1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 1994 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in the 1994 NCAA Division I - A football season . The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln , Nebraska . The Cornhuskers offense scored 459 points while the defense allowed 162 points . Before the season . There was much anticipation for the 1994 season . 1993 saw the Cornhuskers fall just short of their first National Title under Tom Osborne with a controversial loss to the Florida State Seminoles 18 – 16 . The 1994 offseason was dubbed " Unfinished Business " by the Huskers , in their quest to secure a national championship for the coming season . Junior Tommie Frazier returned as the signal caller under Tom Osborne ' s vaunted triple option offense . Also returning were several key starters on defense that would prove to be a vaunted unit during the 1994 season . Game notes . West Virginia . The 1994 season started for the No . 4 Cornhuskers with a 31 – 0 win over No . 24 West Virginia in the Kickoff Classic . The game pitted two teams that had posted undefeated regular - season records in 1993 . Quarterback Tommie Frazier was the game ' s MVP , rushing for 130 yards on 12 carries , including touchdown runs of 25 , 27 , and 42 yards . He also completed 8 of 16 passes for 100 yards and another touchdown . I - back Lawrence Phillips also ran 126 yards on 24 carries . In all , Nebraska gained 368 rushing yards and 468 total . The Nebraska defense dominated the Mountaineers , registering eight quarterback sacks and holding Western Virginia to 8 yards rushing and 89 total yards . Todd Sauerbrun set a record for West Virginia with a 90 - yard punt and averaged 60 . 1 yards on nine punts . The victory marked Nebraska ' s first shutout victory in two years . It was also Nebraska ' s first shutout victory against a ranked non - conference opponent since a 20 – 0 win over No . 19 Baylor in Lincoln 1939 , and the first ever such win in a game played outside of Lincoln . The win vaulted Nebraska to No . 1 in the polls . Texas Tech . Next up was a road victory that saw the Huskers cruise past the Texas Tech Red Raiders , 42 – 16 , which remarkably saw the Huskers drop to # 2 in the polls . Unfortunately , this victory came at a cost , as safety Mike Minter suffered a season - ending knee injury . Pacific . The next two weeks first saw a tough match - up , where the Huskers would dominate # 13 - ranked UCLA in Memorial Stadium , followed by a blowout against Pacific . Shortly after this victory , the 1994 season got a lot more interesting when Nebraska ' s field general Tommie Frazier was sidelined by a blood clot in his right knee . Kansas State . With Frazier sidelined , junior Brook Berringer answered the call to run Osborne ' s offense . Berringer , a pro - style QB from Goodland , KS , came off the bench and performed at his best in two straight victories against Wyoming and Oklahoma State , even at times with a partially collapsed lung . When it became too much for Berringer , walk - on QB Matt Turman stepped up to lead the Cornhuskers against Okie State and in a tough road game that pitched the Huskers against conference foe and neighbor Kansas State . This game proved to be a defensive battle , which saw the Huskers walk away with a 17 – 6 victory against the # 16 Wildcats . Colorado . Nebraska ' s homecoming game and 200th consecutive home sell out . Oklahoma . The final five regular season games saw Nebraska beat # 2 Colorado , where the defense shut down eventual Heisman winner Rashaan Salaam . Only Oklahoma provided any resistance for the Huskers , who escaped with a 13 – 3 victory in Norman , and another Big Eight Conference Championship . Miami . Nebraska was # 1 in the nation , and found themselves pitted against # 3 Miami in the Orange Bowl , a setting very familiar for Tom Osborne and his Husker players . Osborne had been in this very stadium on two separate occasions playing for a national championship , and came away emptied handed each time , losing the previous year against Bobby Bowden ' s Seminoles of Florida State , and to the Miami Hurricanes in legendary 1983 Orange Bowl by the score of 31 – 30 . But it would be much different this year . Frazier had returned from his injury , and Nebraska would not back down , even after trailing 10 – 7 at halftime and 17 – 7 with less than two minutes to go in the third quarter . It is important to note that during his halftime speech , Coach Osborne had predicted the eventual meltdown of Miami late in the game . He told his players that if they maintained their composure , that Miami would slip up and earn a costly penalty . Osborne ' s prediction rang true , and the physically dominant Huskers scored 15 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to earn Tom Osborne his first national title , by the score of 24 – 17 . After the season . The successful season saw Nebraska lead the nation in rushing , with talented but troubled sophomore Lawrence Phillips rushing for 1 , 722 yards and finishing 8th in Heisman voting . The offensive line , which was arguably the best in the country as well , was affectionately known as " The Pipeline " and included Outland Trophy winner and All - American Zach Wiegert at tackle , fellow All - American Brendan Stai at guard , along with Rob Zatechka , Joel Wilks , and Aaron Graham . The vaunted 4 – 3 defense , led by All - American linebacker Ed Stewart , limited conference opponents to a mere 55 points . The Huskers were treated to a warm welcome , despite the freezing temperatures , when they returned to Lincoln as National Champions . An estimated 15 , 000 fans were on hand at the Lincoln Airport to welcome home their Big Red heroes . Awards . < br > NFL and Pro Players . The following Nebraska players who participated in the 1994 season later moved on to the next level and joined a professional or semi - pro team as draftees or free agents . < br >