Tulsa World: OU-Nebraska on Thanksgiving Magic Memories

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OU-Nebraska on Thanksgiving Magic Memories

By JOHN KLEIN
Published: 11/26/1995
Last Modified: 3/16/2008 7:36 AM

NEBRASKA FANS were well aware of history. They had seen more than
their share of "Sooner Magic."
So, they sat nervously midway through the third quarter, the
top-ranked Cornhuskers clinging to a 13-0 lead on Friday. Oklahoma,
playing defense like the Sooners of old, was gaining confidence.
OU's offense, in a slumber for nearly three games, was on the move.
The Sooners had driven to the Nebraska 45 when James Allen
was stripped of the ball. Tony Veland scooped it up and went 57
yards for a touchdown. Nebraska, 20-0.
The magic was gone. So was this last chance for glory in
Lincoln on Thanksgiving weekend.
The 37-0 romp by the Huskers was not a fitting end to one of
the great traditions of Thanksgiving. The game will be moved up on
the schedule and will not be played every year. It is something
that had to go, along with the Big Eight and Southwest Conference.
But this game was in many ways emblematic of Big Eight Conference football.
A year from now, when the Sooners and Huskers are Big 12
members, the game will be played on the first weekend of November.
That's just a week after the best golfers in the world make their
stop at Southern Hills for the PGA Tour Championship.
There will be another trip to Lincoln in 1997 before the
rivalry takes a two-year vacation.
Nine times the winner of this game went on to claim the
national championship. The Huskers could make it 10 on Jan. 2 in
the Fiesta Bowl.
Drama, excitement and miracles were common in this game. The
winner came from behind in 24 of the last 32 games.
To the delight of the Sooners, and the heartbreak of the
Huskers, OU scored in the last minute to win four times since 1966.
Although they've played annually since 1928, this did not
become a rivalry until 1959. The Sooners of coach Bud Wilkinson
came to Lincoln riding a 36-game victory streak and had not lost in
the conference in 74 games. Nebraska won 25-21, the goal posts were
torn down for the first time at Memorial Stadium and a new rivalry
had been born.
The 1971 "Game of the Century" in which Nebraska won 35-31 is
the most memorable and had probably the most memorable play --
Johnny Rodgers' 72-yard punt return for a touchdown.
However, the most gratifying moments for Oklahoma began with
a streak of last-second heartbreaks for Nebraska in 1976. The
young, brash Sooners of Barry Switzer used two razzle-dazzle passes
on a final-minute drive to win 20-17. The second of those passes
came on a third-and-19. The short pass came to Steve Rhodes who
lateraled to a streaking Elvis Peacock. Peacock ran free for 33
yards to the Nebraska 2-yard-line.
Before the 1980 game, Switzer went on Bob Devaney's
television prediction show the night before and gave him a bag of
tacos. The winner was going to the Orange Bowl. The loser was
headed to the Sun Bowl in El Paso. The next day, Buster Rhymes
scored with 56 seconds left to give OU a 21-17 victory.
In 1986, again in Lincoln, it was tight end Keith Jackson.
Jackson caught two huge passes, including a spectacular one-handed
grab, as OU rallied with 13 points in the fourth quarter to win 20-17.
Nebraska, too, has had its share of magic. In 1978, Heisman
winner Billy Sims appeared ready to break the Huskers' hearts when
he was stripped of the ball at the Nebraska 3 in the final minutes.
Nebraska hung on to win 17-14.
Steve Strasburger intercepted an OU pass deep in Nebraska
territory in the closing seconds to preserve NU's 28-24 victory in
1982. OU had a second-and-goal from the NU 1 in the closing seconds
of the 1983 game but failed to score. Neil Harris knocked away a
pass in the end zone on fourth down in a 28-21 victory.
The Huskers turned the tide in Switzer's final year. OU was
driving in the final moments, but Charles Thompson was sacked on
fourth down and Nebraska won 7-3 in 1988.
Since that moment Switzer walked off the field, the Huskers
have won seven of the eight games.
Even the tradition of tearing down the goal posts at
Nebraska's Memorial Stadium has gone by the wayside. Fans did it in
1989, 1991 and 1993 after Husker victories.
On Friday, they got in their cars and headed home. The goal posts survived.
In a stadium that hasn't had an open seat in over 35 years,
there are a lot of memories. Most revolve around the Sooners.
They remembered, but these weren't the magical Sooners. OU
couldn't spoil Nebraska's glorious three-year run (the only loss
was 18-16 in the 1994 Orange Bowl).
More than 45,000 of them have requested tickets for the
Fiesta Bowl. Only about 12,000 will get them.
They had sweated out another victory over the Sooners. They
had erased, for the moment, a few of the memories.
But fans on both sides have enough to last a lifetime.
By JOHN KLEIN

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