1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

[4skers89]

Well boys, I was 21 and living in Omaha at the time. During the commercial breaks, channel 3 I believe, would show different intersections in Omaha and Lincoln. It look like ghost towns. Not a living soul was to be seen. The Omaha water dept made statements that they couldn't keep up the water pressure during commercials and time outs. I attended 3 Husker/Sooner matchups during the 70's, I didn't make that game, could not get tickets. Tickets back then were much more difficult to get. The game itself was a on the edge of your seat from beg to end. Several of the older guys I was watching the game with started making the comment after halftime, that the winner would be the team that had the ball last. I'm not sure if many of you know this, but Okla had the #1 offense in the nation and the #2 defense, while the Huskers had the #1 defense and the #2 offense. It was the greatest matchup of a true #1 vs #2 in every aspect. The player for Okla that scared me the most Greg Pruitt, and Willie Harper shut him down the entire game. I still get chills remembering that game. I haven't watched any replays of the game. I don't think anything could have compared to the actual live event. As a little side note, after winning that game, Keith Jackson stated that the country was just treated the the NC game. The huskers went on the play the then #2 Alabama. Bear Bryant made several remarks about what the tide was going to do to the boys from the cornfields, Their tailback Russo, who was dubbed the Italian Stallion, (no kidding) was going to run all over us. On the first play for the bama offense, Rich Glover tackled him for a 6 yard loss as he got to his feet, Glover patted Russo on the back side and told him (I later found out) to get used to the position, cause he wasn't going anywhere on that day. Final score 38-6 Huskers, and Devaney wasn't one to run up the score, or it could have been much worse. GBR

 

That's neat that you are old enough to remember both the 70s and 90s championship runs. I hope you'll be around for another one.

[knapplc]

I remember watching at my Uncles - all of the family was together in S. Falls, SD finishing up the turkey. We all watched the game and red knuckled it through the 4th quarter. I was a Freshman in HS.

Johnny the Jet Rogers - Man, Woman and Child - did that put them in the aisle.

 

http://courtmerrigan...tch-the-drumme/

 

Quote from that web page:

 

"By the way, that was Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers, in the Game of the Century, #1 Nebraska vs. #2 Oklahoma, 1971. (Needless to say, NU won, 35-31.)

 

This is possibly the greatest punt return of all time, in possibly the biggest game of all time. Also some fantastic play-calling by what sounds like Keith Jackson."

 

I hope this guy isn't a Husker fan. That's a pretty embarrassing mistake to make.

[TonyStalloni]

I was a freshman in college and watched the game at my brothers house after TG dinner. It was an actual TG day game if I remember right. The last drive for the Huskers was text book. Devaney went for it on 4th down at one point and Tagge hit Johnny Rogers to move the chains. The final TD was Kinney with his ragged shirt in tatters going over the line to score.....then our D was able to shut down the Sooner high power offense,

[1HuskrFan]

Well boys, I was 21 and living in Omaha at the time. During the commercial breaks, channel 3 I believe, would show different intersections in Omaha and Lincoln. It look like ghost towns. Not a living soul was to be seen. The Omaha water dept made statements that they couldn't keep up the water pressure during commercials and time outs. I attended 3 Husker/Sooner matchups during the 70's, I didn't make that game, could not get tickets. Tickets back then were much more difficult to get. The game itself was a on the edge of your seat from beg to end. Several of the older guys I was watching the game with started making the comment after halftime, that the winner would be the team that had the ball last. I'm not sure if many of you know this, but Okla had the #1 offense in the nation and the #2 defense, while the Huskers had the #1 defense and the #2 offense. It was the greatest matchup of a true #1 vs #2 in every aspect. The player for Okla that scared me the most Greg Pruitt, and Willie Harper shut him down the entire game. I still get chills remembering that game. I haven't watched any replays of the game. I don't think anything could have compared to the actual live event. As a little side note, after winning that game, Keith Jackson stated that the country was just treated the the NC game. The huskers went on the play the then #2 Alabama. Bear Bryant made several remarks about what the tide was going to do to the boys from the cornfields, Their tailback Russo, who was dubbed the Italian Stallion, (no kidding) was going to run all over us. On the first play for the bama offense, Rich Glover tackled him for a 6 yard loss as he got to his feet, Glover patted Russo on the back side and told him (I later found out) to get used to the position, cause he wasn't going anywhere on that day. Final score 38-6 Huskers, and Devaney wasn't one to run up the score, or it could have been much worse. GBR

 

That's neat that you are old enough to remember both the 70s and 90s championship runs. I hope you'll be around for another one.

We should have had at least three more IMHO 82. 83, and 93.

[irafreak]

Neat to hear the stories from the folks that were there. I was ten years off. Oh well.

