One More Tip of the Cap to ASU's Snyder
7 comments so far
April 14, 2009 by
Monday brought the sad news that former Arizona State coach Bruce Snyder had died of cancer. In case you had blocked it from your memory, Snyder was at the helm when Nebraska's bid for an unprecedented third consecutive national title ended in 1996 with their 19-0 loss to the Sun Devils in Tempe.
While that ASU squad would go on to finish the regular season 11-0 and 19 seconds away from beating Ohio State in the Rose Bowl for a likely share of the national title, it was that defeat of Nebraska that consistently received top billing in the stories about Weber yesterday. That being the case, now seems like the time to take a quick look back at that game and offer one more tip of the cap to the coach who made it happen.
Coming into 1996 off their historic destruction of Florida in January's Fiesta Bowl, Nebraska football was a winning machine. How else to explain the fact that the Cornhuskers had received 50 out of 67 first place votes in the preseason AP poll despite having to replace the greatest quarterback in school, and some would say college football, history? Prior to the season Lloyd Carr had been quoted as saying in Sports Illustrated, "As far as I can tell, everybody is in a big group trying to catch up to Nebraska."
The Sun Devils hardly seemed like the team who would be the ones to catch up. In 1995, ASU had finished in a three-way tie for 5th in the Pac-10 and 6-5 on the season, one of those five loses a 77-28 drubbing in Lincoln. The return of Jake Plummer and Pat Tillman, two out of eight players on that squad who eventually played in the NFL, had expectations a bit higher. ASU ranked 20th in the preseason AP poll and had beaten 23rd ranked Washington to open their season, but the Sun Devils still entered the Nebraska game as 23-point underdogs at home. That's what a 26 game winning streak will get you.
No need to get too deep into the gory details of the game. If you want a full Arizona State perspective of things I recommend this 10-year retrospective. If you click the link you'll get one of the all-time great Nebraska slams courtesy of Jake Plummer who said after the game that the two 'N's' on Nebraska's helmet would now stand for "nineteen to nothing." Cruel but clever. And deserved.
The Sun Devils set out to pressure and confuse Scott Frost in his first start on the road and they succeeded. Frost was sacked as often as he completed a pass (six each) and Nebraska, who would go on to average 399.8 rushing yards per game on the season, tallied only 130 that night on their way to being shutout for the first time since 1973.
I suppose it's not surprising considering that the Huskers lost only twice while I was in high school, but I remember this game as vividly as any of the big wins for two reasons: 1) It wasn't on TV (at least none of the TVs I was near), and 2) It was raining.
As small town high school kids are wont to do on a Saturday night, we were hanging out in a friends basement convinced we were doing something because we were doing nothing in somebody else's house. The game was on the radio and I remember laughing a little bit when ASU scored the first touchdown of the game. Nothing Nebraska couldn't handle, but then there was a failed option pitch that led to a safety. Safeties are never good signs. Safeties are aberrations, portents of odd happenings and the Sun Devils recorded another one before the half to take a 17-0 lead into the locker room. Nervous but still fairly confident, we decided to listen to the rest of the game while engaging in adolescence's other great past time: driving around.
Now when I say it was raining in the Panhandle that night what I really mean is it was pouring, the sort of rainstorm that hits the high plains once every five years or so and immediately turns all dirt roads to mush. After making the circuit a few times through town and getting a little quieter with each Nebraska punt, we decided to venture out on the country roads. Two lessons awaited us there.
The first was that 1988 Mercury Cougars aren't particularly adept at handling muddy roads. Within minutes of getting off the highway we had slid into a ditch. There's little hope of pushing a car out of a three foot ditch but lacking any alternative that didn't involve the calling of parents, that's what we tried to do. As we pushed, shoulders against those narrow taillights with the stupid inset cougar emblems, the young lady behind the wheel took her foot off the accelerator and cracked the window to say "another safety." Ankle deep in mud and soaked through we learned the second lesson. Nebraska was, in fact, beatable.
Eventually someone in a truck showed up to yank us out of our predicament. Nobody showed up to do the same for Nebraska fans' spirits late that Saturday night.
Bruce Snyder retired as the ASU coach with the second most career victories and yesterday he was rightfully remembered for engineering one of the all-time greatest upsets in college football history. But, while it pales in comparison, I'll remember him for making an ordinary high school Saturday night spent lounging and driving around--an accurate description of 95% of all the small town high school nights in American history--memorable for once.
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darren Apr 14 09
Nice anecdote, Brandon. You managed to put some nostalgic shine on a pretty tough night for most Husker fans. It's a fitting tribute to the late coach Snyder.
As a point of clarification, the game was actually on TV. It was just some pretty obscure channel or maybe even PPV. I know because my fraternity had a watch party for the game that night.
I was sick as a dog with mono, so I was up in bed resting. I actually dragged myself out of bed to go and watch that game. At the end, I remember saying … “I can’t believe I got out of bed for this”… I was that sick. Now, considering that game’s place in Husker lore, I’m actually kind of glad I did.
