The 1983 Nebraska Defense Was Good
The 1983 Nebraska football team is best remembered for its prolific offense and the two point conversion attempt against Miami. The defense has been overlooked and unfairly maligned. The only thing people remember about the 1983 defense was the Miami game. The reality is that the 1983 defense was better than people remember.
It was a young defense that only returned four starters from a good unit in 1982. In addition, two of the starters were backups in 1982 and received extensive playing time.
On the surface, the numbers for the 1983 defense are a mixed bag. The 1983 Blackshirts were number 70 in total defense but they only gave up a respectable 15 points per game. The 5–2 defensive scheme was a bend but don’t break system. But those numbers don’t tell the entire story.
The defense actually played pretty well in the equivalent of ten out of twelve regular season games. In addition, many of the points and the yards were yielded by the reserves after the Huskers had mounted an insurmountable lead. Another factor is that sometimes the first team offense scored so quickly, the defense was still tired when they returned to the field.
In the opening game against defending national champion Penn State, the Lions only scored on the reserves with twenty seconds left in the contest.
Nebraska beat Wyoming 56–20 but the Blackshirts held Wyoming to seven points.
Against UCLA, the offense turned the ball over the first three times it had the ball. The Bruins were only able to score 10 points early in the game when the offense stalled. The defense held the line until the offense got untracked. Nebraska won going away 42–10.
The defense saved the day against a stubborn Oklahoma State team. Nebraska turned the ball over four times in the red zone and another time around the Cowboy thirty yard line. Oklahoma State didn’t cross the 50 yard line in the second half until the final series. Safety Bret Clark picked off a final desperation heave into the endzone to close out the win.
The Blackshirts made two key stops against Missouri inside the 15 yard line early in the third quarter when Nebraska was clinging to a 20–13 lead. The offense used those stops to swing the momentum and the Huskers won 34–13.
One of the most dramatic defensive stops in Nebraska history was against Oklahoma. Late in the game, Oklahoma had a second and one situation at the Nebraska two yard line. The Sooners failed to score and Nebraska won 28–21.
Unfortunately, the best memory of the Nebraska defense was the Miami game. The Hurricanes jumped to a 17–0 first quarter lead. However, after that slow start, the defense held Miami to fourteen points in the last three quarters. The Huskers outscored the Hurricanes 30–14 during the last three quarters.
The 1983 defense formed up the nucleus of the great 1984 defense. The 1984 defense was very experienced and returned nine starters. The 1984 Blackshirts were one of the best defenses in school history — they held opponents to 9.5 points per game and 202 yards per game. The only comparable defense in school history was the mighty 1971 defense.
The 1983 Nebraska team was the least imperfect team in college football history. They were two points and three yards away from winning the national championship. The 1983 Huskers are one of the greatest teams in school history.