The Bobfather vs. The Bear: 1972 Orange Bowl Thoughts

Match-up: #1 Nebraska vs. #2 Alabama

Date: January 1, 1972

Outcome: 38-6 Nebraska

This game was strictly a formality. The 1971 national championship had been unofficially determined on Thanksgiving Day when #1 Nebraska took down then #2 Oklahoma in the "Game of the Century." Oklahoma was clearly the second best team during the 1971 season, but Alabama was 11-0 going into the Orange Bowl and looking to pull the upset to claim the national title.

So this game still held a ton of significance. It would officially give Nebraska their 2nd straight national title and gave Bob Devaney another shot at Paul "Bear" Bryant, who is arguably the greatest college football coach of all time and easily the greatest coach to ever wear a houndstooth fedora.

A Bear wearing a fedora

The Bear opted to wear a baseball cap this game instead of his signature fedora, which was disappointing, but perhaps he was just trying to hide in shame from the TV cameras because this game was over just as soon as it started. Nebraska led 14-0 after the first quarter and 28-0 at halftime.

In the 2nd quarter a woman from the stands can be heard screaming "KILL 'EM! KILL 'EM BAMA, KILL 'EM!" It was 28-0 at this point so I actually have to admire her spirit.

This game had to be sweet revenge for the Bobfather, who was 0-2 vs. Bear Bryant up to that point, including a 34-7 drubbing the last time they had met in the 1967 Sugar Bowl. Nebraska came out firing this game, going for it on 4th down twice on their opening drive, the second time being 4th and 20 from inside the Alabama 30.

Now this was partly because Nebraska's kicker Jim Carstens was, how do I put this nicely? He was not good. He missed the first extra-point and missed a chip-shot field goal at the end of the first half so I can see why Devaney thought Nebraska had a better chance at converting a 4th and 20 rather than a mid-range field goal.

Today was actually the first time I'd ever seen this game and prior to today, this was the only Nebraska national championship game I'd never seen before. When I was growing up, my dad had all 3 of Nebraska's 90's national championships on VHS (Kids, ask your Google). I had watched each of those dozens of times, each time jumping up and down screaming as if they were happening live. And a few years ago I was also given the 1971 Orange Bowl on DVD. (Kids, ask your Google? Are DVDs obsolete yet?)

Watching this in 2017, it was pretty weird to me when the TV crew pointed out Alabama governor and all-around turd sandwich George Wallace in attendance. Wallace probably would have preferred segregation in college football so that Johnny Rodgers couldn't shred the Crimson Tide on a spectacular punt return for Nebraska's second touchdown.

Rodgers' punt return vs. Oklahoma is easily his most famous punt return, but his return in this game was even more impressive. Shortly after fielding the punt, Rodgers juked 6 Bama defenders at once and found daylight.

About the only drama in this game was in wondering whether back-up Alabama quarterback Butch Hobson's jersey would hold up until the end of the game. By the time the clock hit 0:00, he was pretty much wearing a beat up crimson dish rag hanging from his elbow. 

I guess you could say Alabama's performance was "tear-able." I'll see myself out.

When the clock did mercifully hit 0:00, Nebraska was up 38-6 and the sideline hoisted up Bob Devaney and carried him off the field. Bear Bryant later said the 1971 Cornhuskers were the best team he ever went up against. Pretty high praise from the only coach in college football history to win 6 national championships.

Next week we jump ahead 23 years to Tom Osborne's first national championship.

I'll be counting down the last weeks until kickoff  with a review of each of Nebraska's national championship victories every Saturday until the September 2nd kickoff against Arkansas State!

You can read about my thoughts on Nebraska's first national championship victory here.