1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game
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The 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game was the 51st edition of the
rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
, one of several labeled as a " Game of the Century." The
Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...
matchup was held on Thursday, November 25,
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
, in
Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma C ...
. The top-ranked
Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...
, defending
national champions National champions are corporations which are technically private businesses but due to governmental policy are ceded a dominant position in a national economy. In this system, these large organizations are expected not only to seek profit but als ...
with a 20-game winning streak (and 29 without a loss), traveled south to play the second-ranked
Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...
. In a game that lived up to the hype, the Cornhuskers scored a late touchdown to defeat the Sooners by four,


Background

The teams combined for 17 of 22 first-team All-Big Eight players. Nebraska had the nation’s top-ranked defense. Oklahoma had the nation's most productive offense with their wishbone averaging over 472 rushing yards per game, an NCAA record. The cover of ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' (November 22) prior to the game included photographs of Nebraska linebacker Bob Terrio and Oklahoma running back
Greg Pruitt Gregory Donald Pruitt (born August 18, 1951) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 through 1984. He was selected to five Pro Bowls, four as a member of the Cleveland Browns and one as a member o ...
, nose-to-nose, beneath the headline: "Irresistible Oklahoma Meets Immovable Nebraska." Both teams had twelve days to prepare, as neither had played on the preceding Saturday. The Husker "Blackshirts" defense included seven first-team All-Big Eight selections, four players who would earn consensus
All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
recognition during their careers and two
Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Ame ...
winners: tackle
Larry Jacobson Larry Paul Jacobson (born December 10, 1949) is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). A first round selection in the 1972 NFL Draft (24th overall) and starter i ...
and middle guard
Rich Glover Richard Edward Glover (born February 6, 1950) is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska under head c ...
. Glover would win both the Outland and Lombardi awards in
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
and eventually be inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
. They were joined in the starting lineup by end
Willie Harper Willie Miles Harper (born July 30, 1950) is a former American football linebacker who played for the San Francisco 49ers. Harper played high school football for Toledo Scott and college football at University of Nebraska where he was an All-A ...
, like Glover, a two-time All-American. John Dutton, an All-American in
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
, was a sophomore backup. The Sooners' record-setting
wishbone Wishbone commonly refers to: * Furcula, a fork-shaped bone in birds and some dinosaurs Wishbone may also refer to: * Wish-Bone, an American salad dressing and condiment company * Wishbone formation, a type of offense in American football * Wish ...
attack was led by All-American QB
Jack Mildren Larry Jack Mildren (October 10, 1949 – May 22, 2008), was an All-American quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, and professional football player with the Baltimore Colts and New England Patriots. A native Texan, he was later an oil compa ...
who rushed for over 1,000 yards, but was also a very good passer. His weapons were Heisman candidate HB
Greg Pruitt Gregory Donald Pruitt (born August 18, 1951) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) from 1973 through 1984. He was selected to five Pro Bowls, four as a member of the Cleveland Browns and one as a member o ...
, who averaged a stunning 9.5 yards per carry and speedy split end Jon Harrison. Future College Football Hall of Famer
Tom Brahaney Thomas Brahaney (born October 23, 1951) is a former American football center who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was an All-American. In 1971, he a ...
was the anchor at center. The Husker offense was led by junior flanker
Johnny Rodgers Johnny Steven Rodgers (born July 5, 1951) is an American former football player. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and won the Heisman Trophy in 1972. Rodgers played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) ...
, a future
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner, senior quarterback
Jerry Tagge Jerry Lee Tagge (born April 12, 1950) is a former American football player. He played college football as quarterback at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he led the Nebraska Cornhuskers to consecutive national championships in 1970 an ...
, and bullish senior tailback
Jeff Kinney Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website ''Poptropica''. Early life Jeff Kinney was born ...
; the latter two were
first round First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
picks in the
1972 NFL Draft The 1972 NFL draft was held February 1–2, 1972, at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Buffalo Bills selected defensive end Walt Patulski. Player selections Round one Round two ...
. The Sooner defense was anchored by all-Big 8 defensive tackle
Derland Moore Derland Paul Moore (October 7, 1951 – September 24, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets. An All-American, he p ...
, a future All-American and NFL Pro Bowler. With a kickoff shortly before 3 pm EST, ABC-TV broadcast the game nationally to an estimated 55 million viewers (at the time the largest television audience ever for a college football game).
Chris Schenkel Christopher Eugene Schenkel (August 21, 1923 – September 11, 2005) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and bar ...
did the play-by-play, color analysis was provided by Oklahoma's legendary former coach,
Bud Wilkinson Charles Burnham "Bud" Wilkinson (April 23, 1916 – February 9, 1994) was an American football player, coach, broadcaster, and politician. He served as the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1947 to 1963, compiling a record of ...
, with
Bill Flemming William Norman Flemming (September 3, 1926 – July 20, 2007) was an American television sports journalist who was one of the original announcers for the ABC Sports show '' Wide World of Sports''. Biography Early life Born in Chicago, Illin ...
reporting from the sidelines. Before the game, Schenkel and Wilkinson emerged from the tunnel leading to the field, and when the Oklahoma crowd spotted Wilkinson, they erupted into applause. They came to their feet with admiration for the
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-born coach who had guided the Sooners to prominence with three national championships and an NCAA record 47-game winning streak in the 1950s. The game was played at Owen Field in
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on
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. Not only at stake was the Big Eight title, but also the #1 national ranking in the polls. However, the bowl trips had already been determined before the game, with Nebraska going to the
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...
in
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and Oklahoma headed for the
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in
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Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
. Two days after Thanksgiving, #5
Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...
(9–0) with
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner Pat Sullivan at quarterback, faced #3
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(10–0) at
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for the SEC title, the two opponents that Oklahoma and Nebraska would play. Given the magnitude of the game, Devaney had even had his players' food flown in from Lincoln, in case gamblers attempted to induce a hotel chef to give the Huskers food poisoning.


