History Is on Trojans’ Side Against Sooners
As a former Sooner quarterback, not to mention the ex-lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, Jack Mildren was wondering about something the other day.
“I’m not sure how many teams Oklahoma has a losing record against,” he said. “I don’t think it’s very many.”
More than a dozen teams hold a winning edge over the Sooners all-time. But many of them -- including Bethany, Camp Doniphan and Dallas Athletic Club -- date to the early 1900s. Others, such as Brigham Young and Mississippi, played Oklahoma only once.
Among teams that have played the Sooners at least five times, four can claim a winning record:
Miami, 3-2; Notre Dame, 8-1; Texas, 55-38-5, and USC, 5-2-1.
Entering the Orange Bowl tonight, the Trojans are riding a four-game winning streak against the Sooners that dates to 1981. The last time the Sooners won, in 1971, Mildren was on the team.
“USC was a big deal because they were a national power and coach John McKay was somebody we all knew about,” Mildren said.
Lynn Swann and Sam Cunningham played for USC. So did linebacker Willie Hall and safety Artimus Parker.
But the Trojans were in the midst of a disappointing 6-4-1 season and the Sooners were a team on the rise. Their wishbone offense, stocked with All-Americans such as Mildren and halfback Greg Pruitt, led the nation in rushing and scoring.
Late that season, they would lose to Nebraska in the so-called “Game of the Century.” On an October afternoon in Norman, however, they ran away from USC, 33-20.
“We had speed galore and, frankly, we moved the ball with ease,” Mildren said. “I just never thought it would be the last time we’d beat them until now.”
-- David Wharton
