Oklahoma Football: 30 Best Games in School History
By Chip Rouse
Nov 8, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners fans before the game against the Baylor Bears at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Oct. 10, 1953 – Oklahoma 19, Texas 14
By 1953, Texas and Oklahoma had met 47 times on the football field. Texas had dominated the Red River rivalry series to that point, winning 30 times to Oklahoma’s 15. The two teams had fought to a tie on two occasions. The significance of this particular game, the 48th renewal in the series, was that it would be the first of an NCAA record 47 consecutive wins by Oklahoma.
Oklahoma scored midway through the opening quarter to go up 6-0 and scored again in the second quarter on an 80-yard punt return by Merrill Green to take a 12-0 lead into halftime at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
Junior halfback Tom Carroll broke off a 48-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, giving Oklahoma a commanding 19-0 advantage, but the Longhorns refused to give up. Texas tallied two times in the final stanza, but the rally fell five points short. The Sooners held on for a 19-14 victory, their second straight win over their hated rivals.
The game was evenly contested as reflected in the game stats. Oklahoma amassed 233 yards of total offense, 220 of that on the ground, while the Longhorns were fairly balanced with 117 yards rushing and 104 through the air. Those offensive numbers are more representative of a half of play in today’s college play, which is a lot more explosive offensively.
Next: Dec. 1, 1956 - Oklahoma 53, Oklahoma A&M 0