FEDEX ORANGE BOWL: NEBRASKA v TENNESSEE

January 2, 1998

Scott Frost

Ahman Green

Tom Osborne

Jason Peter

Grant Wistrom

AHMAN GREEN: It means a great deal to me. My line, they've been blocking for me well all year. It's a big incentive for them to go out and give me an MVP in the Orange Bowl. Means a great deal to them, to me. Got to give it to my line and the offense as a whole.

AHMAN GREEN: The talk at halftime was like, "You got to keep things rolling" Coach Osborne said we had to come out the second half, keep points on the board, keep bounding on them as much as can you. We pounded on them, drive in, drive out, driving the ball on them, passing the ball on them.

AHMAN GREEN: I sensed it early in the third quarter. When we came out after that first score and that second score coming up. We could see it in their eyes. They was bending over, gasping for air. I knew if we could keep on doing it, we'd had the game.

AHMAN GREEN: My thought on it is something we can't control. We did what we could, control and run the ball, pound the ball at Tennessee. We can't control nothing else. Had a great season, 13 and 0, that's a great season national title or not. I can't really add much to that except to say we had a great year and played a great game tonight.

AHMAN GREEN: No, not at all. We gave our all tonight, gave it all season long. Us not being No. 1 will not tarnish it at all.

AHMAN GREEN: No. He was poised as usual. Gave us his usual pep-talks. Just mentioned this is our, his last game. Get nothing but getting prepared mentally or physically. Since the big telephone 12, he told us nothing ain't going to change at all. Just another game for him, another game for us. Team-wise we told ourself he's going to go out a winner and he did tonight.

AHMAN GREEN: He just told us he loved coaching us, he loved the coaches that he coached with over the past 25 years, and to give him a win like this, he just couldn't put it into words. I can't put into words myself because he's been a great great guy to the steam. When I came here on a freshman, told him to put me on the field wherever I can, I'll do anything, no matter. Put me on the field playing for this team. He did that. I thank him for that. He gave me a chance and I took it. I just hope for the best for him.

AHMAN GREEN: I have a couple days to think about that. Come next week, I have a decision for y'all.

AHMAN GREEN: Right now I'm going to have a fun night, take this night, have a little fun with it. Come next week, I'll let everybody know what my choices will be.

AHMAN GREEN: Personally, yeah. To end all the hype and hoopla to talk about who should be No. 1, I would just rather go out on the field and play it. That's my mentality, you know. No matter who we play. I rather just get on the field.

COACH OSBORNE: I don't mean to butt in ahead of the players here, I just kind of stood there. Very proud of our team. I thought, you know, starting last January, this was one of the most focused group of players I've ever been around. They knew exactly where they wanted to be this January 2nd. The reason we were here was not by accident. Some of the guys here, a lot of guys in that locker room, you know, made a commitment to get here, worked very hard in the off-season, and they worked very hard this fall. So they've done all they can. You know, we can't do anymore than win 13. Very proud of them. We'll just let the chips fall where they may as far as the rest of it goes. So, a great way to end 25 enjoyable years. Been a few bumps along the road, but I can't think of a better way to go out. I just hope for the guys coming back next year that they keep the program rolling. Frank Solich has every opportunity that I've had. He has a great staff, great tradition, great fans. So a lot of things working for us right now at Nebraska. I'm glad that that can continue. Again, I don't have much more to say. Just really care about these guys. Really am grateful for the kind of people they are, the kind of effort they've given us, and the kind of relationship that I've had with them. The one thing that will be very difficult in leaving coaching will be the relationships. The winning is nice, the rings and all that, they're okay. But the relationships will never be replaced, and the memories will never be replaced of the people I've worked with, the people I've known, and the things that we've done together. So it's been a lot of fun. Anything else?

COACH OSBORNE: Well, we didn't do anything special. We kept doing things we've been doing. We saw a few things as the second quarter you unraveled. I think early in the game, Tennessee did a great job. They really crowded the line of scrimmage, took some of the things away from us. We hit three or four passes, Scott threw the ball exceptionally well, made some great throws that. Kind of got them off our backs, began to get a a few things working. I guess the style of offense we play, it's a little bit of a shell game, they take one thing away, we go to other thing. I think we got them off balance and wore them down. It's a physical style of football, just knocking people down. Eventually that takes a toll. I think as the game went along, that became the real factor in the ball game. Anything else?

COACH OSBORNE: I'm very aware of it. This has been a very difficult week. I would have much preferred to have gone away in the spring. I think an ideal scenario for me would have been to go through recruiting, go through spring ball, and then disappear in May. But, you know, the attention has been nice. But it's something I'd really rather not have. It's been difficult to keep everybody focused on the game. I think the players did a great job of that. I didn't think it was fair to the recruits if I recruited a bunch of players knowing I was going to leave, so I didn't want to do that. But anyway, I'll let you talk to these guys. They played, they did it. Really proud of you guys. Great effort on your part. Thanks a lot.

SCOTT FROST: I think the whole team had to overcome a lot. With all the distractions regarding the Rose Bowl and the disappointment when Michigan won that. We're playing the third best team in the country tonight. To be able to overcome that and play that well as a team, we really showed ourselves to be champions tonight.

