The second part of a look back at the four games that Oklahoma played against Nebraska when I was in college. Not only did the Sooners win all four, each game feature a play so memorable, they were given nicknames.
THE CATCH - 1986
#3 Oklahoma (9-1) @ #5 Nebraska (9-1)
November 22nd, 1986
What
would a trip down memory lane be without a serving of Sooner Magic. With the Big-8 title on the line, Oklahoma
rallied from 10-points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Cornhuskers in
Lincoln 20-17.
Of note
here … I was supposed to watch the game at my then girlfriends parents’ house
in Norman, but she decided a couple hours before the game that my inability and
lack of desire to harness ‘my passion’ was not fun for others. Actually, what
she said was – I don’t want to spend 3-hours listening to you scream f-words at
the TV like some kind of possessed moron, then have to answer questions from my
parents in regard to your anger issues. Besides, they’re still not very happy
with you for spiking their glass into the fireplace during the Colorado game
two weeks ago.
“Look,
for the record, that glass was bad luck and besides, why do they care – its not
like they don’t have 3-more that look just like it in the pantry. But whatever …
there are plenty of people I know who will want to watch the game with me.” Yep,
that 1986 OU-Nebraska game was the first I ever watched by myself.
Down 7, with
only 4:22 to go in the game, the Sooners drove 94-yards, tying the game on a
Jamelle Holieway 17-yard touchdown pass to Keith Jackson with 1:22 to play.
The
Sooners, with one of the best defenses in college football history, were able
to use their timeouts and after forcing a Nebraska punt, took over at their own
37-yard line with only 40-seconds to play and no time outs. On 3rd and 12, from their own 37 … and 18 seconds to go in the game .. it was time for a little Sooner Magic …
The 41-yard
completion stopped the clock with just 9-seconds to play. After spiking the
ball, Tim Lashar’s kick from 41-yards split the uprights. It was pure pandemonium
– for a party of 1 at my house … a place where only solo cups are used on game
day.
THE BOW – 1987
#2 Oklahoma @ #1 Nebraska
Game of the Century II
The game
was being billed as the Game of the Century II. Undefeated #2 Oklahoma vs, undefeated
#1 Nebraska. At stake was a trip to the Orange Bowl and a shot at the National
Title. Yes, once again this rivalry would
play a major role in determining college footballs national champion.
Going
in, the deck seemed stacked against Oklahoma. Talk all week was in regard to
the perceived advantage the Huskers had received due to a scheduling quirk that
resulted in the Sooners having to travel to Lincoln for a second consecutive year.
Furthermore, while Oklahoma plodded through a rather unimpressive 17-13 win
over Missouri the previous week, the Huskers had the benefit of a bye-week to
rest and focus on their longtime rival.
Much was
also made of the fact that the Sooners would be playing without two key starters,
fullback Lydell Carr and QB Jamelle Holieway. Turns out, the Sooners, led by
redshirt freshman QB Charles Thompson, would do just fine.
Late in the third quarter with the score tied at 7, the Sooners had the ball facing second and 2 from their own 35. Patrick Collins takes the pitch from Thompson, turns the left corner, gets a perfect block from John Green, shakes off a couple of arm tackles, and raced 65 yards down the sideline for the go-ahead touchdown. Patrick Collins – take a bow!
Since we won the previous year, superstition
had me watching my second consecutive OU-Nebraska game by myself, which was
both good and bad. After Collins 65-yard gallop, I decided that the only way to
properly celebrate Collin’s achievement was for me to jump over my couch. Good
that I was alone so nobody saw it, bad that nobody was there to take me to a hospital.
Elevating
over my couch wouldn’t have been a good idea, well – ever. To start with, my
couch at that time was the size of a small third world country. Hell, Evil Knievel probably would’ve declined
an invitation to jump that thing. Throw in the fact that I was drunk and on a
good day possess the vertical jumping skills of an anvil, and well, as you can
imagine … it was a disaster of near epic proportion.
As I entered
take-off mode, I stepped on a beer bottle and rolled my ankle. To far in to
abort the mission, I’m now focused on merely surviving. With all the grace of a
walrus, I bellyflop/carom off the side to the couch. While I did stick the
landing, unfortunately, that landing occurred out of bounds and in the middle
of the fireplace equipment – the result of which left a deep gash on my left
elbow that eventually needed 6 stitches.
I say eventually, because I felt certain that despite the carpet looking
like a crime scene, that this wasn’t a big deal. All I need to do was pour some
bourbon on it, and then if it ever stops burning, apply pressure on it with a
kitchen towel. Hell, it'll have to stop bleeding pretty soon. I was wrong.
4-For-4 –
Good times indeed.
Just the Opinion
of One Mildly Interested Guy
Buddy Putty
The Overweight
Armchair Sooner
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