Seminoles' Quarterback Has a Fiesta Against NU

1990 Fiesta Bowl

FSU wide receiver Terry Anthony leaps high to snare a 24-yard touchdown pass as NU's Bruce Pickens defends.TEMPE, Ariz. - The Big Red football team left Sun Devil Stadium Monday with a big red face.

“I'm a little embarrassed,” Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said after watching No. 5 Florida State score 34 straight points in the middle two quarters to scorch the No. 6 Huskers 41 - 17 in the Fiesta Bowl.

“I thought we'd play better. I thought our attitude was good and our practices were good. We thought we were capable of winning the game. But we really got pretty close to blown out.”

The biggest blast came from Florida State quarterback Peter Tom Willis.

The senior from Morris, Ala., earned offensive player of the game honors by completing 25 of 40 passes for 422 yards and five touchdowns of 5, 8, 10, 14 and 24 yards.

The yardage and touchdown totals broke Fiesta Bowl records set by FSU quarterback Danny McManus against Nebraska in the Seminoles' 31 - 28 victory two years ago. McManus threw for 375 yards and three touchdowns.

Willis' numbers also were highs against Osborne in his 17 years as head coach.

In the wake of Willis' explosion, Nebraska - which once led 7 - 0 and 10 - 7 - needed Mike Croel's block of a Florida State punt and backup quarterback Mickey Joseph's ensuing 2 - yard touchdown run with 1:15 to play to avoid two embarrassing footnotes.

That touchdown kept the Huskers from absorbing their worst bowl loss in history. The biggest margin of defeat in 27 previous appearances is 27 points twice - 34 - 7 to Duke in the 1955 Orange Bowl and 34 - 7 to Alabama in the 1967 Sugar Bowl.

The late TD also stopped FSU from matching Oklahoma as the team that has pinned Osborne with his worst defeat. The Sooners thumped NU by 31 points, 38 - 7, in 1977.

Still, the 24 - point thumping before the second - largest Fiesta Bowl crowd ever - 73,953 - hurt.

“We got beat. Beat up. Beat up bad,” outside linebacker Jeff Mills said. “And I don't know why it happened.

“I would hate to think we weren't ready to play. But it leaves something to the imagination when you get beat that bad. I don't ever remember getting beat that bad at Nebraska.”

Five Turnovers
The Huskers, 10 - 2, must wait for today's Associated Press and United Press International voting to see if they keep their Top 10 string alive. They have finished in at least one wire service Top 10 the past 19 years.

If Nebraska slips out of the Top 10, blame turnovers.

The Huskers, who turned the ball over only five times in their final six regular - season games, let it get away five times Monday on three fumbles and two interceptions.

FSU had no turnovers. The teams entered the game tied for fifth nationally in turnover margin at plus - 1.27 a game.

“A minus - five in turnovers is probably worth 21 to 28 points,” Osborne said. “Sometimes, when you get taken out of things by turnovers and get behind, you just don't play like you can.

“We needed to establish a running game. But as we got further behind, we couldn't keep running the ball. And we're not a team that's going to make a living just throwing the ball.”

Nebraska rushed for 115 yards, the third - lowest total in the decade behind the 80 against Miami in last year's Orange Bowl and the 101 against Oklahoma in 1986.

Osborne: Seminoles No. 1
Florida State won the total yardage battle 494 to 322.

“They were either out of sync or we sure are good,” FSU Coach Bobby Bowden said. “I ain't sure which. But I think we're pretty good.

“We maxed out against Auburn and Miami, and then we leveled off for a few weeks. But we climaxed one more time. We played today about as good as we can play.”

Osborne said the Seminoles, who followed two season - opening losses with 10 straight wins, might be the nation's best team.

“A lot of people said that after they beat Miami,” he said. “Who am I to argue after they beat us that badly.”

In the beginning, Nebraska looked anything like a team that would get beat badly.

The Huskers had the better of it in a wild first 18 minutes that produced two trick plays, three turnovers, two touchdowns, two missed field goals, one made field goal and a goal - line stand.

Nebraska pulled the first stunner on the opening series.

After gaining 5 yards in three plays, punter Mike Stigge came in. But the former high school quarterback didn't punt.

Trick Plays
He lofted a 41 - yard bomb to reserve wingback Mark Dowse. When FSU was called for roughing the passer, the total gain was 53 yards to the FSU 12.

Two plays later, NU quarterback Gerry Gdowski rolled left under heavy pressure but found split end Morgan Gregory with a 9 - yard touchdown pass. Gregg Barrios' conversion kick put the Huskers up 7 - 0 with 11:19 left in the first quarter.

Florida State responded on the ensuing kickoff with its own trick play.

Shannon Baker fielded the kick, ran to about the 15, then lateraled long across the field to Lawrence Dawsey, who raced to the FSU 44.

The Seminoles drove to the Nebraska 20 before stalling. Bill Mason tried a 37 - yard field goal, but it was low and short.

Nebraska gave the ball back three plays later.

