(Editor’s note: Native State gives us his best blowouts in Sooner history as part of Best of Week. Follow him on Twitter: @NativeState.)
Gaudy OU blowouts are as common as fighting girls on reality shows. The former, however, only dispirits half the viewerships’ view of humanity.
In sequential order, these are OU victories that have given OU fans those magical days where the air smells fresher, your boss seems not so bad and we’re reminded how fortunate we are to cheer for the greatest football program in modern times. Have a fabulous weekend!
1990 – Oklahoma 45, Nebraska 10
Barry Switzer was gone and we were scrambling for meaning and identity. OU was on a two-game losing streak to Nebraska and we could feel our grasp on the control of our favorite rivalry leaving us and there was no clarity on how to stop it. OU gained nearly 400 yards in the last game of the season. Nebraska turned the ball over an amazing 7 times. It was the first time a, unranked Sooner team defeated a ranked Husker team since 1966. It would be the last taste of glory for some time. Oklahoma would not beat Nebraska again for another 10 years.
2000 – Oklahoma 63, Texas 14
This game served as a reawakening of the soul of Sooner Nation. Texas was the runaway favorite to win the Big 12 South for the second consecutive year and was going through a reemergence of its own. Texas had just completed back-to-back nine win seasons for the first time since 1983. Both teams were averaging over 40 points per game and allowing less than 12. The Sooners started quick and proceeded to run up a 42-0 lead in the second quarter and at halftime OU had more touchdowns than Texas had first downs. The defense matched the offensive dominance and held Texas to -7 yards rushing and forced 3 turnovers. It was the first Red River Rivalry win for OU when both teams were ranked since 1985. It would be the first of five consecutive victories over highly ranked Texas teams.
2000 – Oklahoma 31, Nebraska 14
This game solidified a thunderous announcement that OU was reborn after 12 years of dreary purgatory. After the destruction of No. 11 Texas and defeat of No. 2 Kansas State, the ultimate test came against the top-ranked Cornhuskers who had won three national championships in the previous six years. After spotting the Huskers 14 points, the Sooners rolled up 418 total yards of offense, scored 31 unanswered points and allowed only 159 Nebraska yards. The win ended Nebraska’s nation-leading winning streak of 13 games and placed OU at No. 1 for the first time since 1987. It remains the last time the Sooner fans felt compelled to rush Owen Field after a victory.
2003 – Oklahoma 65, Texas 13
Somehow, despite never winning a conference championship or going to a BCS bowl, the Longhorns, as they tend to do, conjured up bravado from the nether regions and began chanting and calling out the Sooners during pregame warmups. Stoops called off the dogs temporarily. When the game started, top-ranked Oklahoma flexed its muscle against Texas like it never has, scoring the most-lopsided victory in series history. The Sooners racked up 552 yards and forced 6 Longhorn turnovers as heralded Texas quarterback Vince Young experienced his first of two losses against the Sooners, throwing 2 interceptions and coughing up a fumble. As I witnessed the emptiness of the Texas side of the stadium before the third quarter even ended, I actually felt pity for a fan-base loathed by all the nation. The fact that I could even have this feeling is scientific fact that this is one of the greatest beatdowns in world history.
2003 – Oklahoma 52, Oklahoma St. 9
Thank the Cowboys for spawning the freak show that currently inhabits the Bayou. OSU’s two previous victories over OU, as bad as they were, didn’t compare to having to endure the incessant barking and douchey smirk of one Les Miles. It was cruel of him to raise the hopes of the nationally ranked Cowboys that day. The supposedly great Cowboy offense was held to a season-low 161 yards, gave up the ball three times and failed to score a single touchdown. The Sooners gave one last kick in the nads when, after three tries, OSU failed to punch the ball in the endzone from the 1-yard line. The Cowboys haven’t beaten OU since.
2003 – Oklahoma 77, Texas A&M 0
You ever watch a Mike Tyson’s Greatest Hits marathon on ESPN Classic? Watching Tyson’s utter destruction of average heavyweights gives us a visceral excitement that we probably should be ashamed of. The extravagant barbarism displayed on this November Saturday was as brutal as it was gluttonous. It was an all-you-can eat buffet of 33 first downs and 639 yards. The score was 49-0 after the second quarter and 77-0 after the third. The Aggies had 3 first downs and 54 total yards. You can win any argument with an Aggie for the rest of history with a simple recount of this final score. You can forever deny their every claim of pride when reminding them of that celebration when they “prevented” OU from going up 84-0. A 12th, 13th, or 14th man wouldn’t have helped them win the game that day.
2007 – Oklahoma 51, Miami 13
Vinny Testaverde and Jimmy Johnson weren’t on the field, but this one was for all the old-school guys out there. Between the years of 1985 and 1987, OU was 33-0……in games not played against Miami. The Hurricanes beat the Sooners three times during that stretch, including a national championship game. Thirty years later, times didn’t change in Coral Gables, as the Hurricanes came into the game talking that vaunted smack that only Michael Irvin could appreciate (see hilarity above). The Sooners took care of business, racking up 411 yards of offense while allowing only 139. It was a little salve for the wounds of seasons past.
2008 – Oklahoma 65, Texas Tech 21
The Red Raiders were undefeated and ranked No. 2 coming into Norman. Owen Field was electric during the nationally televised game that, for all intents and purposes, was the qualifying game for the Big 12 and BCS championship game. The Sooners were playing their best football of the year during this stretch in which they would score at least 60 points for five straight games. The game was over by the second quarter after OU went up 42-7 after Travis Lewis intercepted Graham Harrell to set up the second Sooner touchdown in 46 seconds. The crowd was more raucous than at any time at home since the Nebraska game of 2000.