1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers football
Big Eight champion
Orange Bowl, L 31–30 vs. Miami
Conference	Big Eight Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 2
AP	No. 2
1983 record	12–1 (7–0 Big 8)
Head coach	Tom Osborne (11th year)
Offensive coordinator	Tom Osborne (14th year)
Offensive scheme	I formation
Defensive coordinator	Charlie McBride (3rd year)
Base defense	5–2
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1982 1984 →

1983 Big 8 football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
#2 Nebraska $	7	–	0	–	0			12	–	1	–	0
Oklahoma	5	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Missouri	5	–	2	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Oklahoma State	3	–	4	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Iowa State	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	6	–	1
Colorado	2	–	5	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Kansas State	1	–	6	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

#4 Penn State vs #1 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total #4 Penn State 0 0 0 6 6 • #1 Nebraska 14 7 9 14 44 Date: 1983-08-29 Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Game start: 8:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 71,123 TV announcers (Katz): Curt Gowdy and Lee Corso

Wyoming at #1 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Wyoming 0 3 7 10 20 • #1 Nebraska 21 21 14 0 56 Date: 1983-09-10 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,016

#1 Nebraska at Minnesota [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • #1 Nebraska 21 21 21 21 84 Minnesota 0 10 3 0 13 Date: 1983-09-17 Location: Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis Game attendance: 62,687

UCLA at #1 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total UCLA 7 3 0 0 10 • #1 Nebraska 0 14 14 14 42 Date: 1983-09-24 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,510

Syracuse at #1 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Syracuse 0 0 0 7 7 • #1 Nebraska 14 21 21 7 63 Date: 1983-10-01 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,382

#1 Nebraska at #20 Oklahoma State [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • #1 Nebraska 0 7 7 0 14 #20 Oklahoma State 0 10 0 0 10 Date: 1983-10-08 Location: Lewis Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma Game attendance: 49,600

#1 Nebraska at Missouri [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total • #1 Nebraska 6 14 0 14 34 Missouri 7 6 0 0 13 Date: 1983-10-15 Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri Game attendance: 72,348

Colorado at #1 Nebraska [box score]

1 2 3 4 Total Colorado 3 9 7 0 19 • #1 Nebraska 7 7 48 7 69 Date: 1983-10-22 Location: Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, Nebraska Game attendance: 76,268

The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1983 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nicknamed "The Scoring Explosion", the team was noted for its prolific offense, which is still widely considered one of the greatest in college football history. The team and some of its individual players set several NCAA statistical records, some of which still stand. Nebraska scored a total of 654 points on the season.

Nebraska overcame nine fumbles (one lost) to avenge their only loss from the previous year, destroying the defending national championship Penn State team 44-6 in the first ever Kickoff Classic. The Nittany Lions narrowly avoided their first shutout since 1972 when they scored a touchdown against Nebraska reserves with 20 seconds left to play. The margin of defeat tied the worst loss ever by a Joe Paterno Penn State team to date.

It was a record-setting day as Nebraska IB Mike Rozier became Nebraska's all-time rushing leader, breaking the previous record set by IB I. M. Hipp four years prior, while Nebraska QB Turner Gill extended his interception-free pass completions streak to a record 99, surpassing QB Jerry Tagge's record of 88 set in 1969. Nebraska rolled despite Wyoming owning over 37 minutes of the time of possession.

Another record outing for the Cornhuskers on the road in Minneapolis, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers were absolutely smashed in their worst-ever defeat, as Nebraska scored their most points since a 100-0 smearing of Nebraska Wesleyan in 1917, and their most points ever against a Division 1-A team. Irving Fryar set a new wingback reception record of 138 yards on two catches, both tosses the longest of his and QB Turner Gill's careers, and the entire 60-man Cornhusker travel squad had obtained playing time before the start of the 4th quarter.

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