SUGAR BOWL : NEBRASKA 30, LSU 15 : Notes : Osborne Says Glaring Failures Can’t Ruin Nebraska’s Season

NEW ORLEANS — You can never really call a Nebraska season a complete success unless some or all of the following happens:

The Cornhuskers either (a) have to go undefeated, or, in lieu of that at least (b) beat Oklahoma and (c) win the Big Eight Conference championship.

None of that happened this season for the sixth-ranked Cornhuskers (10-2), but Coach Tom Osborne said after Thursday’s 30-15 win over Louisiana State in the Sugar Bowl that this was one of his most satisfying seasons.

The reason?

“In 25 years at Nebraska--14 as head coach and 11 years as an assistant--I have never been around a team that responded as well to a lot of different problems as this team,” Osborne said.

Indeed, the Cornhuskers seemed to thrive (or, at least, survive) much adversity this season.

Before the season opener against Florida State, nearly 60 Nebraska players were declared ineligible because the NCAA said they violated a rule concerning distribution of complimentary tickets. Those suspensions were later rescinded and changed to a lesser penalty, but Osborne said it cast a negative light on the season.

Then, the Cornhuskers lost to Oklahoma, 20-17, on a field goal by the Sooners’ Tim Lashar with six seconds to play. Osborne said the loss was the most emotional in his coaching tenure.

And finally, there was the incident on Christmas eve, in which nine Nebraska players and two graduate assistants were arrested in the French Quarter for disorderly conduct. Osborne charged that New Orleans police had harassed his players. Eventually, the charges were dropped.

“I’m really proud of our team this year, and especially the way we responded today,” Osborne said.

“(Nebraska’s) pressure on the passer was the difference in the game. The turning point came on those two big sacks.”

The key sacks came from Broderick Thomas and All-American Danny Noonan on the last two plays of the third quarter after LSU took over on the Nebraska 17 following a blocked field goal.

LSU, trailing, 17-7, was pushed out of field-goal range and was forced to punt.

LSU Coach Bill Arnsparger, at 60 the oldest coach in Division I-A, lost the final game of his 37-year career. Arnsparger, who spent the last three seasons at LSU, will become athletic director at Florida. Will Arnsparger miss coaching?

“Yes, mostly I’ll miss the association with the players,” he said. “I told them that. They meant a lot to me as a coach and they meant a lot to me personally. (LSU) should be judged from what happened from here on. A 9-3 record is not that bad.”

LSU set a Sugar Bowl record for most yardage in penalties by one team. The Tigers were penalized 12 times for 130 yards, breaking Tennessee’s mark of 125 yards last year.

Arnsparger blamed his team, not the officials.

“The penalties we committed were physical mistakes,” Arnsparger said. “We were not able to get in front of their linemen. Today, our players were just plain whipped on the offensive line. When we did hold them out, we were guilty of holding.

“I think the story of the game is evident. Our offense did not generate anything to move the football and score points. We had an opportunity to come back, but we couldn’t do anything.”

Noonan said many of the Tigers’ penalties came because they couldn’t control their emotions.

“You can be emotional, but you’ve got to be controlled,” he said. “I think that’s the key to (the game)--we didn’t get a lot of personal fouls like they did.”

LSU guard Eric Andolsek was ejected after he spat on a Cornhusker.

“That’s the game of football,” Andolsek said. “It’s not an easy sport. It’s a frustrating game. Somebody got hit late and I didn’t think it was right, so I spit on the guy.”

Nebraska quarterback Steve Taylor, a sophomore from Lincoln High School in San Diego, on winning the MVP award: “I have received an MVP award in high school, but never in college. It means a lot because I wasn’t picked as an All-Big Eight player, and I feel now I’ve proved that I am that type of player. . . . “

Add forgettable quotes: From LSU running back Harvey Williams, referring to the Nebraska players involved in the incident with local police: “It’s going to be fun out there playing against a lot of convicts.”