1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 football 1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers Nebraska Cornhuskers logo, 1992–2003.svg 150 Big Eight Conference Big Eight 1 1 13–0 7–0 Tom Osborne 22nd Charlie McBride 14th I formation 4–3 Memorial Stadium Consensus national championBig Eight championOrange Bowl champion Orange Bowl (BC NCG) W 24–17 vs. Miami (FL) The 1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and was the national champion of the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Cornhuskers offense scored 459 points while the defense allowed 162 points. Before the season There was much anticipation for the 1994 season. The 1993 Nebraska team compiled an 11–0 record in the regular season before narrowly losing to Florida State in the 1994 Orange Bowl on a last-second missed field goal. The 1994 offseason was dubbed "Unfinished Business" by the Huskers, in their quest to secure a national championship for the coming season. Junior Tommie Frazier returned as the quarterback in Tom Osborne's vaunted option offense. Also returning were several key starters on defense that would prove to be a highly rated unit during the 1994 season. Schedule 1994 AP Central August 28, 1994 1:00 pm w y y 4 West Virginia 24 Giants Stadium East Rutherford, NJ Kickoff Classic ABC 31–0 58,233 https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-nebraska-opens/140474905/ Fort Worth Star-Telegram Nebraska opens '94 with win August 29, 1994 February 7, 2024 Newspapers.com September 8, 1994 7:00 pm w y y 1 Texas Tech Jones Stadium Lubbock, TX ESPN 42–16 32,768 September 17 2:30 pm w y 2 UCLA 13 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE College GameDay ABC 49–21 75,687 September 24 1:00 pm w y 2 Pacific (CA) Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE 70–21 75,273 October 1 2:30 pm w y 2 Wyoming Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE PPV 42–32 75,333 October 8 1:00 pm w 2 Oklahoma State Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE 32–3 75,434 October 15 11:00 am w y 2 Kansas State 16 KSU Stadium Manhattan, KS rivalry ABC 17–6 42,817 October 22 1:00 pm w y 3 Missouri Faurot Field Columbia, MO rivalry 42–7 50,537 October 29 11:00 am w y 3 Colorado 2 Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE rivalry, College GameDay ABC 24–7 76,131 November 5 1:00 pm w 1 Kansas Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE rivalry 45–17 75,543 November 12 1:00 pm w y 1 Iowa State Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA rivalry 28–12 45,186 November 25, 1994 2:30 pm w y 1 Oklahoma Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK rivalry ABC 13–3 70,216 January 1, 1995, 1995 7:00 pm w y y 1 Miami (FL) 3 Miami Orange Bowl Miami, FL Orange Bowl, rivalry NBC 24–17 81,753 Roster and coaching staff 1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers y Eric Alford 88 TE S Jacques Allen 31 WB J Eric Anderson 70 OT F Reggie Baul 7 SE J Damon Benning 21 IB SO Brook Berringer 18 QB J y Lance Brown WB F Ted Butler 62 OL F Tim Carpenter 90 TE F Brady Caskey 61 OT S Kenny Cheatham 16 SE F Clinton Childs 26 IB J Monte Christo QB F Josh Cobb FB F Scott Davenport 17 IB S Aaron Davis 83 SE SO Chris Dishman 75 OT SO y Constantine Dumitrescu 63 OL F Greg Ford FB F Tommie Frazier 15 QB J y Ben Gessford OL F Mark Gilman 87 TE J Aaron Graham 54 C J y Billy Haafke SE F Ryan Held SE F y Ryan Held (American football) Josh Heskew C F Erich Hohl 89 TE S Brendan Holbein 5 SE SO Joe Horst TE F Matt Hoskinson OG F Bill Humphrey 51 C S Sheldon Jackson 84 TE F y Sheldon Jackson (American football) Vershan Jackson FB F Clester Johnson 33 WB J Brian Knuckles 24 FB J Jeff (Robert) Lake SE F Mike Lesser OG F John Livingston 81 SE J Jason Luhr OL F Jeff Makovicka 22 FB J Joel Makovicka FB F y Josh McGrane TE F Kory Mikos OT SO