Year Of The Tigers

But the Clemson defense woke up, and desperation caused another Nebraska holding penalty. Then Perry, Davis and Tackle Jeff Bryant put a fearsome hit on Rozier trying to go left from the Nebraska 33-yard line. On second down Rozier was stopped by End Andy Headon. On third-and-four, Perry nailed Mauer for a three-yard loss.

But there was still 5:24 left when Clemson took over the ball, and so far in the quarter its two possessions had gained a total of 12 yards. Now Jordan kept the ball safely on the ground, in the hands of Jeff McCall and Chuck McSwain, who made two first downs as Clemson gobbled up all but six seconds of the time remaining.

Those six seconds were counted down by the orange-clad crowd—loudly, of course—and then it was over. No one had to wait for any pollsters to vote. The Tigers had made their "stupid" dream a reality.