huskers.com
Orange Bowl
Category:Orange Bowl
Category:LSU Tigers football bowl games
Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football bowl games
Category:January 1983 sports events in the United States
Orange Bowl
Category:American football competitions in Miami