What stuck with me the longest was the shocked look and feeling that fans had. There were people in the room that night that were convinced NU was somehow “doomed” for having lost. On some sick level, it was almost good for much of Husker nation to stop taking victories for granted. That’s a lesson only learned with the wisdom of time and distance. Right then...at that moment…it sucked.
Oh and I never liked Jake Plummer during his whole pro career. Never cheered for him…one of the few players I would actively root against. So, maybe I still have some growing and forgiving to do.
cvldfg Apr 14 09
Not to nitpick, but in the second paragraph, you mention the name of Weber, who is he? Is it just a mixing of Bruce Snyder and Bruce Weber, aka the head coach of the Illinois basketball team?
I remember that game. It was my first year here in NC and I did see the game on TV at my favorite bar. The stadium was half-full of HUSKER fans, on a well manicured field, in a pristine setting and NEBRASKA laid the biggest egg in HUSKER FOOTBALL history.
I remember asu playing BLACKSHIRT defense and NEBRASKA playing mistake after mistake offense.
Well played Bruce, well played...
Brandon Apr 14 09
Yeah, that was a Krzyzewskian slip. My mind frequently jumps into basketball mode from time to time.
James Moore Apr 14 09
I was a sophomore in college and at one heck of a pretty good party too that particular Saturday night. Never forgot it either. It was the intersection of two eras for me. One, then end of the time of struggle encompassing 1988-1993 Bowl Games, and Two, the absolute bliss of the peak phase of the Husker breakout throughout the country where it seemed that EVERY game (60-3) would be a Nebraska rout, the only question being, by how much. It was somewhat odd to go through the 1988-1993 Bowls and emerge into a state of affairs where we were about as efficient and punishing as German Panzer Divisions of 1940-1941. . .
My best friend walked up to me at the chaos of a sweet off-campus party (he was a lifelong Florida fan too, haha 1996 Fiesta Bowl) and said "Dude, yall are losing to Arizona State. I mean yall are Nebraska so somehow you'll sort it out." My attitude changed completely. Yeah I kept puttin em back and paying attention to the ladies, but suddendly it wasn't quite the same. I had to keep walking over to the TV every 15 minutes or so to get the score update. Then came the ESPN Sports Center highlights, the shotgun snaps over head, the safeties, the Sun Devil defense bottling up our ground attack, and needless to say I got to see the results for themselves. . .
Qualuedtke Apr 14 09
This was a game that makes you remember who you were with and where you were at, kind of a JFK or 9-11 moment of sorts. I was speeding back from my kids game at Wayne State, and could tell I wasn't going to make it home in time for the kickoff. So I pulled into the very small town of Touhy, Ne., north of Lincoln, and dashed into the bar. I heard and learned a few new cuss words that night, and out of character for myself, left with three or four minutes left in the game, all hope lost.
Greg Morrow Apr 14 09
Poignant memory, glad it's in the context of remembering a fine football coach and his cast of characters.
Now, I think I remember Pat Tillman having a great game, as horrified as I was to clearly notice particular Az State players.
I was amazed when I first learned he was trying to make an NFL team as a safety, since he was a linebacker for the diablos.
Certainly one of the all time revenge games, must be one of the biggest turnarounds.
I remember Snyder's indignation over Osborne's play call in '95, that set up the "Turmanater's" pass-run option toss to Lance Brown. Didn't Brown do a front flip into the endzone?
Also not wanting to nitpick, but Nebraska averaged about 292 rushing yards a game in '96, not the bawdy gaudy 399.8, which would've most likely given Nebraska 3 Crystal Balls in a row.
Brandon, are there gravel roads in the panhandle? Ever slide a car down a ditch? Or, try to spin on gravel, using the emergency brake? (No need to answer)
My buddy might have flipped his car over trying that, with the ice cooler splashing ice water and beers over me. Then the three of us might have tried to hide the evidence in the weeds, like the 16 year old novices that we were.
Just another early evening, in Nebraska.
bnahusker Apr 14 09
Our family started attending a new church in Missouri in January of 2004.
On the Sunday morning after this game I grabbed the first shirt in my closet, threw on a pair of slacks, socks and shoes and headed out the door. When we arrived at church, a few people started looking at me a bit oddly. Before long, people would approach me and inquire about the loss, and my attire. I had more wardrobe comments than in my entire life, before or since. The people knew that I lived and breathed The Power of Red but seemed somewhat in awe that I would take a loss so badly.
As it turned out, every piece of clothing that I grabbed was black. Shirt, slacks, everythnig! As if in mourning following the first Husker loss since we joined the congregation.
It wasn't a concious decision to wear all black, but it was good for a few laughs and let eveyone know how deep the passion runs!
Thanks for the sad, and comical trip down memory lane!
RIP Coach Snyder.
GBR!
Bob