The 1994 College Football Championship: A Season of Triumphs and Trials

The 1994 college football season was a year of compelling storylines, outstanding individual performances, and ultimately, the crowning of a national champion. For some teams, it was a year of expected dominance, while for others, it was a season defined by overcoming adversity and exceeding expectations. This article delves into the details of the 1994 season, highlighting key teams, pivotal moments, and the journey to the national championship.

Nebraska's Pursuit of Perfection

Nebraska's focus for the 1994 season was finishing the business that had been left incomplete on the night of Jan. 1, 1994, in Miami. The Cornhuskers entered the 1994 season with a burning desire to avenge their heartbreaking loss in the previous year's Orange Bowl. Byron Bennett's 45-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left in the final second of Nebraska's 18-16 loss to Florida State in the 1994 Orange Bowl game. With that miss, an 11-game Cornhusker winning streak ended. That defeat fueled their ambition and set the stage for a season of relentless pursuit of perfection.

The actual process started with a 31-0 victory against West Virginia in the Kickoff Classic in late August, and it concluded with a come-from-behind, 24-17 victory against Miami, on the Hurricanes' home field, in the 1995 Orange Bowl game.

Quarterback Carousel

An important subplot of 1994 involved the Cornhusker quarterbacks. The season was marked by unexpected challenges at the quarterback position. Tommie Frazier's misfortune represented an opportunity for junior Brook Berringer, who came off the bench to lead Nebraska to the Big Eight championship and the Orange Bowl game. Frazier's injury paved the way for Brook Berringer to step into the spotlight. Berringer was 7-0 as a starter, passing for 1,295 yards (14th on Nebraska's all-time, single-season list) and 10 touchdowns, in what amounted to only eight full games. When Berringer was slowed by a partially collapsed lung, a problem that occurred in back-to-back games, sophomore walk-on Matt Turman stepped up and directed the Cornhuskers. When Berringer was slowed by a partially collapsed lung, a problem that occurred in back-to-back games, sophomore walk-on Matt Turman stepped up and directed the Cornhuskers. The quarterback sequence was somewhat similar in the Orange Bowl victory. Frazier, who had been included on the travel roster for the final regular-season game at Oklahoma (but did not play), started against Miami. Berringer replaced him and got Nebraska on the scoreboard in the second quarter, with a 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Gilman.

Overcoming Orange Bowl Deficit

Nebraska trailed the Hurricanes 10-7 at halftime and fell behind 17-7 less than two minutes into the third quarter. But during the intermission, Osborne had described to the Cornhuskers the way the second half would go if they maintained their composure and continued to play smart physical Husker football. Afterward, Osborne's halftime speech was made public.

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Securing the Championship

Even though Nebraska finished its business by going 13-0, it remained for voters in the Associated Press and USA Today/CNN polls to certify the Cornhuskers as national champions. Penn State also went through the season undefeated and untied at 12-0. Nebraska began the season ranked No. 4 by the Associated Press, moved to No. 1 after the Kickoff Classic, then inexplicably dropped to No. 2 following a 42-16 victory at Texas Tech. In many ways, Minter was to the defense what Frazier was to the offense. The Cornhuskers dropped to No. 3 in the AP poll after the Kansas State victory, before finally moving to No. 1 following the Colorado game. The Buffaloes came to Lincoln undefeated, untied and ranked No. 2 by the AP and No. 3 by USA Today/CNN. Nebraska was No. 2 according to the coaches. Nebraska earned the voters' respect with an offense that featured one of the best lines in school history and a new 4-3 defense that allowed only 55 points in conference play. The offensive line included Outland Trophy winner Zach Wiegert at tackle. Along with winning the Outland, Wiegert was a consensus first-team All-American. Rob Zatechka, the other tackle, was a four-time academic All-Big Eight selection who graduated with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in biological sciences. Nebraska led the nation in rushing, with sophomore Lawrence Phillips gaining 1,722 yards, the third-highest single-season total in Cornhusker history. Stewart, Troy Dumas, Donta Jones, Barron Miles and Tyrone Williams represented the defense on the All-Big Eight first team.

