Nebraska No Ally of Bruins

Nebraska did not get the flu again, did not get fourth-down fooled again. The South (Division) did not rise again.

A year after a stunning defeat to Texas in the Big 12 Conference title game cost it a possible third straight national title, No. 2 Nebraska exacted a brutal revenge Saturday with a 54-15 victory against No. 14 Texas A&M; before a crowd of 64,824 at the Alamodome.

The game was as much a statement as it was a victory, a salvo fired in the poll war that awaits in the Orange Bowl for the Cornhuskers, who are 12-0 but likely will not win their third national title in four seasons unless No. 1 Michigan is defeated in the Rose Bowl.

The irony is rich, if not exasperating.

Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost, who guided the Cornhuskers to a 37-3 halftime lead--his team scoring on all seven first-half possessions--was not a part of the 1994 season after which 13-0 Nebraska beat out 12-0 Penn State for the mythical national crown in a controversial poll vote. The schools could not face each other because Penn State had joined the Big Ten and was contractually bound to face Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

Now, it’s Nebraska at No. 2 and staring at a losing poll proposition.

“Why is that fair to a guy like me?” Frost said afterward. “Why is it fair to deny us a share of the national title? It doesn’t make sense.”

Welcome to bowl alliance hell, Scott.

None of this officially has been screwed up yet. If Michigan loses to Washington State on Jan. 1, Nebraska can win the title with a victory in the Jan. 2 Orange Bowl against Tennessee or Florida State.

Until then, there is nothing to do but file briefs in the court of public opinion. Frost says it wasn’t fair that Penn State didn’t get a share of the title in ’94 and that it wouldn’t be fair now if his team gets shunned.

“To have it happen again, well, two wrongs don’t make a right,” he said.

Nebraska’s power rating had taken some hits. The Cornhuskers trailed at home, at the half, against Central Florida. They got a fluke victory against Missouri and last week eked out a three-point victory against Colorado.

But against ranked opponents, in the national spotlight, the Cornhuskers have dominated, defeating Washington, Kansas State and Texas A&M; by a total of 82 points.

“When this thing is cranked up against good football teams, this team has played awfully well,” Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said.

Redemption was a recurring theme. Last year’s 37-27 loss to Texas branded Frost, a junior trying to replace legend Tommie Frazier, as a quarterback who couldn’t win the big game.

“I thought last year’s loss was a motivation,” Frost said. “I don’t think we were as ready to play last year as we should have been.”

This time, Nebraska was ready. Frost was ready. Texas A&M; was not.

Aggies’ Coach R.C. Slocum worried about getting punched out early.

“We didn’t get knocked out, but we had some knots on our head,” he said.

Nebraska set the tone on its first drive, Frost capping a 55-yard drive with a six-yard scoring run. Frost had thrown the key block on Bobby Newcombe’s 25-yard run on a reverse to the Aggies’ six.

The Cornhuskers settled for Kris Brown field goals of 26, 26 and 31 yards on their next three drives, then made it 23-0 on their fifth possession when Frost made a beautiful option pitch to Ahman Green that resulted in a 25-yard scoring run.

Texas A&M;’s first five possessions went punt, punt, punt, interception punt, before the Aggies’ “broke through” for a field goal.

It was hardly a momentum swing.

Green went over the top on a one-yard scoring run with 5:15 left in the half to make it 30-3, and Frost capped a 73-yard drive late in the half with a two-yard touchdown run to boost the lead to 34.

Frost played a near-perfect half, completing 10 of 11 passes for 176 yards. The pass Frost didn’t complete was dropped. He also gained 40 yards in eight carries.

Before intermission, Nebraska outgained Texas A&M;, 348 total yards to 83, and had 15 first down to the Aggies’ two.

Frost finished with 201 yards passing and 79 on the ground.

Green rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns--in the first half--and finished with 179 yards and three scores.

Acceptance has not come easy for the senior Frost, the Frazier successor and Nebraska native who spurned the Cornhuskers for Stanford before returning home.

Frost was booed Sept. 13 by the home crowd when he dared allow Central Florida to lead Nebraska at the half. And though he became the first Cornhusker ever to both pass and rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season, Frost took another hit last week when Big 12 coaches only voted him to the all-conference third team., Frost might fare better if all-conference ballots were collected today.

“I admire the way he plays,” said Slocum, whose team fell to 9-3 and likely will play UCLA in the Cotton Bowl. “He’s a reckless, big, tough guy. . . . He’s a running back playing quarterback.”

The Cornhuskers, critiqued for not running it up lately, totaled 536 total yards against Texas A&M.;

Nebraska stated its case and it was convincing.

But it likely won’t be enough unless the Cornhuskers get some help in Pasadena.

“That’s a given, we’re rooting for Washington State,” Frost said.

Grant Wistrom, the Cornhuskers’ senior All-American defensive end, has been on both sides of poll injustice. He certainly wasn’t complaining in 1994 when his team got the nod over Penn State.

“You know, what can you do?” Wistrom said. If it [finishing No. 1] doesn’t happen, it’s not going to take away from the enjoyment all of us have had this season.”