COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT : POLITICALLY CORRECT

Nebraska’s leading state officials--Gov. Ben Nelson and Lt. Gov. Kim Robak--wasted no time in joining the Cornhusker bandwagon when the team returned victoriously from the Orange Bowl on Monday.

Standing with Coach Tom Osborne, Nelson went for hyperbole in calling Sunday night’s final 15 minutes the “greatest fourth quarter in Nebraska football history.”

Robak was reaching when noting her father was born in Duncan, also the hometown of fullback Cory Schlesinger, who scored Nebraska’s final two touchdowns.

HE CANNOT TELL A LIE

South Carolina’s Ben Washington, a freshman defensive back from Tallahassee, Fla., who led the Gamecocks to a 24-14 victory over West Virginia in the Carquest Bowl with a crucial second-half interception return, knows his place.

“I’m here to do what I came to South Carolina to do,” he said when asked if he would switch to offense. “I want to hit people.”

HEAD CASE

Oregon tight end Josh Wilcox, whose 11 receptions in the Rose Bowl set a school record, came back to play twice after getting hit hard.

“You got to bury me to keep me from playing,” said Wilcox, who wore his favorite skull earrings during the game.

Wilcox said he completely missed Ambrose Fletcher’s 72-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

“I think I was still kind of dizzy,” he said. “What’s new, huh?”