Nebraska Football: The 5 Biggest Games in Memorial Stadium's History

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I’m not afraid to steal a good idea. So when the hosts of Unsportsmanlike Conduct, an Omaha sports-talk radio show (which, if you’re not already, you should be listening to), made the statement that a playoff game in Memorial Stadium would be the biggest game in the history of the facility, I knew I had my article concept.

For those who may have missed it, the B1G Conference endorsed the concept of a four-team playoff at the end of the college football regular season. The semifinal games, under the proposal, would be hosted at the home stadiums of the higher-ranked teams. Thus, if Nebraska was a No. 1 or No. 2 seed, Memorial Stadium would host a playoff game in mid-December.

Now, the Grey Lady at 10th and Vine has seen a number of big games through the years, and we’re going to take a look back at some of the biggest. But I would agree with Kevin Kugler, one of the show’s hosts, that a playoff game would surpass anything that has been seen at Memorial Stadium. When you combine the matchup (either one-versus-four or two-versus-three) with the hype and attention a playoff game would receive, that game would knock everything else off the chart and be the biggest game in Memorial Stadium’s storied history.

So, if that playoff game does come to pass, which historical contest is playing for second?

1987: (2) Nebraska 42, (3) UCLA 33

This was the first time two teams ranked in the top three nationally met in Memorial Stadium. Nebraska led at halftime, 14-10, and put the game away in the fourth quarter with two Steve Taylor touchdown passes to Todd Millikan. Taylor ended up throwing five touchdown passes on the day, giving Nebraska a signature win at home in front of the 150th sellout of Memorial Stadium.

1987: (2) Oklahoma 17, (1) Nebraska 7

Memorial Stadium got spoiled in 1987, with a second matchup of national powers coming later in the season. The top-rated Cornhuskers met second-rated Oklahoma in a game that was billed as the “Game of the Century II.” The game was a low-scoring affair, with Nebraska taking a 7-0 lead into the half. But Oklahoma put 14 points on the board in the third quarter and did not let Nebraska score the rest of the game. NU was held to 235 yards of total offense, in comparison to Oklahoma’s 444 yards, meaning that the spectacle on the field did not live up to the pre-game billing.

2001: (3) Nebraska 20, (2) Oklahoma 10

If the 1987 Nebraska-Oklahoma game didn’t live up to expectations, the 2001 contest more than made up for missed excitement. A hard-hitting affair throughout, the game was tied 10-10 at the half, with Nebraska taking a 13-10 lead into the fourth quarter. Then, Mike Stuntz hit Eric Crouch on the “Black 41 Flash Reverse” pass that went 63 yards for a touchdown, and which should be known as the most memorable play in Memorial Stadium’s history.

1994: (3) Nebraska 24, (2) Colorado 7

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In Nebraska’s “Unfinished Business” season, NU’s biggest challenge was facing second-ranked Colorado in Lincoln. If Nebraska was serious about a second shot at a national title after coming agonizingly close against Florida State the season before, NU had to knock off the Buffaloes. The Blackshirts harassed CU quarterback Kordell Stewart the entire game, sacking him four times and keeping the Buffaloes off the scoreboard even though they managed 314 yards of total offense in the game. By beating Colorado, and doing so convincingly, Nebraska put itself on track to finish its business and win Tom Osborne’s first national title.

1978: (4) Nebraska 17, (1) Oklahoma 14

Finally. After five years of frustration, Tom Osborne was finally able to end Sooner Magic in front of the Memorial Stadium crowd. And he did it in a very Nebraska style, with the Blackshirts forcing nine (!) Oklahoma fumbles, recovering six of them. Billy Sims’ fumble on the Nebraska 3-yard line with 3:27 left in the contest sealed Nebraska’s three-point victory, and cemented this game as the biggest contest in Memorial Stadium history.

At least, until the playoff game comes.

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