Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Jan. 11, 1984, edition 1 / Page 13
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Miami arguably nation s No. 1, Nebraska undoubtedly the best By LEE ROBERTS Staff Writer The huge Nebraska farm boy stands at the edge of the corn field, shivering in the cold. Tears burn down his cheeks and then . freeze before they hit the ground. ". "We lost," he says over and over to himself. "I can't believe we lost." What could this poor soul be talking about? Who lost? ' "YOU KNOW WHO LOST!" says the farmboy. "The Big Red lost, that's who!" Oh, you mean the Cornhuskers? Rozier, Fryar, Gill and Steinkuhler and all them? "Yeah, and all them," he says. "I thought we were the best college team ever. Everyone said we couldn't lose. 1 thought we could have beaten the Redskins if we wanted." Well now, let's don't get ridiculous. "Okay, maybe we couldn't beat the Redskins, but still. I can't believe it, 1 just can't believe it..." Don't get so glum about it. You lost the Orange Bowl by one point and finished second in the country. That's nothing to be ashamed of. Commentary "Yeah, but 1 wanted to be NUMBER ONE!" . Look fellow, nowadays you just can't worry about what the polls say. This 1982 Nebraska Cornhusker team was one of the best you've ever had. You had a Heisman Trophy winner, an Outland Trophy winner blocking for him, a guy who'll probably be drafted in the top five throwing the passes to a guy who could be drafted number one. Never before has the college game seen such a talented team. "Yeah, we were pretty good," he says. Darn tootin' you were good. Twelve wins is more than any other major college team could lay claim to, and you guys scored 52 points a game. Fifty-two points a game! You didn't defeat your opponents, you steamrollered them, you drove them into the ground. The numbers you guys put up on a scoreboard could make a few basketball teams envious. "We did pound some people," he says. His eyes gleam as he thinks of Kansas quarterbacks getting scraped off the field. Then he thinks of a quarterback at Miami, and his eyes light up with fire. "It was all for nothing," he says. "Cause we lost the Orange Bowl. We choked!" You guys did anything but choke. You went into Miami's home stadium in front of thousands of some of the most rabid, devoted football fans in the country. You could have folded up and died twice, but you came back both times and proved you were a championship caliber team. "Yeah, but our defense made that Kosar feller look like Johnny Unitas out there." That's only because Kosar could eventually look a bit better than Johnny Unitas. The kid threw like that all year. Give Miami credit. They played a great game. They are a great team. , But you guys were down 17-0 in the first period, and you clawed your way back and got a tie. "And then?" he says. And then you fell,. behind 31-17. OK, you didn't play the greatest defensive game of the year, but offense is your forte. Your Heisman Trophy winner was out with an injury, and you were down two touchdowns in the fourth quarter against a team that had allowed only ten points in the fourth quarter all season. "Really? Miami allowed only ten points in the fourth quarter all season?" Yep. Don Criqui and John Brodie told me that 35 times in the fourth quarter. You guys didn't care about statistics, though, and simply burned up the field twice in the final quarter to make it a 31-30 game. What a clutch play Jeff Smith made, coming in for Rozier and running 24 yards for the final score on a fourth down and eight. Less than a minute left in the game. Beautiful. ' "And then..." The farmboy suddenly becomes very solemn. "And then the extra point." It is silent for a moment out here on the cold Nebraska plains. The farmboy sadly replays the extra point attempt in his mind, as he has so many times this past week. He sees Turner Gill roll ing out, the pass to Smith, Miami defensive back Ken Colhoun jumping up, tipping the pass away, the frenzied celebration in the end zone. It is over. Nebraska has lost again, like they always will in this mental re-run, nd matter how badly the farm boy wants them to win. "We couldn't have gone for the tie," he says. "We had to go for the win. We had to." Everyone knows you had to. It would have been a disgrace to go for the tie. A tie is like kissing your sister. "Or eating corn from a can," he says, wincing. There is a certain sadness in his eyes, that empty feeling of being No. 2. Being number two is a great accomplishment, but it would almost be easier to be No. 20 to spare the heartbreak of coming so close. "We did have a great season. But still, it would have been great to be number one." Face it, kid. Miami is a legitimate No. 1 choice in the polls. But Nebraska is legitimately the best team in the country. That there is a difference is the real shame. So stop your crying and go feed the hogs. Wednesday, January 11, 1984The Daily Tar Heel13 : : ... -I M f," .... ' ' ' a 1 i I-. f I ' r 7rf 1 i - s 1 ! 1 i k I 'III fA no nsjj lsj (o) r t a r .3 1 tf ft i ::': & ' g m.. z:vj selected. 'liihhing ''end tennis shoes for meif'ahd vcsttsh1 merchandise limited to stock on hand i sale ends January 21st 20 to 50 OFF selected warm ups rain gear shorts j Open Week Nights til 8 pm 942-1073 133W. Franklin Friendly Hometown Service Carry Out Service Da - - - CONVENIENCE HOURS 7:00 a.m.-12:00 Satisfaction Guaranteed Walking Distance To Campus ,Star-Kist 6V2 oz. In Oil or Water Star-Kist Chunk Light Tuna 69$ . 3oz. 4 Oodles of Noodles ?: 5$t.oo : 4 lb. bag Popsrite Pop Corn $1.29 ' am nems IP'-' All Items Lenders Bagels 2S1.00 1012 OZ. Single Serving Stouffers Lasagna $1.29 W' Kraft 4 Orange Juice $1.49 4r' - ; W I lawrAT I 8 0Z. Dannon Yogurt 285$ 1 lb. Oscar Mayer Beef Franks $1.49 16 oz 7 Old Fashioned VHCUU o W Peanut Butter 1 $1.39 14 oz. Hunts Ketchup 49$ rib. Richfood Bacan $1.39 1 II III SLICED BACON Bunch California Broccoli 89$ - WINE George Duboeuf Cotes 'Du Rhone 19825th Bouchard Beaujolais Nouveau 1983 5th . . . Chateau Piron Graves 1982 5th Antonin Rodet Bourgogne Pinot Noir 1978 5th . .'. $3.69 $4.49 $4.99 $5.75 3 lb. bag Red or Golden Delicous Stayman, York, Winesap Apples 79$ Fowlers Friendly Home Town Food Store Wide Variety You Can Find It At Fowler's Large Assortment Party Supplies H ave you called KENSINGTON TRCI: yet? A 1 J i o Wh at Have You Got To Lose? Think About It! Q: Why throw away $6,000-$9,000 in dorm or apart ment rents with no tax benefits? After four years what have you got to show for it? A; That's right, nothing! Q: What do you mean "Graduate with Equity'? A: Real estate traditionally appreciates in value. If you sell your Kensington Trace condo in four years you get back your down payment ($6,650), plus equity (up to $20,000!). It makes good sense to graduate with equity. Q: Can my parents totally offset all tuition costs through tax benefits? A: Recent changes in tax laws provide for "Family Tax Shelters". Your parents may indeed offset all tuition costs. foolishly throwing away money on dorms and taxes! Save both and make money when you sell. And of course, you get a nice place while you are at UNCI OBVIOUSLY, YOU HAVE A LOT TO LOSE. COLLECT 967-0044 Only A Few Outstanding Locations Still Available for Sale Or Rent. 1717 Legion Rd. Chapel Hill, NC 27514 ldvnarkAtkintic klfNSINGION TRACE The Student Condominium . "An Idea Whose Time Has Come"
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Jan. 11, 1984, edition 1
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