Game


Summary

The game went back and forth, with three lead changes in the second half, after Oklahoma took its first lead of the game, 17–14, with five seconds left to play in the first half. Oklahoma would go ahead once more, 31–28 with 7:10 left in the game, but Nebraska then answered with a 74-yard drive for the winning touchdown with 1:38 left. At that point, Nebraska had scored touchdowns on three of its last four possessions to secure a 35–31 victory.


First half

The first half was atypical for both teams, as the Huskers' potent offense was stymied by the underrated Sooner defense; meanwhile, the Sooners devastating wishbone offense was blunted by the brutal Nebraska defense, as the Sooners lost the ball on fumbles a total of three times (twice in the first half) and were continually frustrated by Husker middle guard
Rich Glover Richard Edward Glover (born February 6, 1950) is a former professional football player, a defensive tackle for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska under head c ...
, who ended up with twenty-two tackles on the day, despite lining up across from All-American OU center
Tom Brahaney Thomas Brahaney (born October 23, 1951) is a former American football center who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the St. Louis Cardinals. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was an All-American. In 1971, he a ...
. The Cornhuskers struck first, with Rodgers shocking the Sooners with a 72-yard punt return for a touchdown after the Sooners' first possession was stopped. The punt return remains one of college football's signature moments. Oklahoma answered with a field goal before the teams exchanged touchdown drives – first Nebraska to take a 14–3 lead (the largest of the day), then Oklahoma, to make the score 14–10 Nebraska with 5:40 to play in the first half. Relying almost entirely on Jack Mildren's arm and legs, the Sooners grabbed a 17–14 lead on two long passes from Mildren to Harrison with five seconds left before halftime. For the first time all season, the Cornhuskers trailed.


