Bowl Season '08: Nebraska Rides Defense to Gator Bowl Win Over Clemson, 26-21

FanHouse gathers around the TV to bring you insights from Bowl Season '08.

Onyx? Anthracite? Obsidian? Nothingness? Whatever they come up with, Nebraska needs to find a color beyond black and give its defense shirts in that color. After spotting Clemson an 11-point lead, Bo Pelini's Cornhuskers got huge help from their defense in the second half while the offense almost came to life.

Joe Ganz hit on two touchdowns early in the third quarter to pull within four points, but the Huskers couldn't find the end zone again. It didn't matter. The Nebraska defense had things so clogged up in the second half they could have been sponsored by Imodium. Dabo Swinney's crew couldn't even get into field goal range until it was too late to do them any good.

A lot of Blackshirts contributed to the win, but two in particular stood out. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh's name came up about every other play, with the other half of the plays being made by his linemate Ty Steinkuhler. The real game-ending play, however, came from sophomore cornerback Eric Hagg, who dropped Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper for a 16-yard loss on 2nd and goal with about two minutes left. Wayne Larrivee didn't broadcast this game, but he would've told you that was the dagger.

The game capped off transitional years for both schools. Nebraska fans are now so in love with Bo Pelini they've almost forgotten the coach he replaced, good old What's-Him-Name-With-the-Glasses. Dabo Swinney certainly would have preferred to deliver a victory in his first bowl game, but Clemson fans also have to be pleased with how he has handled the team since midseason.

Both teams have things to work on for next season, however. Swinney's Tigers will have to figure out why their offense all but evaporated halfway through the third quarter. After scoring their third touchdown with more than ten minutes left in the third quarter, Clemson could only come up with three first downs for the rest of the game. They were all on the same drive, too. Not only couldn't the defense hold the lead, neither could the offense.

Meanwhile in Lincoln they're glad they had Alex Henery kicking for them. He was responsible for 12 of Nebraska's 26 points, including the final nine. That's a great performance by him, but counting on your kicker in the Big 12 is like bringing a seltzer bottle to a gun fight. They'll need to learn how to close and how to finish if they want to make noise next year. They'll also need to replace Joe Ganz, which might take some doing.

Still, both teams can be happy with their efforts, even if only one can be happy with the results. The fans can be happy too; this was an entertaining game that wasn't fully settled until the last two minutes. In a time of failing investments, time invested in watching the Gator Bowl paid off handsomely.