The True Game of the Century
Patrick Triplett
Published by Patrick Triplett at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Patrick Triplett
The term “Game of the Century” has been tossed about and overused by college football fans and the media to the point where it has lost its meaning. Good match-ups between top ranked teams are hyped way out of proportion for promotional purposes and seldom live up to expectations. There was one game, however, which stands alone and deserves to be truly called the greatest game of the 20th century.
Heading into the 1971 season, Notre Dame was ranked preseason No. 1, followed by Nebraska, Texas, Michigan, USC, and Oklahoma. By early October, two teams had separated themselves from the pack, and it was becoming more obvious each week that they were not only the top two teams that year, but were among the best anyone had seen in decades.
Nebraska stormed out of the gates, winning their first six games 34-7, 35-7, 34-7, 42-6, 36-0 and 55-0 and taking over the No. 1 spot. But there was another team who was keeping pace with them. Oklahoma also won its first six games, including a 33-20 win over No. 9 USC, a 48-27 victory over No. 3 Texas, and a 45-17 route over No. 6 Colorado. They followed that up by beating Kansas State the following week 75-28, rushing for a record 711 yards.
Coached by Chuck Fairbanks, Oklahoma ran the Wishbone offense to perfection, and were virtually unstoppable. Led by speedy running back Greg Pruitt, bruising fullback Leon Crosswhite and all-purpose quarterback Jack Mildren, the No. 2 ranked Sooners ran at will over every opponent they faced, and often sat out the starters in the second half to keep the score from becoming even more embarrassing.
Nebraska not only possessed a potent offense of their own but also the top rated defense in the country. Coached by Bob Devaney, the Cornhuskers dominated their opposition with a solid quarterback in Jerry Tagge, a rugged running back in Jeff Kinney, and the best all-purpose player in the country, Johnny Rodgers. Their famed “Black Shirt” defense shut down opponents, allowing both the fewest yards and the fewest points scored.
Since the two teams played in the same conference, they were on a collision course to meet on Thanksgiving Day.
Both teams continued to dominate leading up to the long anticipated match up. Heading into Thanksgiving, Nebraska was 10-0, having outscored their opponents 374-64. Oklahoma was 9-0, having dominated the opposition by a combined margin of 401-150. The Thanksgiving table was set. The Big Eight Conference title, the No. 1 ranking, and most likely the National Championship were at stake.
On November 25, 1971, the game of the century took place at Owen Field in Norman, Oklahoma. ABC televised the event to a then record audience of 55 million viewers. Few expected the game to be able to live up to the hype. But minutes into the first quarter Johnny Rodgers stunned the crowd with a 72-yard punt return that still ranks among the greatest in football history to put Nebraska in front 7-0. It was game on. The Huskers took a a 14-3 lead before Oklahoma's explosive offense awoke and took the lead 17-14 at the half, marking the first time all season that Nebraska had trailed at halftime.
The Cornhuskers' powerful running game dominated the third quarter, and with 15 minutes to go led the Sooners 28-17. But the Oklahoma offense would not be denied, even by the best defense in the nation. Two fourth quarter touchdowns put the Sooners ahead 31-28 with seven minutes to go. The Huskers drove the length of the field and with two minutes to go, Kinney scored his fourth touchdown of the game to give Nebraska the lead back. Mildren tried desperately to drive for the winning score but was sacked as time expired, giving the Cornhuskers a memorable 35-31 victory that will stand alone in the annals of college football.
Nebraska went on to easily beat Hawaii and then Alabama in the Orange Bowl while Oklahoma blew out rival Oklahoma State and then Auburn in the Sugar Bowl. Not only did the two teams finish one-two in the final rankings, but a 9-2 Colorado team whose only losses came at the hands of Oklahoma and Nebraska finished third, bypassing several teams with one loss.
So how good were these two teams in terms of history? In recent polls conducted by the Sporting News and ESPN, in 1971 Nebraska team was voted as the greatest college football team of the 20th century. Had Oklahoma won that game, they very likely would have been voted No. 1 instead.
Of the 22 first team all Big Eight players selected that year, 17 were from Oklahoma and Nebraska. Eight of those players were named first team all-American, including Johnny Rodgers, who would win the Heisman trophy the following season. Nebraska's defense ended up ranking No. 1 in virtually every category, while Oklahoma's famed wishbone offense averaged 472 rushing yards per game, a record that still stands.
The game caught the nation's attention, and was widely acclaimed as the greatest single game ever played in college football. Analyst Beano Cooke summed it up by saying afterward, “They can quit playing football now. They have played the perfect game.”
Seldom had a game of that magnitude lived up to the anticipation and hype. Of all the so-called “games of the century,” one stands out above the rest. The 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma contest will always be remembered as the “true” game of the century.