I - back Ken Clark, who gained 86 yards in 16 carries, swept right for 34 yards. But FSU cornerback Errol McCorvey caused a fumble at the end of the run and recovered it at the Seminole 38.

Florida State, with the help of Dexter Carter's 34 - yard run, eventually got to the NU 3 - yard line on second down. Two plays lost a yard, setting up a fourth and two at the 4.

Gdowski Intercepted
That's where defensive tackle Kent Wells shot through to dump fullback Paul Moore just short of the first down and preserve NU's 7 - 0 lead.

The next possession produced Gdowski's first interception in 95 throws, stretching back to the Big Eight opener against Kansas State.

He handed the ball to Clark, who handed it back. Gdowski tried to hit Gregory, who tipped the pass up, allowing linebacker Kevin Grant to pick it off and run it back to the NU 18.

But FSU failed to score again after losing 5 yards in three plays. Rich Andrews tried a 39 - yard field goal that was wide left on the first play of the second quarter.

But that was about all Florida State did wrong in the second quarter as Willis caught fire.

The Seminole defense got him the ball by blitzing Gdowski and forcing a fumble that nose guard Odell Haggins, the defensive player of the game, recovered at the NU 31.

Two plays later, Willis drilled a 14 - yard scoring strike to Terry Anthony. Andrews' PAT kick tied the game at 7 with 13:42 left in the half.

Seminoles Roar Back
Nebraska used the kicking game to set up another score.

Tyrone Hughes' 62 - yard kickoff return - plus 15 yards for a late hit - set the Huskers up at the FSU 15. But they had to settle for Chris Drennan's 39 - yard field goal three plays later for a 10 - 7 lead with 12:15 to go in the half.

On the next series, FSU gambled on a fourth - and - one at the NU 39 by throwing to the end zone incomplete. Nebraska made one first down from there to give Drennan a crack at a 49 - yard field goal. But it drifted wide right.

Back came Willis.

He fired a 19 - yarder to Dawsey, a 44 - yard jump ball floater that Baker pulled in, then a 5 - yarder for a touchdown to tight end Reggie Johnson and a 14 - 10 lead with 6:55 left in the half.

Osborne said he didn't see many out - and - out breakdowns in pass coverage as Willis got rolling.

“A couple of times, they had people open,” Osborne said. “A couple of times, they made great catches. And a couple of times, it was a jump ball and they came up with it.”

With the Nebraska defense struggling, the officials tried to help. Three consecutive holding penalties stuck the Seminoles in a first - and - 40 hole at their own 35.

NU Defenders Frustrated
But Willis' 30 - yard bolt to fullback Edgar Bennett wiped out the penalties. Three plays later, he threw a 10 - yard touchdown pass to Carter for a 21 - 10 lead with 24 seconds left in the half.

“I don't like to talk about the refs,” Willis said. “But we kind of stuck it in their face on that one.

“We said, ‘We'll beat y'all, too.' I kind of went up and laughed in their faces after we scored on that series.”

There was no laughter on Nebraska's side. Failing to hold on a first and 40 knocked the wind out of some defenders.

“That was very, very frustrating,” linebacker Mike Petko said. “We got all psyched up to hold them, and then they threw up some balls that got caught.”

The lob passes that FSU outleaped Nebraska for were particularly frustrating, Petko said.

“I remember flowing on the run and I'd see the ball go up,” he said. “All of a sudden, somebody would come out of nowhere and catch it. It was mind - boggling.”Not His Best Day

In the second quarter, Willis completed 12 of 14 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. But he said overall his seventh game of more than 300 yards passing this season didn't feel like a big day.

“I know y'all are going to laugh when I say this,” said the 6 - foot - 3, 202 - pounder. “But I didn't feel like I was throwing that well.

“It wasn't my best day. They just made some great catches.”

Florida State scored three times in the third quarter to stretch its 21 - 10 halftime lead to 41 - 10.

Willis kept a drive alive on fourth and two at the 36 with an 11 - yard completion to Anthony, which he jumped for after Wells tipped it at the line of scrimmage.

Not even another holding penalty at the NU 5 could stop the Seminoles. Willis got it back with a 14 - yard pass to Dawsey to the 1. Moore scored from there for 27 - 10 lead as Andrews missed the extra point.

Stigge's Punt Blocked
Florida State safety John Davis blocked Stigge's punt on the next series and the Seminoles recovered at the NU 8.

Willis hit Johnson with a TD pass on the next play for a 34 - 10 lead.

Gdowski lost the snap from center on the next drive at the FSU 38. Three plays later, Willis lobbed a 24 - yard touchdown pass to Anthony for a 41 - 10 lead with 2 seconds left in the third quarter.

Turnovers on such basic plays as center snaps and other bobbles on option pitches left Osborne shaking his head.

“The turnovers just weren't characteristic,” he said. “And I don't know what to do.

“We had a couple of scrimmages and practiced fairly hard. I thought if we could play with one turnover or less and get two or three that it would be a close game.”