MacArthur Bowl

Big 8 Champion Nebraska defeated Big East Champion Miami in the Orange Bowl, marking the Cornhuskers’ second MacArthur Bowl. Coached by College Football Hall of Famer Tom Osborne, Nebraska finished 13-0 after a 24-17 victory against the Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl. The 23-year drought is the second-longest gap between championships in MacArthur Bowl history. The 1995 Nebraska team featured Hall of Fame quarterback Tommie Frazier and Hall of Fame defensive end Grant Wistrom, also a 1997 NFF National Scholar-Athlete. The Cornhuskers also fielded 1994 William V. Representing the pinnacle of team achievement in college sports, the trophy was the gift of an anonymous donor, who commissioned Tiffany & Co. to craft it from 400 ounces of silver, in honor of NFF founder General Douglas A. MacArthur.

University of Wisconsin-Superior Falcons Triumph

The Falcons fell behind, 1-0, in the semifinals when Fredonia scored just eight seconds into the game. Brandon Ferraro and Brian Wilson scored first periods goals. Russ Johnson and Jeremy Jeannette scored in the third with Jeannette getting the game-winner. The Falcons jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the title game, but it was a close contest after that. Chris Brown and Ferraro scored power-play goals in the first period. Dan Carney made it a 3-0 game in the second period. Greg Christenson also scored in the second, but UWS scored twice, the second with just 12 seconds to play, before the period was over. Johnson scored in the third and Wilson netted the final goal to secure the win. Russ Johnson led the team in scoring with 12-32-44. Three other Falcons scored over 30 points; Greg Joyce (16-23-39), Brian Wilson (22-16-38) and Greg Christenson (18-16-34). Wilson led the team with nine power-play goals and Joyce led the Falcons with four short-handed goals. Dean Talafous coached at the Div. I level at Alaska-Anchorage from 1996-2001.

Team Roster

Front, left to right: Tom Bachmeier, Ken Eddy, Brandon Ferraro, Jeff Cates, Jake Mastel, Chris Brown, Chris Ratzlof, Greg Joyce, Ron Gullett. Middle, left to right: Steve Freeman, assistant coach, Andre' Beaulieu, assistant coach, Jason Sammon, student trainer, Brad Beedle, Matt Stocker, Jeff Lovell, Aaron Arf, Chad Franckowiak, Par Ostberg, Jason Curry, Mickey Keating, assistant coach, Dean Talafous, head coach.

Game 1

First period: F Lupu (Pinti), :08. RF Ferraro (Joyce), 9:08. RF Wilson (Lovell, Johnson), 9:40. Second period: No scoring. Third Period: F Lowe (Conley), :53. RF Johnson (Ostberg, Wilson), 2:13. RF Jeannette (Brown, Ostberg), PP, 7:27. F Lupu (McDonald, Pinti), PP, 10:42. Shots on goal: F 15, RF 46. Saves: Sirota (F) 42, Gullett (RF) 12. Penalties: F 5-10, RF 3-6. Power plays: F 1-3, RF 1-5.

Game 2

First period: RF Brown (MacDonald, Arf), PPG, 16:10. RF Ferraro, PPG, 17:47. Second period: RF Carney (Joyce), 2:51. S Murgatroyd (Graham), PPG, 6:32. RF MacDonald (Christenson, Brown), 11:33. S Shabeck (Graham, Braun), PPG, 19:48. Third period: RF Johnson (Ferraro), 4:44. S Murgatroyd (Shabeck, Komisar), 8:44. S Sobb (Harbinson, Maher), 15:38. RF Wilson (Johnson, Eddy), 17:33. Shots on goal: S 32, RF 34. Saves: Markham (S) 28, Gullett (RF) 28. Penalties: S 5-10, RF 7-14. Power plays: S 2-5, RF 2-3.

University of North Alabama Lions' Division II Dominance

FLORENCE, Ala. “After winning the national championship in 1993 we lost a lot of key players but we also had a lot of people coming back in ‘94,” Wallace said. “In the pre-season we were picked to win it again and we were able to go through the season and not lose a Division II game, which was quite a feat considering the pressure. We did lose to Youngstown State who had a tremendous program but I think that game helped us. “The championship game itself showed a lot of guts,” Wallace said of UNA’s 16-10 win. “Texas A&M-Kingsville had a great team and they really took it to us. “The first one in 1993 was just an unbelievable experience,” he said. “The third one was history. The second one was more routine, but really you can’t call it that. We were expected to win it and we did but it was because the team was phenomenal. The 1993 team had a great offense. The 1995 team had a great defense. “This team was made up of character kids,” Wallace said. ‘We knew it at the time and you can really see that looking back now at the lives they have had after college. As a coach, that’s what makes you feel good.

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