Gator Bowl featured big turnaround teams

Clemson was 3-3 when head coach Terry Bowden was terminated. After Dabo Sweeney replaced Bowden, the Tigers ended the regular season in the top 25 and an invitation to the Gator Bowl.

Nebraska had an equally dramatic turnaround compared to their 7 loss 2007 season.

The photo shows Husker quarterback Joe Ganz the Gator Bowl MVP.

Could the Nebraska “black shirt” defense contain the vaunted Clemson “thunder and lightening” duo of C.J. Spiller (lightening) and James Davis (thunder)?

The game announcers kept talking about how “thunder and lightening” would wear down Nebraska’s defense. That never happened as Nebraska’s “black shirts” held Clemson to only 91 yards in the second half.

Bo Pelini’s Husker team won the game 26-21.

Nebraska ended the season with a 9-4 record while Clemson finished with a 7-6 record as reported here.