Husker Killers: Curt Warner

1 comment so far March 3, 2008 by Steve Hanway

We’ve done our fair share of reveling at the Big Red Network in former glory, but we wouldn’t be providing a fair representation of history if we didn’t recognize that the sting of defeat has left some lasting impressions as well. So over the next few weeks we’ll remember some opponents that particularly shoved a dagger into the hearts of NU fans. No these aren’t fond memories, nevertheless, they are lasting ones. And I’ve found as some of these "Husker Killers" have gone on to excel at the pro level, some satisfaction in recognizing that it took great performances by great athletes to beat Nebraska.

I start with Penn State running back Curt Warner because he was at the center of a harsh memory I had as a young fan. In a pair of wins by the Nittany Lions in the early 1980’s, Warner was a force. In the 1981 contest (which Penn State won 30-24), Warner notched 238 rushing yards on 28 attempts. To this day, it’s the most ever by an opposing player in Lincoln and it came against a Husker team that would play for the national championship. It was also the final game to start the season that didn’t feature Turner Gill at quarterback for Nebraska.

A year later, the Huskers did a better job of holding Warner in check. That is, if you call yielding 6 yards per carry “in check”. Warner rushed for 78 yards on 13 carries and scored a touchdown. He also had 47 yards on three receptions. He had to have been at the center of NU’s defensive game plan and while the famous injustices to close the game (out of bounds pass to McCloskey on fourth down in the closing seconds, trap play touchdown to Bowman) live on, it was Warner who truly made the difference.

It was those final plays that stayed with me. As a child, I couldn’t understand why the pollsters wouldn’t recognize the injustice and vote Nebraska ahead of Penn State. You learn that life isn’t fair. That rules aren’t enforced. It was a painful lesson indeed. It cost the Huskers a national championship.

Warner went on to a nice career in Seattle, amassing more than 8,000 total yards in 8 seasons with four All-Pro selections. If we polled NU fans, he probably wouldn’t rise to the top as the biggest Husker Killer. But for one Lincoln kid, no one drove the dagger deeper.

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