Andy Miller SE F Abdul Muhammad 27 WB S Chris Norris 38 FB J Brian Nunns OT J Steve Ott 69 OG J Lawrence Phillips 1 IB SO y Fred Pollack 73 OT F Brett Popplewell 80 SE J Bryan Pruitt 65 OG J David Reddick 34 WB F Dorrick Roy 86 TE F Cory Schlesinger 40 FB S y Anthony Schmode OL F Brian Schuster 28 FB SO Jeremy Shadrick OL F Matt Shaw 85 TE S Marvin Sims 47 IB SO Larry Smith SE F Mike Smith FB SO Jay Staehr QB F Brenden Stai 66 OG S y Chad Stanley FB J Dave Stramel OG F Aaron Taylor 67 OG F Ross Tessendorf OL F Adam Treu 77 OT SO y Kyle Tully OL F Matt Turman 77 QB SO Todd Uhlir 23 IB F Mike Van Cleave 59 OG F Jon Vedral 25 WB SO Steve Volin 68 OG J Matt Vrzal 53 C SO Brandt Wade 74 OG F Riley Washington 3 SE SO Zach Wiegert 72 OT S y Sean Wieting WB F Joel Wilks 76 OG S Jon Zatechka 64 OG F Rob Zatechka 56 OT S y Matt Aden 11 ROV F Dave Alderman ROV SO Leonard Alexander 36 MLB S Larry Arnold 23 OLB SO Dennis Bailey FS SO Chad Blahak LCB SO Michael Booker 5 DB SO y Chad Brouse FS SO Clint Brown 45 SLB S Darren Brummond LB F Sedric Collins 17 FS S Doug Colman 46 MLB J y Terry Connealy 99 DT S Tray Crayton 3 DB F Leslie Dennis 2 LCB F Troy Dumas 4 SLB S Phil Ellis 41 MLB J Jason Fisher 24 SLB S Jay Foreman 7 DB F y Jay Foreman (American football) Sean Gard OLB F Luther Hardin 58 OLB J Dwayne Harris 86 OLB S Chris Herron DB F Jon Hesse 44 MLB SO y Jerad Higman 92 OLB S Michael Hoffman DT F Quint Hogrefe LB F Matt Hunting WLB F Jai Jackson DB F Jason Jenkins 96 DT J Jeremy Jensen ROV J Donta Jones 84 OLB S y Charlie Leece LB F Casey Macken LB F John Martin 49 OLB S Octavious McFarlin 12 DB F Barron Miles 14 LCB S y Bryce Miller OLB SO Mike Minter 10 ROV SO y Ian Mitchell WLB SO Ed Morrow 42 OLB SO Kareem Moss 29 ROV S Erik Nelson 80 DL F Sean Noster 43 SLB F Jeff Ogard 97 DT SO Jeff Olsen 98 OLB SO Aaron Penland 52 WLB J Jason Pesterfield 57 DT S Christian Peter 55 DT J y Jason Peter 95 DT F y Mike Roberts 39 ROV SO Mike Rucker 82 LB F y Jeff Sakalosky 35 MLB F Scott Saltsman 74 DT SO Darren Schmadeke 37 RCB J Adam Skoda MLB F Justin Stephens 31 MLB F Ed Stewart 32 WLB S y Ed Stewart (American football) Eric Stokes 16 RCB SO y Eric Stokes (American football executive) Ryan Terwilliger 91 WLB SO Andy Thompson DB F Travis Toline 83 LB F Jared Tomich 93 DT J y Larry Townsend 94 DT SO Tony Veland 9 FS J y Eric Walther DB F Jamel Williams 28 ROV SO y Tyrone Williams 8 RCB J y Tyrone Williams (cornerback) Jason Wiltz 68 DT F Shalis Winder OLB F Grant Wistrom 85 OLB F y Trampis Wrice 22 RCB SO Chad Young FS J Darin Erstad 6 P/PK SO y Jesse Kosch 19 P F Bill Lafleur P/PK F y Brian Morro P/PK F Ted Retzlaff 13 PK F Tom Sieler 12 PK S http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=4&SPID=22&DB_OEM_ID=100&Q_SEASON=1994 January 17, 2011 Tom Osborne   22nd season   31st year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Hastings College Charlie McBride   14th season as DC/DL coach   18th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Colorado Turner Gill   3rd season as QB coach   3rd year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Kevin Steele   6th season as LB coach   6th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Tennessee Ron Brown   8th season as WR/TE coach   8th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Brown Dan Young   12th season as OL/K coach   12th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Reed Milt Tenopir   21st season as OL coach   21st year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Sterling Tony Samuel   9th season as OLB coach   9th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska George Darlington   DB coach   22nd year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Rutgers Frank Solich   12th season as RB coach   16th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Boyd Epley   26th season as S&C coach   