AAA CLASSIC SPORTS DVDS

1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

November 25, 1971: The University of Nebraska, defending National Champions, ranked Number 1 with a 29-game winning streak, and led by flanker, Johnny Rodgers, who would go on to win the Heisman Trophy the next season, played the University of Oklahoma, ranked Number 2 and led by running back Greg Pruitt, a favorite for the Heisman this time.

The game was played at Owen Field in Norman, Oklahoma on Thanksgiving Day, on ABC in front of a national television audience. The game would decide the championship of the Big Eight Conference and a bid to the Orange Bowl. Despite Oklahoma's national prominence, gained in the 1950s, having slipped in the 1960s, and Nebraska not having a national following prior to the previous year's National Championship, over 55 million people watched, the largest TV audience yet for a college football game.

The game went back and forth. Nebraska held a 14-3 lead, but Oklahoma came back, and the Sooners led at halftime, 17-14, the first time the Cornhuskers had trailed all season. The Huskers retook the lead and led 28-17 going into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jack Mildren led the Sooners back, and Oklahoma led 31-28 with 7:05 to play. The Huskers got the ball back on their own 26-yard line. Getting to the Oklahoma 48, Husker quarterback Jerry Tagge threw to Rodgers, who broke tackles and ran all the way to the 15. Jeff Kinney then carried four times, the last resulting in his fourth touchdown of the game, and Nebraska led 35-31 with two minutes to go. Sacks of Mildren on third and fourth down in Sooner territory finished the game off as a Nebraska win.

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<p>1969 #1 TEXAS 15 VS #2 ARKANSAS 14

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<p>1974 SUGAR BOWL #8 NEBRASKA 13 VS #18 FLORIDA 10

<p>1976 OKLAHOMA ST 31 VS #5 OKLAHOMA 24

<p>1976 ORANGE BOWL #8 OKLAHOMA 14 VS #2 MICHIGAN 6

<p>1977 #3 OKLAHOMA 29 AT #4 OHIO ST 28

<p>1977 #5 TEXAS 13 VS #2 OKLAHOMA 6

<p>1977 #7 NEBRASKA 7 AT #3 OKLAHOMA 38

<p>1978 #4 NEBRASKA 17 AT #1 OKLAHOMA 14

<p>1978 INDIANA 17 AT NEBRASKA 69

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<p>1979 #3 NEBRASKA 14 AT #8 OKLAHOMA 17

<p>1979 ORANGE BOWL #4 OKLAHOMA 31 VS #6 NEBRASKA 24

<p>1980 ORANGE BOWL #5 OKLAHOMA 24 VS #4 FLORIDA ST 7

<p>1982 NEBRASKA 37 VS HAWAII 16

<p>1983 #6 OHIO ST 24 AT #2 OKLAHOMA 14

<p>1984 #3 OKLAHOMA ST 14 AT #2 OKLAHOMA 24

<p>1984 ORANGE BOWL #5 MIAMI 31 VS #1 NEBRASKA 30

<p>1985 #2 NEBRASKA 7 AT #5 OKLAHOMA 27

<p>1986 #3 OKLAHOMA 20 AT #5 NEBRASKA 17

<p>1987 ORANGE BOWL #3 OKLAHOMA 42 VS ARKANSAS 8