| Year: | 1970 |
| Team: | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Big Eight Conference |
| Short Conf: | Big Eight |
| Coachrank: | 3 |
| Aprank: | 1 |
| Record: | 11–0–1 |
| Conf Record: | 7–0 |
| Head Coach: | Bob Devaney |
| Hc Year: | 9th |
| Off Coach: | Tom Osborne |
| Oc Year: | 2nd |
| Off Scheme: | I formation |
| Def Coach: | Monte Kiffin |
| Dc Year: | 2nd |
| Def Scheme: | 5–2 |
| Stadium: | Memorial Stadium |
| Champion: | AP Poll national champion FWAA national champion Big Eight champion Orange Bowl champion |
| Bowl: | Orange Bowl |
| Bowl Result: | W 17–12 vs. LSU |
The 1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1970 NCAA University Division football season. The team was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. The Huskers went 11–0–1 to win the first of two consecutive national championships.
The Huskers started the season at No. 9 and tied No. 3 USC in Los Angeles in the second game of the season. After winning their next nine games, including all seven in the Big Eight, Nebraska was ranked No. 3 in the nation entering the Orange Bowl against No. 5 LSU of the SEC. Top-ranked Texas and No. 2 Ohio State both lost their bowl games earlier in the day and a 17-12 Nebraska victory that night in Miami gave the Cornhuskers their first AP national championship.
Through the 1973 season, the final UPI Coaches' Poll was released in early December, before the bowl games. In 1970 it picked Texas as national champion on December 8, before the Longhorns' 24-11 loss to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year's Day. Notre Dame (10–1) finished second to Nebraska in the final AP Poll, released after the bowls in early January.
The 1970 Cornhuskers championship season was notable for Devaney's rotation of two quarterbacks - Van Brownson and Jerry Tagge - in every game throughout the season.[1] [2] [3]
President Richard Nixon honored Nebraska's 1970 national championship team and head coach Bob Devaney with the presentation of a presidential plaque (noting the team's No. 1 ranking in the final AP Poll and Orange Bowl victory) during a January 14, 1971, celebration at the Nebraska Coliseum.[4]
| Name | Title | First year in this position | Years at Nebraska | Alma mater | ||
| Bob Devaney | Head Coach | 1962 | 1962-72 | Alma[7] | ||
| Tom Osborne | Offensive coordinator | 1969 | 1964-97 | Hastings | ||
| Cletus Fischer | Offensive line | 1960-85 | Nebraska | |||
| Carl Selmer | Offensive line | 1962-72 | ||||
| Jim Ross | 1962-76 | |||||
| John Melton | Tight Ends, Wingbacks | 1973 | 1962-88 | Wyoming | ||
| Mike Corgan | Running backs | 1962 | 1962-82 | Notre Dame | ||
| Monte Kiffin | Defensive coordinator | 1969 | 1967-76 | Nebraska | ||
| Warren Powers | Defensive backs | 1969-76 | Nebraska | |||
| Boyd Epley | Head Strength Coach | 1969 | 1969-2003 | Nebraska | ||
| Bill Thornton | Assistant Freshman Coach | 1970 | 1969-72 | Nebraska |
See also: 1970 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team.
| Statistics | WAKE | NEB |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Wake Forest hit first with a field goal thanks to a Nebraska fumble, but by the half it was the Cornhuskers 28-5. The Demon Deacons would go on to win the ACC title, their last until 2006.
See also: 1970 USC Trojans football team.
| Statistics | NEB | USC |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| USC | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Nebraska entered the game as a two-touchdown underdog to a USC squad fresh off a 42-21 whipping of Alabama in Birmingham, but never trailed the Trojans during the course of the game. Each team traded touchdowns, and each team missed opportunities for the win, right up to USC's incomplete 50-yard pass on the last play of the game.
Ironically, USC aided Nebraska's national championship push by defeating then-No. 2 Notre Dame 38-28 at Los Angeles in the regular season finale. The Trojans came into the rivalry just 5-4-1, while the Fighting Irish was 9-0.
See also: 1970 Army Cadets football team.
| Statistics | ARMY | NEB |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Nebraska owned the day, shutting out Army 28-0 in an otherwise unremarkable game.
See also: 1970 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team.
| Statistics | NEB | MINN |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Minnesota | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Bob Devaney's record against the Big 10 was extended to 9-0 as the Cornhuskers had little trouble with Minnesota after running ahead 28-10 before the half.
See also: 1970 Missouri Tigers football team and Missouri–Nebraska football rivalry.
| Statistics | MIZ | NEB |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Nebraska scored only 7 points in the first half, and Missouri matched it before the half. The subsequent defensive battle continued through into the 4th quarter before the Cornhuskers broke away with an additional 14 points, one from a 48-yard punt return touchdown.
