1986 Fiesta Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 1986 Fiesta Bowl was a college football
bowl game
played on January 1, 1986 at Sun Devil Stadium
in Tempe, Arizona
. It was the 15th edition of the Fiesta Bowl
. In the game, the Michigan Wolverines
, second place finishers in the Big Ten Conference
, defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers
, runners up in the Big Eight Conference
, 27-23. Michigan running back
Jamie Morris
and Michigan defensive tackle Mark Messner
were named the game's MVPs.
Michigan came out of the locker room and dominated the third quarter, in part due to a couple of Husker miscues. DuBose fumbled on the third play of the second half and the Wolverines recovered at the Husker 21. Gerald White scored four plays later on a 1-yard touchdown run to pull Michigan to within four points. Clayton fumbled on Nebraska's ensuing possession, and Michigan quickly capitalized again, this time on Jim Harbaugh
's 1-yard quarterback sneak, putting Michigan ahead 17-14 just over four minutes into the third quarter. Following a blocked Nebraska punt, Moons kicked his second field goal of the game, a 19-yarder, to increase Michigan's advantage to 20-14. Later in the third, Harbaugh scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 2-yard run, to give Michigan a comfortable 27-14 advantage.
In the fourth quarter, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne decided to spark his sputtering offense by inserting talented freshman quarterback Steve Taylor into the game. Taylor drove the Huskers 64 yards from their own 3-yard line driving deep into Michigan territory before turning it over on downs. However, Nebraska forced a three and out and was able to drive 77 yards in 12 plays, capped by Taylor's 1-yard touchdown run to pull within 27-21.
Michigan found itself backed up in the shadow of its own end zone. Rather than risk disaster, they decided to take an intentional safety with just over a minute remaining in the game. Trailing 27-23 with 1:14 left, the Huskers set out from their own 46 with no time outs left. The Wolverines intercepted an errant Taylor pass in the end zone to kill Nebraska's final threat.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
bowl game
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
played on January 1, 1986 at Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium
Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass...
in Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
. It was the 15th edition of the Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
. In the game, the Michigan Wolverines
1985 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1985 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1985 college football season. The team's head coach was Bo Schembechler...
, second place finishers in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
, defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers
1985 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
The 1985 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team represented the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tom Osborne and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.-Schedule:...
, runners up in the Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
, 27-23. Michigan running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Jamie Morris
Jamie Morris
James Walter "Jamie" Morris is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and a record-setting running back in college for the University of Michigan Wolverines...
and Michigan defensive tackle Mark Messner
Mark Messner
Mark W. Messner is a former American football defensive lineman and linebacker.Messner played college football at Michigan from 1985 to 1988. The lineman from Hartland, Michigan was the Wolverines' sack leader in 1985-1987. The 1985 defense has been described as the best defense in the history...
were named the game's MVPs.
Game summary
Michigan scored the only points of the first quarter, with 11:19 left, on a 42-yard field goal from Pat Moons, giving Michigan an early 3-0 lead. Nebraska scored on a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback McCathorn Clayton to running back Doug Dubose to give Nebraska a 7-3 lead. Dubose scored on a 3-yard touchdown run later in the period to give Nebraska a 14-3 advantage at the half.Michigan came out of the locker room and dominated the third quarter, in part due to a couple of Husker miscues. DuBose fumbled on the third play of the second half and the Wolverines recovered at the Husker 21. Gerald White scored four plays later on a 1-yard touchdown run to pull Michigan to within four points. Clayton fumbled on Nebraska's ensuing possession, and Michigan quickly capitalized again, this time on Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh
James Joseph "Jim" Harbaugh is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Harbaugh agreed to a five-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on January 7, 2011. Previously, he was the head coach at...
's 1-yard quarterback sneak, putting Michigan ahead 17-14 just over four minutes into the third quarter. Following a blocked Nebraska punt, Moons kicked his second field goal of the game, a 19-yarder, to increase Michigan's advantage to 20-14. Later in the third, Harbaugh scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 2-yard run, to give Michigan a comfortable 27-14 advantage.
In the fourth quarter, Nebraska coach Tom Osborne decided to spark his sputtering offense by inserting talented freshman quarterback Steve Taylor into the game. Taylor drove the Huskers 64 yards from their own 3-yard line driving deep into Michigan territory before turning it over on downs. However, Nebraska forced a three and out and was able to drive 77 yards in 12 plays, capped by Taylor's 1-yard touchdown run to pull within 27-21.
Michigan found itself backed up in the shadow of its own end zone. Rather than risk disaster, they decided to take an intentional safety with just over a minute remaining in the game. Trailing 27-23 with 1:14 left, the Huskers set out from their own 46 with no time outs left. The Wolverines intercepted an errant Taylor pass in the end zone to kill Nebraska's final threat.