It’s a fumble! Now, wait a minute …

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It wasn’t the first time Tom Osborne called for the “fumblerooski,” but once again it worked. Dean Steinkuhler scampered 19 yards to score on the trick play in the 1984 Orange Bowl against Miami.

the Lincoln Journal Star
August 22, 2014

Nov. 24, 1979

The Huskers trailed archrival Oklahoma by 10 points late in the game that would determine the Big Eight champion, forcing Tom Osborne to dig deep into his bag of tricks.

With the ball at the Oklahoma 15-yard line, NU quarterback Jeff Quinn took the snap from center Kelly Saalfeld — and immediately put the ball on the ground underneath Saalfeld. Guard Randy Schleusener scooped up the ball, headed in the opposite direction of the play and rumbled into the end zone, scoring on one of Nebraska’s most famous plays — the “fumblerooski.”

WKUapartments.com

Nebraska lost that game 17-14. NU ran the “fumblerooski” two more times — by Dean Steinkuhler for a 19-yard touchdown in the 1984 Orange Bowl against Miami and by Will Shields for 18 yards against Colorado in 1992. That was the last use of the “fumblerooski” in Nebraska or anywhere, as the play was banned by the NCAA in 1992.

— L. Kent Wolgamott