Oklahoma football: Five best Sooner teams of all-time

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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 *** /

#4 1985 Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma began the 1985 season as the No. 2 team in the country. A 27-14 loss at home to non-ranked Miami (Fla.) in the fourth week of the season knocked the Sooners back down to 10th in the Associated Press poll.

It was in the Miami game that future NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman, the starting quarterback for OU, broke his ankle. That ended his season, and he would never again play for the Sooners. Aikman transferred to UCLA at the end of that season. Freshman Jamelle Holieway replaced Aikman at quarterback and ultimately was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. The following season he was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

Miami was the only game the Sooners would lose that season. Oklahoma would go on to beat No. 2 Nebraska and No. 17 Oklahoma State on back-to-back weekends and topped off the season with a 25-10 win over then-No. 1 Penn State, which earned Barry Switzer and the Sooners the program’s sixth national championship.

Operating out of the explosive Wishbone, triple-option offense, Oklahoma averaged close to 400 yards on the ground and 31 points a game in the 1985 season and also was outstanding on defense, holding opponents to under nine points a game. The Sooners had three All-Americans on defense that season (LB Brian Bosworth, NG Tony Casillas and DE Kevin Murphy.

The Sooners’ Wishbone attack that season featured Holieway a quarterback and a backfield rotation of RBs Leon Perry, Patrick Collins and Spencer Tillman and FB Lydell Carr.

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