See also: 1970 Kansas Jayhawks football team and Kansas–Nebraska football rivalry.
| Statistics | NEB | KU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Kansas | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Nebraska was surprised to find themselves behind 10-20 with 10 minutes left in the 1st half, but battled back to take the lead with two more touchdowns before the break, and never let Kansas score again as they cruised to a 41-20 final.
See also: 1970 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team.
| Statistics | OK ST | NEB |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Nebraska piled up 65 points, its highest total since 1922, and held Oklahoma State to just 64 ground yards as the Cornhuskers made short work of the Cowboys.
See also: 1970 Colorado Buffaloes football team and Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry.
| Statistics | NEB | COL |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Colorado | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Nebraska pulled out in front right away with a 12-0 1st quarter lead, but stubborn Colorado fought back and trailed the Cornhuskers by only 13-15 in the 4th quarter - after missing a 2-point conversion that would have tied the game - before Nebraska decided to stop the uprising with two touchdowns in the last 10 minutes to pull away.
See also: 1970 Iowa State Cyclones football team.
| Statistics | NEB | IOWA ST |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Iowa State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
The game was not as close as the score indicates, as Iowa State put up two late touchdowns against Nebraska reserves in the 4th quarter after the Cornhuskers had run up a 54-17 lead with 5 minutes remaining to play.
See also: 1970 Kansas State Wildcats football team.
| Statistics | K STATE | NEB |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Kansas State came to Lincoln with hopes of a Big Eight title opportunity, but they were not prepared for the domination that Nebraska would show them in a convincing defeat. The Wildcats managed only two touchdowns, one of which came with 5 minutes remaining in the 4th against the Nebraska reserves. At one point in the game, the Cornhuskers exploded for 27 points in less than 4 minutes, pushing their lead out to 51-7.
See also: 1970 Oklahoma Sooners football team and Nebraska–Oklahoma football rivalry.
| Statistics | OU | NEB |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushes/yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Nebraska locked up their first unbeaten regular season since 1965 by coming from behind twice to get the win over stubborn Oklahoma. It wasn't until 7:42 remained in the 4th quarter that Nebraska pulled ahead by a touchdown to settle the final score.
See also: 1971 Orange Bowl and 1970 LSU Tigers football team.
| Statistics | LSU | NEB |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 20 | 18 |
| Total yards | 278 | 293 |
| Rushes/yards | 45–51 | 48–132 |
| Passing yards | 227 | 161 |
| Return yards | 3 | 3 |
| Fumbles/lost | 4–3 | 4–3 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–32–1 | 14–28–2 |
| Punts/average | 8–32.5 | 6–37.7 |
| Penalties/yards | 4–27 | 8–67 |
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSU | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Nebraska | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
Third-ranked Nebraska jumped to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and lead 10-3 at halftime, but #5 LSU fought back to make a game of it, pulling ahead on a field goal at the end of the 3rd quarter to get to 12-10. With over eight minutes remaining, Jerry Tagge jumped over the pile from the 1-yard line for the game's final points, and the Blackshirts held on the rest of the way to preserve the win. Top-ranked Texas and #2 Ohio State both lost their bowl games earlier in the day, which allowed the Huskers to claim their first national championship.
Team Stats
| Team | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
| Split | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| Offense | 12 | 14.0 | 22.9 | 61.1 | 186.8 | 1.7 | 57.1 | 223.8 | 3.9 | 2.8 | |
| Defense | 12 | 12.8 | 26.8 | 47.5 | 163.6 | 1.0 | 42.2 | 140.2 | 3.3 | 1.0 | |
| Difference | +1.2 | +3.9 | +13.6 | +23.2 | +0.7 | +14.9 | +83.6 | +0.6 | +1.8 | ||
Passing
| Passing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate | |
| 12 | 116 | 190 | 61.1 | 1536 | 8.1 | 7.5 | 12 | 8 | 141.4 | ||
| Brownson | 12 | 49 | 75 | 65.3 | 667 | 8.9 | 8.7 | 6 | 3 | 158.4 | |
| Jones | 12 | 1 | 5 | 20.0 | 7 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 | 31.8 | |
