It’s still regarded as one of the victories that put Florida State football on the map. On October 4th, 1980, FSU headed to Lincoln to face the third-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers and left with an improbable 18-14 win.
The Seminoles came in as the 16th-ranked team after losing a heartbreaking contest to rival Miami at the Orange Bowl the previous week. Nebraska looked as though it would have little trouble with FSU as it raced to a 14-0 lead, but the Seminoles would keep Nebraska off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game.
Nebraska outgained FSU 368 yards to 166 that day, but opportunistic defense and a great day from kicker Bill Capece was enough for the Seminoles to pull the upset. Capece got Florida State on the scoreboard with a field goal late in the first half and cut the deficit to 14-6 early in the third quarter.
Sam Platt scored Florida State’s only touchdown on a run from six yards out with over five minutes to play in the third, but the tying 2-point conversion attempt was failed and left the Seminoles on the short end of a 14-12 score. Capece’s 40-yard field goal put the Seminoles ahead for good with 1:12 to play in the quarter and the senior added some insurance with his fourth field goal of the day with 2:37 remaining in the game.
Nebraska marched deep into FSU territory in the waning moments, but quarterback Jeff Quinn’s fumble at the Seminoles’ 3-yard-line was recovered by Florida State to seal the victory. Paul Piurowski finished with a game-high 18 tackles in the win while fellow linebacker Reggie Herring came up with 14 stops. Safety Keith Jones added nine tackles and an interception in the win.
The victory in Lincoln would be the highlight of a 10-2 campaign for FSU and serve as the first victory over a top-5 team for Florida State under then fourth-year head coach Bobby Bowden. Bowden wouldn’t have to wait long to get his second as FSU defeated No. 4 Pittsburgh 36-22 the following week. The Seminoles went on to finish ranked fifth nationally — its highest ever at the time.
Featured image courtesy of Florida Times Union
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