1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
#7 Nebraska at Iowa [box score]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| #7 Nebraska |
0 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
| • Iowa
|
7 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
|
#19 Florida State at #17 Nebraska [box score]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| #19 Florida State
|
0 |
7 |
0 |
7 |
14 |
| • #17 Nebraska
|
10 |
0 |
14 |
10 |
34 |
|
#3 Penn State at #15 Nebraska [box score]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| • #3 Penn State
|
3 |
14 |
3 |
10 |
30 |
| #15 Nebraska |
0 |
10 |
14 |
0 |
24 |
|
Auburn at Nebraska [box score]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| Auburn |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
| • Nebraska
|
0 |
0 |
10 |
7 |
17 |
|
Colorado at Nebraska [box score]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| Colorado |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| • Nebraska
|
14 |
24 |
21 |
0 |
59 |
|
#19 Nebraska at Kansas State [box score]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| • #19 Nebraska
|
14 |
14 |
0 |
21 |
49 |
| Kansas State |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
#15 Nebraska at #19 Missouri [box score]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| • #15 Nebraska
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
6 |
| #19 Missouri
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Kansas at #12 Nebraska [box score]
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
| Kansas |
3 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
15 |
| • #12 Nebraska
|
0 |
3 |
14 |
14 |
31 |
|
The 1981 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Unranked Iowa jumped out to 10-0 lead by halftime on their way to paying back the 0-57 defeat handed to them by the Cornhuskers last year, and Nebraska was unable to answer in kind. Three 4th quarter Nebraska forays into Hawkeye territory produced no points, and an Iowa interception with 39 seconds remaining closed the book on the upset. Iowa went on to play in the Rose Bowl.
Nebraska held a close 10-7 lead at halftime, but the momentum quickly turned in favor of the Cornhuskers when WB Irving Fryar scored on an 82-yard punt return, followed up six game clock seconds later when DE Tony Felici's off-the-bench opportunity allowed him to recover a Florida State fumble on the kickoff and return it 13 yards for another touchdown. Nebraska sealed the deal on a 94-yard touchdown run by IB Roger Craig, tying the standing Nebraska record. Felici's defensive performance earned him the starting position.
No major records fell on this day, as each team fought to overcome the other and the scoring lead was exchanged five times. Penn State running back and future NFL star Curt Warner rolled up 238 yards, nearly matching the entire Nebraska team ground production. Penn State pulled ahead on an early 4th-quarter touchdown and added a field goal with 4:54 remaining to extend their lead to 6 points, and the Cornhuskers were unable to muster a response before time expired. Nebraska fell out of the rankings for the first time since a one-week absence early in the 1977 season.
Auburn put up a 1st-quarter field goal to take the lead, and the score remained 3-0 at halftime. Through the course of the game, however, Auburn coughed up 10 fumbles, losing half of them, and never scored again. Nebraska quarterback Turner Gill took over after halftime, and with help from the turnovers, Nebraska overcome the weight of their worst season start since 1960 and put up 17 points in the second half to even up their season record at 2-2.
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Wikipedia
