1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team The 1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska in the 1970 college football season . The team was coached by Bob Devaney and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln . The Huskers went 11 - 0 - 1 to win the first of two consecutive national championships . Overview . The Huskers started the season at # 9 and tied # 3 USC in Los Angeles in the second game of the season . After winning their next nine games , including all seven in the Big 8 , Nebraska was ranked third in the nation entering the 1971 Orange Bowl against # 5 LSU of the SEC . Top - ranked Texas and # 2 Ohio State both lost their bowl games earlier in the day and a 17 - 12 Nebraska victory that night in Miami gave the Huskers their first national title . Through the 1973 season , the final UPI coaches poll was released in early December , before the bowl games . In 1970 it picked Texas as national champion on December 8 , before the Longhorns ' 24 - 11 loss to Notre Dame in the 1971 Cotton Bowl in Dallas on New Year ' s Day . Notre Dame ( 10 - 1 ) finished second to Nebraska ( 11 - 0 - 1 ) in the final AP writers poll , released after the bowls in early January . Game notes . Wake Forest . Wake Forest hit first with a field goal thanks to a Nebraska fumble , but by the half it was the Cornhuskers 28 - 5 . The Demon Deacons would go on to win the ACC title . USC . Nebraska entered the game as a two - touchdown underdog , but never trailed the Trojans during the course of the game . Each team traded touchdowns , and each team missed opportunities for the win , right up to USC ' s incomplete 50 yard pass on the last play of the game . Army . Nebraska owned the day , shutting out Army 28 - 0 in an otherwise unremarkable game . Minnesota . Bob Devaney ' s record against the Big 10 was extended to 9 - 0 as the Cornhuskers had little trouble with Minnesota after running ahead 28 - 10 before the half . Missouri . Nebraska scored only 7 points in the first half , and Missouri matched it before the half . The subsequent defensive battle continued through into the 4th quarter before the Cornhuskers broke away with an additional 14 points , one from a 48 yard punt return touchdown . Kansas . Nebraska was surprised to find themselves behind 10 - 20 with 10 minutes left in the 1st half , but battled back to take the lead with two more touchdowns before the break , and never let Kansas score again as they cruised to a 41 - 20 final . Oklahoma State . Nebraska piled up 65 points , its highest total since 1922 , and held Oklahoma State to just 64 ground yards as the Cornhuskers made short work of the Cowboys . Colorado . Nebraska pulled out in front right away with a 12 - 0 1st quarter lead , but stubborn Colorado fought back and trailed the Cornhuskers by only 13 - 15 in the 4th quarter - after missing a 2 point conversion that would have tied the game - before Nebraska decided to stop the uprising with two touchdowns in the last 10 minutes to pull away . Iowa State . The game was not as close as the score indicates , as Iowa State put up two late touchdowns against Nebraska reserves in the 4th quarter after the Cornhuskers had run up a 54 - 17 lead with 5 minutes remaining to play . Kansas State . Kansas State came to Lincoln with hopes of a Big 8 title opportunity , but they were not prepared for the domination that Nebraska would show them in a convincing defeat . The Wildcats managed only two touchdowns , one of which came with 5 minutes remaining in the 4th against the Nebraska reserves . At one point in the game , the Cornhuskers exploded for 27 points in less than 4 minutes , pushing their lead out to 51 - 7 . Oklahoma . Nebraska locked up their first unbeaten regular season since 1965 by coming from behind twice to get the win over stubborn Oklahoma . It wasn ' t until 7 : 42 remainined in the 4th quarter that Nebraska pulled ahead by a touchdown to settle the final score . Louisiana State . Third - ranked Nebraska jumped to a 10 - 0 lead in the first quarter and lead 10 - 3 at halftime , but # 5 LSU fought back to make a game of it , pulling ahead on a field goal at the end of the 3rd quarter to get to 12 - 10 . With over eight minutes remaining , Jerry Tagge jumped over the pile from the 1 - yard line for the game ' s final points , and the Blackshirts held on the rest of the way to preserve the win . Top - ranked Texas and # 2 Ohio State both lost their bowl game s earlier in the day , which allowed the Huskers to claim their first national championship . Rankings . Awards . < br > 1970 Team Players in the NFL . The 1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers seniors selected in the 1971 NFL Draft : The 1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers juniors selected in the following year ' s 1972 NFL Draft : The 1970 Nebraska Cornhuskers sophomores selected in the 1973 NFL Draft : NFL and Pro Players . The following 1970 Nebraska players joined < br > a professional team as draftees or free agents . < br >