SCOTT FROST: Here is what I said. "This is a my 30 seconds of fame, so all you guys get this on camera." The AP has pretty much given it away. Barring a miracle, the AP has given it away. It's up to the coaches. I have a question for all the coaches. I'm so proud of this team and Coach Osborne, I don't want to see him go out without a championship. I basically have two points for the coaches One, if you can look yourself in the mirror and say if your job depended on playing either Michigan or Nebraska to keep your job, who would you rather play? You watched the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl, the Rose Bowl won with a controversial play at the end. We took apart the third ranked team in the country. I can't say much else except this. The second point I have is: I can't see how any coach outside of the Big-10 or PAC-10 would vote for Michigan, because if somebody from North Carolina, Florida State, West Virginia, wherever it might be, Notre Dame, coaches from there, if they were undefeated and won the Alliance Bowl Game, they would expect to share the national title. It's been split before. Georgia Tech, Colorado, Washington and Miami split it. It's okay to split it. It's okay to vote for Washington. It's going to vote for Woodson for the Heisman. It should be split and it's up to the coaches. How is that (laughter)?

SCOTT FROST: Tennessee has an exceptional defense. If you go back and look at it, they're ranked very high in defense in the country. The thing our offense does is wear people down. They had enough speed to take away our option early in the game, but they were doing it by crowding the line of scrimmage. I think being able to hit some passes loosened them up, then we were able to pound on them a little bit, everything started clicking.

JASON PETER: Every time we were out there on the field, we knew what we were playing for. Coach Osborne, the way I saw him today, I've never seen him more fired up on the sidelines. When he came over to the defense one time and he got in our faces and he told us what we had to do. Right then, you know, we knew this man wanted it more than anything. There was no way we were going to let him down. You know, we just offensively pounded it down their throat. Defensively, you know, we shut them up pretty good. I think we definitely may have made a pretty good statement for our claim for a national title. If you ask me, I don't even think it should be a split title. I mean, we proved today that we're the best team in the country, without a doubt. Don't give it to Michigan because they haven't seen in it 45 years. Give it to us because we're the best team in the country.

JASON PETER: 16 Depallo Drive (phonetic), New Jersey. It's my backyard. If you guys want to go there, no problem (laughter).

SCOTT FROST: The thing is we have so much pride in this team and Coach Osborne. I don't know who would win the game if we played it. I think I know. I think all you guys know. The thing I'd like to say is who would be favored? I think if we played the game, I'd like to see a line on that game because I think it would be seven, ten, 14 points. Any time that it's that way and you vote another way, you've got to be crazy.

SCOTT FROST: I missed a block late in the game (laughter). No, I had a good game. I was really disappointed in that play at the end of the first half. I was trying to make a late pitch. I got my arm hit. I think that cost us at least a field goal. You know, that was a bad thing. You're not going to go through any game perfect. The entire team, the defense, offense, everybody played a great game.

SCOTT FROST: I found myself watching the game. He's such a great player, I like to pick things up he's doing. As far as I'm concerned, he's the best in the country, done so much for college football.

JASON PETER: Scott outplayed Peyton Manning. Scott was the man out on the field. A lot of people have been giving him a hard time, last year, a little bit this year. Without a doubt, he proved himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the country easily tonight.

SCOTT FROST: Some. I take more satisfaction in the fact that JP just said that, you know. These two guys right here, you know, fought and scratched and everything. That's the other thing. Michigan and Nebraska's defense are not worlds apart. Coming into the game, the fifth ranked defense in the country, coming into the game. If our No. 1 offense played the entire game, probably be higher than that. They come out of the game because the offense is scoring so many points. When you have the fifth ranked defense in the country and the first ranked offense in the country, you're going to be hard to beat. Michigan, obviously there's been a lot made that they have the No. 1 defense in the country. They've never seen an offense like ours. Where is their offense ranked?

SCOTT FROST: I'd say seeing Coach Osborne going out like this is the best things that could have happened to any of us. I think these guys would agree with that.

JASON PETER: I graduated. Scott and I graduated.

GRANT WISTROM: Let's look at the math. Michigan's bowl teams were 0-7. Ours finished out 2-2. We beat the snot out of the No. 2 team in the country, Washington, beat the snot out of Tennessee tonight, beat the snot out of No. 7 Kansas State at the time, and everybody watched us destroy Texas A&M, and they were No. 20 at the time. Like Scott was saying, if there was a line on the game, who do you think would be figured to win? We're the No. 1 team in the country. If anybody looks at strength of schedule, we beat some of the toughest teams in the country this year. If anybody in their heart can honestly find not to vote us No. 1, that's their problem. If you're not going to vote it, give it to Michigan because they haven't won in 45 years, then who cares, we don't want it anyway. If you want to vote for the best team in the country, vote for us.

SCOTT FROST: I'd like to add to that a little bit (laughter). Michigan's big argument for the national title is they played the best schedule in the country. Look what happened to the teams they played in bowl games when they got outside of the Big-10. I'm not taking anything away from Michigan. They did a tremendous job. They probably deserve a share of the title. There's no question we deserve a share of the title.