[4skers89]

Well boys, I was 21 and living in Omaha at the time. During the commercial breaks, channel 3 I believe, would show different intersections in Omaha and Lincoln. It look like ghost towns. Not a living soul was to be seen. The Omaha water dept made statements that they couldn't keep up the water pressure during commercials and time outs. I attended 3 Husker/Sooner matchups during the 70's, I didn't make that game, could not get tickets. Tickets back then were much more difficult to get. The game itself was a on the edge of your seat from beg to end. Several of the older guys I was watching the game with started making the comment after halftime, that the winner would be the team that had the ball last. I'm not sure if many of you know this, but Okla had the #1 offense in the nation and the #2 defense, while the Huskers had the #1 defense and the #2 offense. It was the greatest matchup of a true #1 vs #2 in every aspect. The player for Okla that scared me the most Greg Pruitt, and Willie Harper shut him down the entire game. I still get chills remembering that game. I haven't watched any replays of the game. I don't think anything could have compared to the actual live event. As a little side note, after winning that game, Keith Jackson stated that the country was just treated the the NC game. The huskers went on the play the then #2 Alabama. Bear Bryant made several remarks about what the tide was going to do to the boys from the cornfields, Their tailback Russo, who was dubbed the Italian Stallion, (no kidding) was going to run all over us. On the first play for the bama offense, Rich Glover tackled him for a 6 yard loss as he got to his feet, Glover patted Russo on the back side and told him (I later found out) to get used to the position, cause he wasn't going anywhere on that day. Final score 38-6 Huskers, and Devaney wasn't one to run up the score, or it could have been much worse. GBR

That's neat that you are old enough to remember both the 70s and 90s championship runs. I hope you'll be around for another one.

We should have had at least three more IMHO 82. 83, and 93.

I agree but the frustration of those years is a big part of being a Husker fan and makes us appreciate the NCs even more. I could tell the Bama players were happy to win this year but I don't think it was the elation you would see if it had been 20 years since they last won it. It seemed to me as almost a professional athlete type of reaction . Isn't the time for some back to back NC's for Nebraska about to come due? By my math it should be 1994 + (1994-1971) = 2017. '01 was a little too soon after '97 and the Billy C years may have threw things off, but we could consider '01 ~ '83. If our program is following a cycle, we should start to see some improvement and have some frustrating close attempts in a couple of years (similar to '93).

[skersfan]

I watched the game in Jefferson City, Missouri, my wifes home town. We were at her sisters for TG dinner and they were all pulling for Oklahoma, mostly because they knew I loved the Huskers. Greatest game I ever saw, Keith Jackson, Johnny, Willie, Rich, Kinney my gawd what a team.

 

That year the Big 8 went Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado if memory serves me correctly.

[TonyStalloni]

Well boys, I was 21 and living in Omaha at the time. During the commercial breaks, channel 3 I believe, would show different intersections in Omaha and Lincoln. It look like ghost towns. Not a living soul was to be seen. The Omaha water dept made statements that they couldn't keep up the water pressure during commercials and time outs. I attended 3 Husker/Sooner matchups during the 70's, I didn't make that game, could not get tickets. Tickets back then were much more difficult to get. The game itself was a on the edge of your seat from beg to end. Several of the older guys I was watching the game with started making the comment after halftime, that the winner would be the team that had the ball last. I'm not sure if many of you know this, but Okla had the #1 offense in the nation and the #2 defense, while the Huskers had the #1 defense and the #2 offense. It was the greatest matchup of a true #1 vs #2 in every aspect. The player for Okla that scared me the most Greg Pruitt, and Willie Harper shut him down the entire game. I still get chills remembering that game. I haven't watched any replays of the game. I don't think anything could have compared to the actual live event. As a little side note, after winning that game, Keith Jackson stated that the country was just treated the the NC game. The huskers went on the play the then #2 Alabama. Bear Bryant made several remarks about what the tide was going to do to the boys from the cornfields, Their tailback Russo, who was dubbed the Italian Stallion, (no kidding) was going to run all over us. On the first play for the bama offense, Rich Glover tackled him for a 6 yard loss as he got to his feet, Glover patted Russo on the back side and told him (I later found out) to get used to the position, cause he wasn't going anywhere on that day. Final score 38-6 Huskers, and Devaney wasn't one to run up the score, or it could have been much worse. GBR

 

That's neat that you are old enough to remember both the 70s and 90s championship runs. I hope you'll be around for another one.

We should have had at least three more IMHO 82. 83, and 93.

 

You are absolutely right. One bad call by a ref vs PSU cost the Huskers a chance for the Natl Champ in 82. For some reason I'm thinking NU had a chance in 81 when we played Clemson. We had two losses going into the Orange Bowl but I'm thinking teams ahead of us lost in their bowl games, but we stumbled vs the "Fridge" and Clemson that night. Had we had a better defense vs Miami we would have won that one as well. The offense was getting all the good athletes in those years. Bad calls cost us the game vs Fla St as well.

[70scsker]

Not only were those the Big 8 rankings, but #1 Nebraska, #2 Oklahoma, and #3 Colorado was also the final post-bowl game national ranking. They had only lost to each other, all won their bowl games convincingly, and everyone else ranked above OU and CU lost. I was in 8th grade and remember watching the game of the century in our small living room with all my uncles, aunts, and cousins packed in. My spot was flat on the floor about two feet away from the TV.

 

On a side note, as a 7th grader I got to watch us beat LSU in the Orange Bowl for our first national championship the year before in person. We drove to Florida for a vacation. We happened to be fairly close by when Tagge reached across the goal line for a TD. My younger brother and I never did use our seats that game. We roamed the stadium the whole game.

[Guy Chamberlin]

And because Alabama finished #4, it meant #1 Nebraska had beaten #2, #3 and #4 to get there.

 

Not sure if that's happened before or since, but I'm guessing it's the reason the '71 squad still gets votes for Best College Team of All Time.

[T_O_Bull]

I had just gotten home from Nam. What a great Thanksgiving that was.

T_O_B

G>B>R