Second half

Relying on a power running game, the Huskers scored two touchdowns (the first aided by the Sooners' third lost fumble of the game) to lead, 28–17, with 3:38 to play in the third quarter. Mildren then led the Sooners back with a pair of touchdowns, and Oklahoma was ahead with 7:10 to play. The Huskers got the ball back on their own 26-yard line. On a play starting from the Oklahoma 48, Husker quarterback
Jerry Tagge Jerry Lee Tagge (born April 12, 1950) is a former American football player. He played college football as quarterback at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he led the Nebraska Cornhuskers to consecutive national championships in 1970 an ...
threw to Rodgers, who broke tackles and ran all the way to the 15. Tailback
Jeff Kinney Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website ''Poptropica''. Early life Jeff Kinney was born ...
, who would finish the game with 171 yards on 31 carries, then carried four consecutive times, the last resulting in his fourth touchdown of the game, and Nebraska regained the lead at with only 98 seconds remaining. Sacks of Mildren on third and fourth down in Sooner territory finished the game off as a Nebraska win.


Scoring summary


Statistics

: :


Officials

*Referee: Vance Carlson *Umpire: John Keck *Linesman: Wendell Winkler *Field Judge: Chet Laney *Back Judge: Skip Meyerfield *Alternate: John McClintock The six-official system was not adopted by colleges until the
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
did so in 1972. In 1973, all other major conferences went to six officials, adding the line judge. The seven-official system (adding the side judge) was adopted in 1985, and in 2015, the eight-official system (adding the center judge) was mandated.


