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Sun Bowl 1981
Oklahoma 40 Houston 14 |
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By JOHN LAIRD Gannett News Service
The stark irony that unfolded before 33,816 fans was Shepard, who in 1978 was banned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association from playing in bowl games for the University of Houston. The NCAA did not approve of the method by which Shepard had financed an automobile.
Shepard's transfer to Oklahoma met resistance from the rest of the Big Eight conference, but eventually he became the Sooner quarterback midway through the 1979 season. And Saturday, he romped through his last amateur football game with the ultimate dramatic flair, burying the Cougars with whom he began his college career five seasons back.
After rushing for 107 yards and two touchdowns, Shepard was voted the game's Most Valuable Player. Most Valuable Lineman honors went to OU's Rick Bryan, a sophomore all-Big Eight and Academic all-American.
Sims, a reserve Sooner fullback who had netted only 179 yards all year, further humiliated the Cougars by running for 181 yards. More amazing than the figures was the short time required to compile the third-best rushing figure in Sun Bowl history. Sims replaced starter Stanley Wilson just before intermission and accrued all his acreage in the second half. Only Charles Alexander of LSU (197 yards in 1977) and Mississippi State's Walter Packer (183 yards in 1974) will appear above Sims in the Sun Bowl record book.
Oklahoma justified its national rushing lead by netting 409 yards against the reputable Cougar defense. The next best rushing total by a Houston opponent this year had been 237 by Texas A&M.
Oklahoma thus finished an excruciating season on a positive note. For eight years. Coach Barry Switzer never lost more than two games in a season, but this year his Sooners slumped to a 6-4-1. Their day-late Christmas present to Switzer was his seventh win in eight bowl games.
OU and Houston each finished 1981 with 7-4-1 records.
Players and coaches from both teams pointed to a third-quarter fumble by Houston's Robert Durham as the game's turning point. Oklahoma had edged into a 10-7 lead, but the game was still very much in doubt.
Durham caught a toss from Lionel Wilson and began a 60-yard jaunt down the left sideline. Could Oklahoma keep its lead by catching Durham in time to prevent a touchdown?
More than that, the Sooners knocked the ball loose at the l and it rolled into the end zone, then out of bounds. The touchback reversed possession and set the Sooners upon their own 20.
Not only had the Cougars been stopped, but Oklahoma was setting up an 80-yard drive that would extend its lead to 17-7. Shortly after Durham's fumble, Sims broke loose for 21 yards up the middle, then Shepard found an opening around right end for a big 42-yarder down to the Cougar 1.
Four plays earlier, Durham was fumbling back down at the other 1, but now it was OU knocking on the door. And Shepard shoved his way between center and right guard on a clutch fourth-and-goal play early in the fourth quarter, starting an OU avalanche.
"They have a lot of offense, but the fumble really turned everything around," Houston Head Coach Bill Yeoman said on his 54th birthday. "There is no excuse for the Durham fumble. We sagged a bit and they got some points after the fumble. We just thought about it for too long."
Switzer said, "We were fortunate to have a play like that. It was the turning point. Sims , played very well replacing (Stanley) Wilson. We always thought he was a good player. He'll have a good future here at OU."
Oklahoma began to pour it on later in the final quarter when Michael Keeling and strong gusts that raced through the Sun Bowl collaborated on a 49-yard field goal with 8 minutes remaining.
Just one minute later, Steve Whaley recovered a fumble at the Houston 29-yard-line. On second down, Sims went straight ahead, then cut to the right on an impressive 30-yard touchdown run. Keeling's conversion point made it 37-7 with 6:19 left in the game.
Houston had trouble sustaining momentum until too late in the game. The Cougars drove 10 plays without a score in the first quarter, nine plays for nothing in the second quarter and eight plays with nothing to show early in the third period.
Late in the game Houston put together a 13-play, 74-yard drive with Donald Jordan touring the final six yards on a pitchout around right end. The Coogs were still down, though, 27-14 with less than three minutes remaining.
That proved to be plenty of time, however ... for the Sooners to score twice. Sims had a 48-yard run to set up a 2-yard score by freshman Ron Mills with 1:25 remaining. That made it 33-14.
Just 9 seconds later on the clock, defensive end John Truitt returned an interception 28 yards for the final score.
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Houston's Mark Ford is pursued by Oklahoma's Orlando Flanagan.
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OU Quarterback Darrell Shepard. |
Buster Rhymes lunges forward for OU. |
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Stanley Wilson carries for OU. |
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| Houston's Kelly McDonald (41) and Grady Turner (40) combine to bring down Stanley Wilson. | |
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Attendance- 33,816
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EL
PASO, Texas- Quarterback Darrell Shepard rolled on the final credits in
his five-year melodrama and freshman fullback Fred Sims defied the
nation's No. 3 defense Saturday as Oklahoma destroyed Houston 40-14 in
the 47th Sun Bowl.