26th year at Nebraska   Alma mater: Nebraska Depth chart Pro-Set 4–3 Yes No Yes Tommie Frazier Brook Berringer Matt Turman Lawrence Phillips Clinton Childs Damon Benning Todd Uhlir Corey Schlesinger Jeff Mackovicka Brian Schuster Abdul Muhammad Clestor Johnson Jon Vedral Reggie Baul Brandon Holbein Riley Washington Eric Alford Mark Gilman Matt Shaw Tim Carpenter Rob Zatechka Chris Dishman Kory Mikos Brenden Stai Aaron Taylor Jon Zatechka Aaron Graham Bill Humphrey Matt Vrzal Joel Wilks Steve Ott Steve Volin Zach Wiegert Eric Anderson Adam Treu Ed Stewart Ryan Terwilliger Jamel Williams WILL Phil Ellis Doug Colman Jon Hesse Lenord Alexander MIKE Troy Dumas Clint Brown Larry Arnold SAM Tony Veland Eric Stokes Sedric Collins Kareem Moss Octavious McFarlin Jamel Williams ROVER Baron Miles Darren Schmadeke Trampis Wrice Tyrone Williams Leslie Dennis Michael Booker Donta Jones Grant Wistrom Jerad Higman Terry Connealy Jason Pesterfield Jason Peter Christian Peter Scott Saltsman Larry Townsend Dwayne Harris Jared Tomich Luther Hardin Tom Sieler Darin Erstad 110 90 No Game summaries West Virginia Nebraska vs West Virginia [box score] Nebraska West Virginia 3 21 0 7 0 0 0 0 August 28 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey CST 58,233 The 1994 season started for the No. 4 Cornhuskers with a 31–0 win over No. 24 West Virginia in the Kickoff Classic. The game pitted two teams that had posted undefeated regular-season records in 1993. Quarterback Tommie Frazier was the game's MVP, rushing for 130 yards on 12 carries, including touchdown runs of 25, 27, and 42 yards. He also completed 8 of 16 passes for 100 yards and another touchdown. I-back Lawrence Phillips also ran 126 yards on 24 carries. In all, Nebraska gained 368 rushing yards and 468 total. The Nebraska defense dominated the Mountaineers, registering eight quarterback sacks and holding West Virginia to 8 yards rushing and 89 total yards. Todd Sauerbrun set a record for West Virginia with a 90-yard punt and averaged 60.1 yards on nine punts. The victory marked Nebraska's first shutout victory in two years. It was also Nebraska's first shutout victory against a ranked non-conference opponent since a 20–0 win over No. 19 Baylor in Lincoln 1939, and the first ever such win in a game played outside of Lincoln. The win vaulted Nebraska to No. 1 in the polls. Texas Tech Nebraska at Texas Tech [box score] Nebraska Texas Tech 7 7 14 14 0 3 6 7 September 8 Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium, Lubbock, Texas CST 32,768 Next up was a road victory that saw the Huskers cruise past the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 42–16, which remarkably saw the Huskers drop to #2 in the polls. Unfortunately, this victory came at a cost, as safety Mike Minter suffered a season-ending knee injury. UCLA UCLA at Nebraska [box score] UCLA Nebraska 0 7 7 7 12 16 7 14 September 17 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,687 Pacific Pacific at Nebraska [box score] Pacific Nebraska 0 0 14 7 28 21 14 7 September 24 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,273 The next two weeks first saw a tough match-up, where the Huskers would dominate #13-ranked UCLA in Memorial Stadium, followed by a blowout against Pacific. Shortly after this victory, the 1994 season got a lot more interesting when Nebraska's field general Tommie Frazier was sidelined by a blood clot in his right knee. Wyoming Wyoming at Nebraska [box score] Wyoming Nebraska 14 7 3 8 0 14 21 7 October 1 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,333 Oklahoma State Oklahoma State at Nebraska [box score] Oklahoma State Nebraska 3 0 0 0 0 9 16 7 October 8 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,434 Kansas State Nebraska at Kansas State [box score] Nebraska Kansas State 7 0 0 10 0 6 0 0 October 15 KSU Stadium, Manhattan, Kansas