Tag: Turner Gill

Nebraska to honor 1983’s “The Scoring Explosion” team with alternate uniform

Nebraska will remember “The Scoring Explosion” squad with new threads for one game this season.

The University of Nebraska has unveiled their football team’s alternate uniforms when they host the Oklahoma Sooners on September 17th. The Huskers will honor the 1983 team known as “The Scoring Explosion.”

The ’83 squad was the top scoring offense in college football that year, averaging an astounding 50.3 points per game, while the defense gave up an average of 16.7 points per game. They would also score an NCAA record 654 points on the season, a record now held by the 2019 LSU Tigers. In addition, the team would boast an impressive roster of talent, including the 1983 Heisman Trophy winner Mike Rozier. He would run for a school-record 2,148 yards and 28 touchdowns for an average of 7.8 yards a rush. Quarterback Turner Gill would finish fourth for the Heisman throwing for 1,516 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He would also run for 531 yards and 11 touchdowns. The team also had both the first and second overall picks in the 1984 NFL Draft in Wide Receiver Irving Fryar (No. 1 – New England) and Offensive Lineman Dean Steinkuhler (No. 2 – Houston).

The ’83 squad finished the season with a 12-1 record and No. 2 national ranking after losing 31-30 to Miami in the Orange Bowl. The game famous for seeing head coach Tom Osborne, late in the fourth quarter, go for two and the win rather than kick the extra point to more than likely preserve a tie and a probable national championship. Instead, Osborne would be forced to wait 11 more years until he won his first title.

And now Nebraska will honor “The Scoring Explosion” with throwback uniforms during this season’s matchup with longtime rival Oklahoma.

Nebraska kicks off the season on August 27th against the Northwestern Wildcats in Dublin, Ireland. Below is a photo gallery looking back at just a few moments of the 1983 Nebraska Football season.

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