Aftermath

This game, much more than the previous year's national championship, made Nebraska a program with a national following. Already having sold every seat available at their Memorial Stadium since coach
Bob Devaney Robert Simon Devaney (April 13, 1915 – May 9, 1997) was a college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Wyoming from 1957 to 1961 and at the University of Nebraska from 1962 to 1972, compiling a career record of . ...
arrived in
1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
, they would be a perennial national championship contender and a frequent presence on national TV. The Cornhuskers had one more regular season game to play, venturing well southwest to
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to crush
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45–3. Nebraska then traveled southeast to the
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
in
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
and soundly defeated the #2
Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...
38–6 on New Year's Day night for consecutive national titles. Devaney returned in
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
hoping to win three consecutive national championships, but was derailed by a season-opening road loss to
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
, as well as a tie at
Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
and a 17–14 loss at home to Oklahoma in Lincoln. He retired right after routing Notre Dame in the
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
. Continuing as Nebraska's
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, he promoted 35-year-old assistant
Tom Osborne Thomas William Osborne (born February 23, 1937) is a former American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and politician from Nebraska. He served as head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1973 to 1997 (25 season ...
, who led the program for a quarter century Pruitt did not win the Heisman, which went to quarterback Pat Sullivan of
Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...
; the announcement came only hours after the conclusion of the Nebraska-Oklahoma game. The Sooners ended the regular season by destroying
Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
in Stillwater By coincidence, Auburn was Oklahoma's opponent in the
Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
, and the Sooners won (By another coincidence, these two arch-rivals, Nebraska and Oklahoma, played each half of another rivalry, Alabama and Auburn, and beat them both.) Despite the loss, Oklahoma's program was also relaunched by this game, and were a perennial national contender throughout the 1970s up until Barry Switzer's departure in the late 1980s. Head coach
Chuck Fairbanks Charles Leo Fairbanks (June 10, 1933 – April 2, 2013) was a football coach who was a head coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as the head coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1967 to 1972 and at the Universi ...
left the Sooners after the
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
season for the NFL's
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, and
offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
Barry Switzer Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former American football coach and player. He served for 16 years as head football coach at the University of Oklahoma and four years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Le ...
was promoted. Over the next 16 seasons (
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
88), he compiled a 157–29–4 () record and guided the Sooners to national championships in
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
,
1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
, and
1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
. The top three teams in the final AP poll for the 1971 season were from the Big Eight: Nebraska, Oklahoma, and
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. The top two teams had never been from the same conference, and this year had three. Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, considered a minor rivalry before the Game of the Century (of 1971), became one of the biggest in the country, usually played on the day after Thanksgiving. Oklahoma still played Oklahoma State after playing Nebraska until 1979, when the game vs. the Cornhuskers became the Sooners' regular season finale (except in 1983, when the Sooners played at Hawaii on the first Saturday of December; and 1985, when Oklahoma played Oklahoma State and SMU after the Nebraska game due to television commitments). A scandal caught up with Oklahoma in the late 1980s, sending it into a decline and forcing Switzer's resignation in June 1989. That coincided with the rise of the football program at
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, which replaced Oklahoma as Nebraska's Thanksgiving Friday opponent in 1996 due to the formation of the Big 12 conference (leading to the end of the annual Nebraska-Oklahoma matchup as the two were placed in opposite divisions). The Big Eight added the four most prominent
Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
schools (Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor) to become the
Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
in 1996. Since one of those four was
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, already a major non-conference rival with Oklahoma, the UT-OU rivalry game in
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grew in importance as they became division foes. Oklahoma and
Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
were put in the South Division, while Nebraska and the other five Big 8 teams went into the North Division. Now in different divisions, NU and OU only played each other twice every four seasons, which significantly diminished the rivalry, while the OU-OSU rivalry game was returned to the end of the regular season and became more competitive (the Big 12 did not assign permanent cross-divisional opponents in contrast to the
Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
, which has done so since going to divisional play in 1992) Oklahoma bottomed out in the second half of the 1990s, going 5-5-1 under
Howard Schnellenberger Howard Leslie Schnellenberger (March 16, 1934 – March 27, 2021) was an American football coach with long service at both the professional and college levels. He held head coaching positions with the National Football League's Baltimore Colts a ...
in 1995, then suffering three consecutive losing seasons under John Blake. The Sooners returned to glory under
Bob Stoops Robert Anthony Stoops (born September 9, 1960) is an American football coach. He was the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 through the 2016 season, and on an interim basis during the 2021 Alamo Bowl. He led the Oklahoma ...
, who replaced Blake in 1999. Stoops guided Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship and compiled a 190-48 record in 18 seasons, winning the Big 12 championship nine times. The Sooners continued their dominance under
Lincoln Riley Lincoln Michael Riley (born September 5, 1983) is an American college football coach and former player who is the head coach of the USC Trojans football program at the University of Southern California. He previously served as the head coach a ...
, winning the Big 12 championship in each of his first four seasons until finishing third behind Baylor and Oklahoma State in 2021. Riley surprisingly departed Oklahoma after the 2021 regular season to become the head coach of the
USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...
. Nebraska left the Big 12 in the summer of 2011 to join the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
. The Cornhuskers endured their worst season in six decades in
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, going 3-9 overall and 1-8 in conference play under coach
Scott Frost Scott Andrew Frost (born January 4, 1975) is a former American football coach and player. He was the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from 2018 to 2022. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Frost played college football as a qu ...
, the starting quarterback for Nebraska's most recent national championship team in
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. The Sooners and Huskers met in the final Big 12 championship game in
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, with OU winning 23–20 on December 4. The schools agreed in 2012 to play a home-and-home series in 2021 and 2022. The 2021 game, a 23-16 Oklahoma victory, was played at Norman to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the 1971 classic, with the following year in Lincoln. ''
The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' named the 1971 Cornhusker team as the greatest team of the 20th century in 1988. It is unlikely future meetings will be scheduled after 2022. Oklahoma announced in July 2021 it was departing the Big 12 for the
Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
no later than 2025 (along with Texas), while the Big Ten soon thereafter entered into a scheduling alliance with the Atlantic Coast and Pacific-12 conferences to begin in 2024.


See also

*
Nebraska–Oklahoma football rivalry The Nebraska–Oklahoma football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team of the University of Nebraska and Oklahoma Sooners football team of the University of Oklahoma. The rivalry continu ...


References


External links


HuskerMax.com
– Nebraska at Oklahoma – November 25, 1971 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game 1971 1971 Big Eight Conference football season vs. Oklahoma 1971 vs. Nebraska 1971 November 1971 sports events in the United States 1971 in sports in Oklahoma Nicknamed sporting events