In 1996 the Nebraska Cornhuskers are enjoying the glow of their second straight national championship. The first of which came on a warm Miami night in the Orange Bowl with a come from behind victory, the second via a more thorough defeating of an SEC powerhouse by a Cornhusker team many consider to be one of the best teams of all time.. They now await the first game of the final leg on their three-peat quest, a game versus a "less than powerhouse" opponent with a brand new quarterback. But forgive longtime Husker fans if they enter September 7th's matchup with Michigan State with more than the usual anxiety, you see they've been there before...an almost identical situation, 24 years earlier almost to the day.. and the result then was one they'd probably like to forget.

The 1972 Husker team had quite a reputation preceding them. They were the two time defending national champions and entered the 1972 season as the pre-season number one team and the question of winning a third straight title was swirling. "It is highly improbable that we can win a third straight national championship because you have to win the Big 8 first," said Husker coach Bob Devaney prior to the game, "That's the toughest job in the country. But it's not impossible for a team to win three straight, so the coaches and players will make a run at it." The players tried to keep their minds focused on the immediate tasks at hand. "I don't think anyone really ever talked about (a three- peat) we just went out and played and that was it" remembers Husker fullback Maury Damkroger "We lost a lot of leaders off from that '71 team, Jeff Kinney and Jerry Tagge, and we had a brand new quarterback. But we still had a lot of great players."

That brand new quarterback was the highly recruited David Humm. Humm was called upon to replace Husker favorite Tagge as the signal caller. Despite the spotlight he was thrown into Humm says the pressure never really became a burden for him. "I was recruited quite a bit and (got a lot of attention) everywhere I went so I was used to the media and the pressure of that part that goes along with it." Humm was considered the best Husker QB prospect ever and came to the varsity team after re-writing nearly every freshman team record. The Husker offense also featured Heisman trophy candidate Johnny Rogers All America tackle Daryl White and record setting kicker Rich Sanger. On the defensive side the Huskers were even more impressive boasting All Americans Willie Harper and Rich Glover on the line and all Big 8 back Joe Blahak. The 1972 schedule also favored the Huskers repeat as seven of the eleven teams on the schedule finished 1971 with a losing record including their season opening foe, UCLA, who finished the prior year with a 2-7-1 record.

The 1972 opener was set for 10:00 CST, September 9th in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Bruins, under head coach Pepper Rodgers were looking to improve upon their seventh place PAC 8 finish from a year ago. The Bruins had several talented players including halfback Kermit Johnson, running back James McAlister and transfer QB Mark Harmon leading a newly installed wishbone offense. Harmon was a highly regarded ssignal caller. His father was Michigan great Tom Harmon.

A couple bits of irony hung over the game, the Huskers were riding a 32-game unbeaten string, a streak that began in 1969 against a Kansas team coached by none other than Pepper Rodgers . The game's location, the Los Angeles Coliseum was the site of the Huskers last non-winning game, a 21-21 tie with USC in September of 1970.

Throughout the game the Huskers battled themselves as much as the Bruins with a number of penalties and miscues, the biggest key to the game, however, may have been a 4th quarter penalty the Husker refused.

The game started under clear skies. The Huskers got the ball first and started strong with an 9 play 37 yard drive that stalled at the NU 28. The Huskers' first try at scoring, a Rich Sanger 35 yard field goal attempt, fell short. The Husker defense didn't wait long for their first flash of glory. The first Bruin drive of the game ended with a 42 yard Efren Herrera field goal try. Husker cornerback Joe Blahak dashed through the line and blocked the attempt. The Huskers recovered the ball at the NU 37 and set up for another try.

The next Husker drive ended quickly when fullback Bill Olds fumbled fumbled on the first play and Cal Peterson fell on the loose ball at the NU 35. That set up the first score of the game, a 27 yard Efren Herrera field goal with 4:26 left in the period. A subsequent nine play Husker drive ended on a failed fourth and 2 attempt at the UCLA 37 The first quarter ended with UCLA up 3-0.

Early in the second quarter, the Huskers self-destructed again when Gary Dixon fumbled following a 13 yard run. Peterson again jumped on the loose ball giving the Bruins possession at the NU 46. On the next play UCLA wide receiver Brad Lyman eluded Husker cornerback Joe Blahak allowing Harmon to fire a strike to him at the NU 10 yard line. Lyman outran Blahak to the end zone for a 10-0 UCLA lead with 13:25 remaining in the half.

The Huskers finally got in gear later in the second quarter. Johnny Rodgers returned a Bruin punt 50 yards. A Bruin holding penalty on the return set the Huskers up with a first and ten at the Bruin 11. Once again the Huskers became their own worst enemy when an offensive pass interference call two plays later moved the ball back to the Bruin 26. A third down pass from Humm to tight end Jerry List returned the ball to the 11 and left the Huskers facing fourth and ten.

Despite missing a 14 yard field goal attempt on the previous Husker drive, Sanger connected with a 28 yard attempt putting the Huskers on the board 10-3 with 5:48 remaining in the half.

