Oklahoma football: Five standout Sooner season openers

By Chip Rouse | Jul 16, 2017

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 10 : The Oklahoma Sooners meet on the field before the game against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks September 10, 2016 at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners defeated the Warhawks 59-17. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) *** local caption *** /

3 of 6

BERKELEY, CA – NOVEMBER 19: Tre Watson /

September 18, 1954 — Oklahoma at California

After going 9-1-1 in 1953, including a 7-0 win over No. 1 Maryland in the Orange Bowl, Oklahoma put its nine-game winning streak to the test to open the 1954 season, traveling to Northern California for a game against the No. 12-ranked University of California Golden Bears.

Midway through the third quarter, the Sooners led the Bears by a slim 7-6 margin.

The Oklahoma defense forced a California fumble deep in OU territory, and it took just one razzle-dazzle play for the Sooners to go 87 yards for a touchdown that proved to be the winning score. OU quarterback Gene Calarme lateraled to halfback Buddy Leake, who uncorked a 35-yard pass to Sooner end Max Boydston, who did the rest, outracing the surprised California defenders to the end zone to extend the OU lead to eight points.

Oklahoma would score 13 more points and post a 27-13 victory in win number one of the 1954 season.

Sooner head coach Bud Wilkinson was quoted in an article in Sports Illustrated the following week saying, “If Cal hadn’t made mistakes, I imagine we wouldn’t have won.”

Oklahoma would go 10-0 that season and 11-0 and10-0 in 1955 and 1956, respectively, as part of the Sooners’ NCAA record 47-game winning streak.

Home/OU Football