NEW EPISODE - Tom Osborne: Reaching the Mountaintop

Author

TJ Birkel
July 14, 2025

For Episode 4 of the Tom Osborne series, the Common Fans are joined by All Big 8 wingback Abdul Muhammad and longtime Nebraska sports writer Mitch Sherman. This episode focuses on the period from 1990-1994. 

  • Toward the end of the 1990 season, the Huskers were #2 in the country.

  • Then they blew a 12-0 lead against Colorado, and suffered back-to-back blowouts against Oklahoma and vs. Georgia Tech in the bowl game. 

  • They would finish the season ranked 24th, the team’s lowest final ranking since 1968. They finished outside the top 10 for the fourth consecutive season.

  • TO gathers his staff for a meeting in South Stadium. Ultimately, there were several things that resulted from this meeting. But perhaps none was more important than a decision to get faster on defense. 

  • Defensive backs would be turned into linebackers. Linebackers would become defensive ends. Eventually, the 5-2 would give way to the 4-3. Nebraska had to catch up to the speedier Southern schools they were losing to in bowl games. 

Plus, insights from Abdul and Mitch about those early ‘90s teams:

  • Tommie Frazier = the x-factor.

  • The 1991 no-nonsense recruiting class–Abdul Muhammad, Dwayne Harris, Barron Miles, Christian Peter, and others.

  • “The war was in practice.”

  • The “refuse to lose” bunch in 1993.

  • The 1994 season–Frazier’s blood clot, Brook Berringer, the Matt Turman game, the Colorado game, the Orange Bowl against Miami.

  • Finally, TO reaches the mountaintop. 

  • This and much more! 

Thanks to Abdul Muhammad and Mitch Sherman for joining us for this conversation. GBR for LIFE! 

Or watch now!