DAILY REPORT : CITRUS : Osborne Rips Report of Hotel Incident

ORLANDO, Fla. — Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne lashed out at a report in the Orlando Sentinel that two starters and a reserve had been reprimanded for failing to pay for food at a restaurant at the team’s hotel.

Osborne at first denied that anything happened, but Don Bryant, Nebraska assistant athletic director, verified the incident.

“It’s been handled to the hotel’s satisfaction, and there was no police involvement,” Bryant said.

Osborne refused to name the players Saturday and characterized the incident as nothing more than a discrepancy over a bill.

“None of the guys are starters,” Osborne said. “In fact, none of the guys will play in the game. But no one has been sent home.”

One part of the local hospitality has proved to be an excellent barometer of which team is going to win the game.

The team that wins the annual orange-squeezing contest--a less-filling version of the Rose Bowl’s beef bowl--has never won the game, according to bowl officials.

For the record, Nebraska’s Johnny Mitchell, Nate Turner and Jon Bostwick squeezed two-thirds of a gallon in one minute. Georgia Tech’s Jay Martin, Tom Covington and Terry Pettis could do only a half-gallon.

News of this victory, however, did not have any immediate effect on national perception of the game. Nebraska is still being tabbed as the favorite.