CST 42,817 With Frazier sidelined, junior Brook Berringer answered the call to run Osborne's offense. Berringer, a pro-style QB from Goodland, Kansas, came off the bench and performed at his best in two straight victories against Wyoming and Oklahoma State, even at times with a partially collapsed lung. When it became too much for Berringer, walk-on QB Matt Turman stepped up to lead the Cornhuskers against Okie State and in a tough road game that pitched the Huskers against conference foe and neighbor Kansas State. This game proved to be a defensive battle, which saw the Huskers walk away with a 17–6 victory against the #16 Wildcats. Missouri Nebraska at Missouri [box score] Nebraska Missouri 0 14 14 14 0 0 0 7 October 22 Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri CST 50,537 Colorado Colorado at Nebraska [box score] Colorado Nebraska 0 0 7 0 7 10 7 0 October 29 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 76,131 Nebraska's homecoming game and 200th consecutive home sell out. Kansas Kansas at Nebraska [box score] Kansas Nebraska 3 7 0 7 24 14 7 0 November 5 Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska CST 75,543 Iowa State Nebraska at Iowa State [box score] Nebraska Iowa State 7 7 0 14 0 6 6 0 November 12 Cyclone Stadium, Ames, Iowa CST 45,186 Oklahoma Nebraska at Oklahoma [box score] Nebraska Oklahoma 0 3 3 7 0 3 0 0 November 25 Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma CST 70,216 The final five regular season games saw Nebraska beat #2 Colorado, where the defense shut down eventual Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam. Only Oklahoma provided any resistance for the Huskers, who escaped with a 13–3 victory in Norman, and another Big Eight Conference Championship. Miami Nebraska vs Miami [box score] Nebraska Miami 0 7 2 15 10 0 7 0 January 1 Miami Orange Bowl, Miami CST 81,753 1 7:54 MIA Dane Prewitt 44-yard field goal MIA 3–0 yes 1 0:04 MIA Trent Jones 35-yard pass from Frank Costa (Dane Prewitt kick) MIA 10–0 2 7:54 NEB Mark Gilman 19-yard pass from Brook Berringer (Tom Sieler kick) MIA 10–7 3 13:19 MIA Jonathan Harris 44-yard pass from Frank Costa (Dane Prewitt kick) MIA 17–7 3 11:35 NEB Team Safety MIA 17–9 4 7:38 NEB Cory Schlesinger 15-yard run (Eric Alford 2-pt reception) Tied 17–17 4 2:46 NEB Cory Schlesinger 14-yard run (Tom Sieler kick) NEB 24–17 yes Nebraska was #1 in the nation, and found themselves pitted against #3 Miami in the Orange Bowl, a setting very familiar to Tom Osborne and his Husker players. Osborne had been in this very stadium on three separate occasions playing for a national championship, and came away empty-handed each time, losing the previous year against Bobby Bowden's Seminoles of Florida State, to the Miami Hurricanes in the legendary 1984 Orange Bowl by the score of 31–30, and to the #1 Clemson Tigers in the 1982 Orange Bowl, a night game in which Nebraska entered #4 where the #2 and #3 teams lost their bowl games earlier in the day. But it would be much different this year. Frazier had returned from his injury, and Nebraska would not back down, even after trailing 10–7 at halftime and 17–7 with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter. During his halftime speech, Coach Osborne had predicted the eventual meltdown of Miami late in the game. He told his players that if they maintained their composure, that Miami would slip up and earn a costly penalty. Osborne's prediction rang true, and the physically dominant Huskers scored 15 unanswered points in the 4th quarter on two key TD runs by FB Corey Schlesinger to earn Tom Osborne his first national title, by the score of 24–17. Rankings 1994 NCAA Division I-A football rankings 16 AP 4 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 16 Coaches 1 After the season The season saw Nebraska lead the nation in rushing, with