JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Nebraska quarterback Joe Ganz was sprawled out on the ground, trainers huddled around him, teammates, coaches and fans wondering whether he would be able to continue playing.
Ganz eventually made his way to the sideline, cleared his head, got back in the game and ended up hoisting the Gator Bowl’s most valuable player trophy. His comeback provided an appropriate ending for Nebraska’s season. After all, the Cornhuskers enjoyed one of college football’s best turnarounds.
Ganz shook off a horrible first half and a slight concussion, threw for two touchdowns and led Nebraska to a 26-21 victory against Clemson in the Gator Bowl, giving the storied program plenty of optimism after coach Bo Pelini’s first season.
“I’m proud of this group,” said Pelini, who replaced fired coach Bill Callahan after Nebraska finished 5-7 in 2007. “It’s been a tough 12 months, but there’s been a lot of hard work by a lot of people, and it’s paid off. Now, we’ve got to keep it going.”
Nebraska (9-4) ended the season with a four-game winning streak, including a victory against rival Colorado, won six of its final seven games and had success in a January bowl game for the first time in nine years.
“We have some momentum going right now,” Pelini said. “People are excited, the kids are excited. It’s starting to show how good they can be as a football team. It’s fun to see. Now, we have to keep it going and pick that torch the seniors left and keep running with it.”
Cornhuskers fans might have wanted to run Ganz out of Jacksonville at halftime. The senior had a fumble late in the first half that was returned 28 yards for a touchdown and threw an interception in the final minute that was returned 63 yards and led to another score.
The Tigers (7-6) took a 14-3 lead into the locker room, but Ganz brought Nebraska back with a 20-point third quarter. He also bounced back from that bone-crushing hit. Although Nebraska didn’t score a touchdown after his return, Ganz’s value was clear when backup Patrick Witt fumbled on his first play.
Clemson picked up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown and a 27-23 lead, but officials overturned the call after review.
Ganz was back the next series.
“When I stood up, I got a little dizzy,” Ganz said. “My first step was a little crooked. After that, I regained my senses. It took a little bit to get the fog out. I got drilled into the ground pretty good.”
Ganz threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Nate Swift to open the second half, then hooked up with Todd Peterson for a 19-yard score.
Both of them came on third-and-long situations. Ganz completed 10-of-15 passes for 133 yards in the second half, and finished 19-of-36 for 236 yards.
“He epitomizes what this team is,” Pelini said. “He had some bad things happen to him in that first half. There are a lot of kids that aren’t as strong, don’t have as much character and would have wilted under that type of circumstances. You’ve got to be a pretty special guy to have a fumble returned for a touchdown, an interception returned for a touchdown and still be the MVP of a game.”
The Tigers scored all three of their touchdowns off turnovers. But also had too many of their own. Cullen Harper threw two interceptions and was sacked five times.
Nebraska 0 3 20 3 — 26
Clemson 0 14 7 0 — 21
Second quarter: Clem — McDaniel 28 fumble return (Buchholz kick), 4:52. Neb — FG Henery 48, 1:10. Clem — Kelly 25 pass from C. Harper (Buchholz kick), :35. Third quarter: Neb — Swift 17 pass from Ganz (Henery kick), 12:24. Clem — J.Ford 41 pass from C. Harper (Buchholz kick), 10:06. Neb — Peterson 19 pass from Ganz (Henery kick), 7:54. Neb — FG Henery 28, 5:13. Neb — FG Henery 28, 1:40. Fourth quarter: Neb — FG Henery 22, 5:20. A — 67,282. Neb Clem
First downs 14 14
Rushes-yards 35-125 26-4
Passing 236 206
Comp-att-int 19-36-1 17-37-2
Return yards 33 144
Punts-avg. 7-38.6 9-37.0
Fumbles-lost 3-2 1-0
Penalties-yards 8-81 7-50
Time of possession 34:11 25:49
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Nebraska, Castille 18-125, Witt 1-4, Ganz 7-1, Helu 5-(minus 1), Team 4-(minus 4). Clemson, Davis 12-26, Spiller 7-17. J. Ford 1-3, C. Harper 6-(minus 42).
PASSING — Nebraska, Ganz 19-36-1-236. Clemson, C. Harper 17-37-2-206.
RECEIVING — Nebraska, Peterson 4-96, Lucky 4-13, Swift 3-32. McNeill 3-27, Me. Holt 2-35, Paul 2-13, Castille 1-20. Clemson. Kelly 6-74, J. Ford 5-112, Spiller 4-6, Faerber 1-8, Grisham 1-6.