| Schneiss | 12 | 1 | 3 | 33.3 | 17 | 5.7 | –2.7 | 1 | 1 | 124.3 | |
| Orduna | 12 | 1 | 1 | 100.0 | 14 | 14.0 | 34.0 | 1 | 0 | 547.6 | |
| 12 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
Rushing & Receiving
| Rushing & Receiving | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | ||||||||||||
| Player | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| Orduna | 12 | 200 | 897 | 4.5 | 15 | 11 | 85 | 7.7 | 0 | 211 | 982 | 4.7 | 15 | |
| 12 | 159 | 694 | 4.4 | 4 | 20 | 206 | 10.3 | 1 | 179 | 900 | 5.0 | 5 | ||
| 12 | 85 | 153 | 1.8 | 5 | 85 | 153 | 1.8 | 5 | ||||||
| Schneiss | 12 | 70 | 327 | 4.7 | 2 | 20 | 156 | 7.8 | 2 | 90 | 483 | 5.4 | 4 | |
| Brownson | 12 | 50 | 112 | 2.2 | 4 | 50 | 112 | 2.2 | 4 | |||||
| 12 | 43 | 128 | 3.0 | 1 | 3 | 16 | 5.3 | 0 | 46 | 144 | 3.1 | 1 | ||
| 12 | 39 | 219 | 5.6 | 2 | 39 | 710 | 18.2 | 7 | 78 | 929 | 11.9 | 9 | ||
| 12 | 13 | 80 | 6.2 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 0 | 14 | 99 | 7.1 | 0 | ||
| Carstens | 12 | 7 | 23 | 3.3 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 9 | 34 | 3.8 | 0 | |
| Hughes | 12 | 7 | 2 | 0.3 | 0 | 3 | 35 | 11,7 | 0 | 10 | 37 | 3,7 | 0 | |
| Jones | 12 | 6 | –9 | –1.5 | 0 | 6 | –9 | –1.5 | 0 | |||||
| Ingles | 12 | 4 | 34 | 8.5 | 0 | 36 | 625 | 17.4 | 8 | 40 | 659 | 16.5 | 8 | |
| List | 12 | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 0 | 23 | 278 | 12.1 | 0 | 25 | 304 | 12.2 | 0 | |
| Cox | 12 | 8 | 83 | 10.4 | 2 | 8 | 83 | 10.4 | 2 | |||||
| Harvey | 12 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | |||||
Scoring
| Scoring | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Touchdowns | Kicking | ||||||||||||||
| Player | G | Rush | Rec | Int | FR | PR | KR | Oth | Tot | XPM | FGM | 2PM | Sfty | Pts | |
| Orduna | 12 | 15 | 15 | 1 | 92 | ||||||||||
| 12 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 54 | |||||||||||
| Ingles | 12 | 8 | 8 | 48 | |||||||||||
| 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 30 | |||||||||||
| 12 | 5 | 5 | 30 | ||||||||||||
| Schneiss | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 24 | ||||||||||
| Brownson | 12 | 4 | 4 | 24 | |||||||||||
| Cox | 12 | 2 | 2 | 12 | |||||||||||
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||||||
See also: 1970 NCAA University Division football rankings.
| Award | Name(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| National Coach of the Year | Bob Devaney | |
| All-America 1st team | Jerry Murtaugh, Bob Newton | |
| All-America 2nd team | Joe Orduna | |
| All-America honorable mention | Joe Blahak, Van Brownson, Willie Harper, Guy Ingles, Donnie McGhee, Joe Orduna, Johnny Rodgers, Jerry Tagge, Dave Walline | |
| All-America Sophomores | Joe Blahak, Doug Dumler, Willie Harper, Johnny Rodgers | |
| Big Eight Player of the Year | Jerry Murtaugh | |
| Big Eight Sophomore Lineman of the Year | Willie Harper | |
| All-Big Eight 1st team | Bill Kosch, Donnie McGhee, Jerry Murtaugh, Bob Newton, Joe Orduna, Ed Periard, Johnny Rodgers, Paul Rogers, Dave Walline | |
| All-Big Eight honorable mention | Van Brownson, Guy Ingles, Jerry Tagge, Wally Winter |
The 1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers seniors selected in the 1971 NFL draft:[9]
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise | |
| Joe Orduna | 2 | 49 | San Francisco 49ers | ||
| 3 | 71 | Chicago Bears | |||
| Paul Rogers | 8 | 190 | Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| Dan Schneiss | 11 | 261 | Boston Patriots |
The 1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers juniors selected in the following year's 1972 NFL draft:[10]
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| 1 | 11 | Green Bay Packers | ||
| Jeff Kinney | 1 | 23 | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| 1 | 24 | New York Giants | ||
| Carl Johnson | 5 | 112 | New Orleans Saints | |
| Van Brownson | 8 | 204 | Baltimore Colts | |
| 10 | 242 | Green Bay Packers | ||
The 1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers sophomores selected in the 1973 NFL draft:[11]
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | Franchise |
| 1 | 25 | San Diego Chargers | ||
| Willie Harper | 2 | 41 | San Francisco 49ers | |
| 2 | 49 | Oakland Raiders | ||
| 3 | 61 | Baltimore Colts | ||
| 3 | 69 | New York Giants | ||
| Doug Dumler | 5 | 108 | New England Patriots | |
| 8 | 183 | Houston Oilers | ||
| Bill Janssen | 8 | 206 | Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Dave Mason | 10 | 246 | Minnesota Vikings | |
| Jerry List | 11 | 283 | Oakland Raiders | |
The following 1970 Nebraska players joined a professional team as draftees or free agents.[12]