Lawrence Phillips rushing for 1,722 yards and finishing 8th in Heisman voting. The offensive line, was known as "The Pipeline" and included Outland Trophy winner and All-American Zach Wiegert at tackle, fellow All-American Brendan Stai at guard, along with Rob Zatechka, Joel Wilks, and Aaron Graham. The vaunted 4–3 defense, led by All-American linebacker Ed Stewart, limited conference opponents to a mere 55 points. The Huskers were treated to a warm welcome, despite the freezing temperatures, when they returned to Lincoln as National Champions. An estimated 15,000 fans were on hand at the Lincoln Airport to welcome home their Big Red heroes. Awards 1994 Husker Honors Award Name(s) Outland Trophy Zach Wiegert UPI Lineman of the Year Zach Wiegert All-America 1st team Terry Connealy, Donta Jones, Brenden Stai, Ed Stewart, Zach Wiegert, Rob Zatechka All-America 2nd team Lawrence Phillips All-America 3rd team Barron Miles Big Eight Coach of the Year Tom Osborne Big Eight Defensive Player of the Year Ed Stewart Big Eight Defensive Newcomer of the Year Grant Wistrom Big Eight Male Athlete of the Year Rob Zatechka All-Big Eight 1st team Troy Dumas, Aaron Graham, Donta Jones, Lawrence Phillips, Barron Miles, Brenden Stai, Ed Stewart, Zach Wiegert, Tyrone Williams All-Big Eight 2nd team Brook Berringer, Terry Connealy, Dwayne Harris, Kareem Moss, Christian Peter, Rob Zatechka All-Big Eight honorable mention Eric Alford, Reggie Baul, Darin Erstad, Abdul Muhammad, Cory Schlesinger NFL and pro players The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1994 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi-pro team as draftees or free agents.All Time NFL Huskers http://nflhuskers.com/alltime.html https://web.archive.org/web/20090815013540/http://nflhuskers.com/alltime.html August 15, 2009 live May 15, 2009 Name Team Eric Anderson Amsterdam Admirals Mike Anderson Amsterdam Admirals Michael Booker Atlanta Falcons Doug Colman New York Giants Chris Dishman Arizona Cardinals Troy Dumas Kansas City Chiefs Jay Foreman Buffalo Bills Tommie Frazier Montreal Alouettes Aaron Graham Arizona Cardinals Jon Hesse Green Bay Packers Sheldon Jackson Buffalo Bills Vershan Jackson Kansas City Chiefs Donta Jones Pittsburgh Steelers Bill Lafleur Barcelona Dragons Joel Makovicka Arizona Cardinals Barron Miles Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Minter Carolina Panthers Kareem Moss BC Lions Christian Peter New York Giants Jason Peter Carolina Panthers Lawrence Phillips St. Louis Rams Mike Rucker Carolina Panthers Cory Schlesinger Detroit Lions Brenden Stai Pittsburgh Steelers Ed Stewart Carolina Panthers Eric Stokes Seattle Seahawks Jared Tomich New Orleans Saints Larry Townsend Berlin Thunder Adam Treu Oakland Raiders Tony Veland Denver Broncos Zach Wiegert St. Louis Rams Jamel Williams Washington Redskins Tyrone Williams Green Bay Packers Jason Wiltz New York Jets Grant Wistrom St. Louis Rams Jon Zatechka Berlin Thunder Rob Zatechka New York Giants Additionally, starting junior punter Darin Erstad also played baseball for the University of Nebraska, and was selected as a First Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball. He chose to forego his college career to enter the MLB draft and was selected as the first pick overall in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft. He would go on to have a distinguished career in Major League Baseball (particularly with the Anaheim Angels). Erstad would later be the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball from 2012 to 2019. References Nebraska Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football seasons Category:College football national champions Category:Big Eight Conference football champion seasons Category:Orange Bowl champion seasons Category:College football undefeated seasons Nebraska Cornhuskers football