OSU-NU history includes helicopter and (almost) movie theater brawl
Published: 10/21/2010 12:48 PM
Last Modified: 10/21/2010 12:48 PM
A story in today's sports section of the Tulsa World highlights a dozen highlight moments from the soon-to-be dead OSU-Nebraska football series. Here are a few extras:
Best job of nipping it in the bud: OSU and Nebraska teams showed up at the same movie theater before a 1987 game and the environment was ripe for a skirmish. When smack talk began to escalate after the movie ended, Cowboy coaches decided to hustle their players onto a bus as fast as possible in order to keep things from getting out of hand. Chatter continued after players were on board the bus and Hart Lee Dykes allegedly said something not politically correct about the mental capacity of talkative Husker Broderick Thomas.
Gutsiest performance: Ronnie Williams, with his broken jaw wired shut, threw for an OSU series record 363 yards in a 1985 loss to Nebraska.
Most effective ground-ers: Only three players in the history of OSU (alias Tailback U) twice ran for more than 100 yards against Nebraska. Walt Garrison did it in 1964 and 1965. Terry Miller did it in 1976 and 1977. Dantrell Savage did it in 2006-07. The three highest single-game rushing performances by a Cowboy against Nebraska came courtesy of Savage (212 yards, 2007), Barry Sanders (189, 1988) and Tatum Bell (182, 2002).
Best measuring stick of Nebraska’s program: Jimmy Johnson won championships at Miami, Fla., and with the Dallas Cowboys, so it’s fair to say he knows a thing or two about coaching. But even he had trouble coping with the Big Red Machine. Johnson’s first four OSU teams lost to Nebraska by margins of 36, 41, 47 and 38 points. OSU played a top-ranked Husker team within 14-10 in his final season.
Biggest turnaround: Mike Gundy never beat Nebraska as a player. He’s 2-0 against the Huskers as a head coach.
Best OSU long-distance specialists: Dick Graham caught an 84-yard touchdown pass and returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in a lopsided loss to Nebraska in 1970. Earl Wheeler threw an 85-yard pass to Curtis Mayfield in a 1989 game against the Huskers. The longest run by an OSU player against Nebraska is 79 yards (David Thompson, 1995) and the longest Cowboy field goal covered 51 yards (Abby Daigle, 1973).
Biggest blow dryer: A faulty tarp led to standing water on the field prior to a 1962 game. A helicopter was used to help dry the turf.
--Jimmie Tramel.
Written by
Jimmie Tramel
Sports Writer