The Huskers weren't done, however. On the next Husker possession the Bruins finally helped the Huskers out with a penalty. A key third and nine pass from Humm to Rogers moved the Huskers into Bruin territory at the 38 yard line. On the next play the Bruins were called for pass interference at the 11 yard line giving the Huskers a chance at pay dirt. From there Johnny Rogers took a Humm hand-off and scampered for an 11 yard score to tie the contest up at 10-10. That's how the first half ended.

The Husker woes continued in the second half. On Nebraska's first offensive play of the third quarter, quarterback David Humm overthrew Rogers and the Bruin's James Allen grabbed the pass at the Nebraska 48 yard line. The return set the Bruins up at the NU 15 yard line.

"I remember Bob (Devaney) after the first interception.. he got all over me." remembers Humm. "And then I made a couple of other mistakes and he got all over me. Then... he walked over and put his arm around me and he said: 'you know I'm yelling at you for the other guys as much as I am for you. Just relax and do your best'."

Five plays later the Bruins scored again when Harmon took a two yard carry into the end zone making the score UCLA-17, NU-10.

Husker miscues continued on the next drive. I-Back Gary Dixon lost the ball on a run into the line. UCLA jumped on the ball and took over at the NU 33.

The Black Shirts stood tough, however, stalling the Bruins in four plays. A Herrera 33 yard field goal attempt sailed short and to the left.

The Huskers next put together an impressive drive. Starting at their own 20 Nebraska stayed mostly on the ground to burn off 12 plays and 53 yards to the UCLA 27. Husker hopes were dashed again when James Allen intercepted his second pass of the night at the Bruin 10 yard line.

The Huskers next time to shine came early in the fourth quarter. On the Huskers third play of the quarter Humm found List alone at the UCLA 37 yard line and connected a pass. List dashed the remaining yards to pay dirt and tied the score up at 17-17 with 14:01 remaining in the game.

Neither offense was able to mount a serious threat on the next four drives. UCLA came the closest until a fumble at the NU 17 was recovered by Glover.

Unable to capitalize on the turnover, a Nebraska punt put the Bruins in charge at their own 43 with just over 6 minutes remaining. Harmon used much of the time remaining on the clock as he guided the UCLA offense down to the Husker 15 where the Bruins faced a third and 5 decision. On the next play Harmon was stopped short after a two yard gain, but the Bruins were flagged for illegal procedure. Now the decision was in the hands of the Huskers. Accepting the penalty would set the Bruins up with another third down, this time at the 20, refusing the penalty meant fourth and two at the Husker 13 with just :29 remaining.

Husker coach Bob Devaney didn't hesitate at declining the penalty. "If we had taken the penalty they would have been able to use up that much more of the clock. If we were going to win we had to get the ball back with as much time as possible remaining on the clock."

The Bruins sent in kicker Efren Herrera to attempt a 30 yard field goal. The kick was good, and the Bruins led 20-17.

The Huskers didn't give up, though. They still had :22 seconds to save their unbeaten string and hopes for a third straight national championship.

The Huskers final possession started at the Bruin 28 following an out-of-bounds kickoff. Humm's first pass attempt fell incomplete. On the next play Humm scrambled out of bounds to stop the clock. The Bruins played into the Huskers hands on the next play when they were flagged for pass interference on a Humm to Brent Longwell attempt moving the ball to Husker 40 yard line.

From there Humm connected with Rogers for a 20 yard gain moving the Huskers into Bruin territory at the 40. However, one last ditch desperation pass to Rogers fell incomplete leaving the Huskers with their first loss in over two years.

The loss stunned Husker players like Maury Damkroger " I remember walking off the field with Mike O'Holleran saying 'this is kind of like a bad dream'.

Although Devaney acknowledged the Huskers were burdened by interceptions, fumbles and dropped passes, he didn't point fingers. "If anyone's to blame it's me, not the kids. They played their hearts out. Actually we probably weren't beat by UCLA. We beat ourselves with our own mistakes." Seven of the Huskers 15 drives ended in a fumble, interception or missed field goal. The Bruins converted three Husker turnovers into 17 points.

"It was pretty tough, knowing that we lost that game." said Humm "I had a lot of friends and family there and knowing I was going to face the media, and I did and it helped me later in life when I've had to face the music"

Mark Harmon was named the offensive player of the game. He completed 4 of 8 attempts for 65 yards and added another 71 yards on the ground. "We made Harmon a star that night" stated Humm. UCLA's James McAlister led all rushers with 90 yards. For the Huskers Humm went 8 for 21 for 146 yard through the air. Gary Dixon was Nebraska's leading ground gainer with 65 yards.

"There's no use looking back" said Devaney after he game, "The only thing to do now is look forward to next week against Texas A&M."

The Huskers were able to regroup over the next few weeks. A 37-7 win over Texas A&M was followed by a 77-7 thrashing of Army. The Black Shirts dominated the next four games with shutouts over Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma State. The Huskers ended the 1972 regular season with a 8-2-1 record and wrapped up the season, and Bob Devaney's coaching career with a 40-6 Orange Bowl win over Notre Dame and a #4 Associated Press ranking.