1974 Sugar Bowl

Nebraska The Huskers entered the Sugar Bowl with an 8–3 record and were ranked #8 in the AP poll. They finished third in the Big Eight Conference and closed the regular season with a loss to rival Oklahoma. Nebraska was led by second team All American quarterback David Humm and an I formation offense that featured an offensive line which placed three out of five starters on the 1974 All-Big Eight Conference football team. This was the Huskers' second appearance in the contest, as they had lost to Alabama in the 1967 Sugar Bowl. Florida The Gators were also 8-3 leading up to the Sugar Bowl but had plummeted from #6 to #18 in the AP poll after having lost two of three games to end the regular season, dropping them to fifth place in the SEC standings. They were the only team ranked in the bottom of the top 20 to appear in a major bowl game that season. Head coach Doug Dickey had debuted the wishbone offense in 1974, and with quarterback Don Gaffney guiding the option attack, Florida relied heavily on its running game along with a stout defense that had five starters named to the 1974 All-SEC football team. This was also the Gators' second trip to the Sugar Bowl, as they had lost to Missouri in the 1966 edition. ==Game summary==

The game kicked off shortly after 7 p.m. CST on New Year's Eve and was televised by ABC. Because the game did not sell out, it was blacked out in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Florida soon faced fourth and goal from inside the Nebraska one yard line and coach Doug Dickey chose to leave his offense on the field. The Gators ran an option pitch to the left side and running back James Richards slipped and fell while trying to cut towards the goal line, giving Nebraska possession on downs. Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne inserted reserve quarterback Terry Luck into the game as his offense lined up in the shadow of their own goal posts, but the backup would not factor prominently in the outcome. Instead, Osborne turned to his running backs, as the Huskers mounted an 18-play, 99-yard drive that consumed almost nine minutes off the clock and did not include a forward pass. The lengthy drive culminated in a short touchdown run by freshman back Monte Anthony early in the fourth quarter, cutting the Gators' lead to 10–7. Florida was forced to punt on their next possession, and Nebraska again used their ground game to slowly move the ball down the field. After converting on fourth and two from the Florida 49-yard line, the Huskers tied the game at 10–10 on a Mike Coyle field goal with 7:12 remaining. Florida's offense was again unable to move the ball, and after another punt, Nebraska took possession at their own 25 with about four minutes left. Nebraska continuing to rely on its bruising running attack against a tiring Gator defense, which nevertheless seemed to slow the Huskers' offense until running back Tony Davis broke free on a 41-yard run into Florida territory, setting up a 39-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining to give Nebraska the lead. Florida QB Don Gaffney's last-minute Hail Mary pass was intercepted, and Nebraska held on for a 13–10 win. Nebraska's running backs gained over 300 yards in the contest led by Sugar Bowl MVP Tony Davis. Davis rushed 17 times for 126 yards in the game, with 112 of those yards gained in the second half. Scoring First quarter • Fla – Tony Green 21-yard run (David Posey kick) Second quarter • Fla – Posey 40-yard field goal Third quarter :No scoring Fourth quarter • Neb – Monte Anthony 2-yard run (Mike Coyle kick) • Neb – Coyle 37-yard field goal • Neb – Coyle 39-yard field goal ==Statistics==

• Due to the fact that Nebraska was a heavy favorite yet trailed for much of the contest, the Huskers fell one spot to #9 in the final AP poll despite their bowl victory while Florida moved up three spots to #15 despite losing three of their last four games. • The victory marked the sixth consecutive bowl win for the Huskers. is unique in that it remains the only one with a broadcaster (then-Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer) having been the winner of that year's National Championship. Switzer's Sooners won the Big 8 Conference and finished the season 11–0, but were ineligible for any postseason bowls and barred from television that season due to probation. Despite this, Oklahoma still managed to secure a share of the title via the AP Poll when previously unbeaten Alabama fell to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl 13–11. • Working as an analyst for ABC, both Switzer and longtime Sugar Bowl play-by-play man Keith Jackson donned tuxedos for the broadcast, as the game was still played on New Year's Eve. ==References==