1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, 1971
The "Game of the Century"
(1971 version)
Conference game
National Championship Game
1234 Total
Nebraska 77147 35
Oklahoma 31477 31
DateNovember 25, 1971
Season1971
StadiumOwen Field
LocationNorman, Oklahoma
FavoriteNebraska by 1 [1]
National anthemThe Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band
RefereeVance Carlson
Attendance61,826
United States TV coverage
NetworkABC
AnnouncersChris Schenkel,
Bud Wilkinson, and
Bill Flemming (sideline)
College Football Championship Game
 < 1969 (Dec) 1972

The 1971 Nebraska vs. Oklahoma football game was the 51st edition of the rivalry, one of several labeled as a "Game of the Century." The Big Eight Conference matchup was held on Thursday, November 25, 1971, in Norman, Oklahoma.

The top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, defending national champions with a 20-game winning streak (and 29 without a loss), traveled south to play the second-ranked Oklahoma Sooners.[2] In a game that lived up to the hype, the Cornhuskers scored a late touchdown to defeat the Sooners by four, 35–31.[3][4][5][6][7]

  1. ^ "Nebraska slim pick". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. November 24, 1971. p. 11.
  2. ^ Oklahoma Sooners Official Athletic Site – Football Archived 2010-06-27 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "'Huskers dump Sooners". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. November 26, 1971. p. 3B.
  4. ^ "Kinney leads Nebraska triumph". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. November 26, 1971. p. 42.
  5. ^ "Battle for top spot reveals a pair of winners". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. November 26, 1971. p. 8.
  6. ^ Jenkins, Dan (December 6, 1971). "Nebraska rides high". Sports Illustrated. p. 22.
  7. ^ "Hype was exceeded by performance". ESPN Classic. Retrieved April 24, 2010.