Oklahoma Sooners Look to Reclaim Miami As Second Home

There was the tough loss to Florida last year and the embarrassing loss to USC to end the 2004 season, but before that, Miami has been home away from home for Oklahoma.

No one, except Miami of course, has enjoyed as much success as Oklahoma in the hottest city in the U.S.

In the fifties, they went four and zero in Miami all Orange Bowls and cemented two of their three national titles that decade in Vice City.

In the sixties OU played in Miami only once, again in an Orange Bowl beating Tennessee 26-24 in the 1968 game. 

The seventies saw OU become a regular in Miami. During the '75 season they played Miami and beat them at home for the first and only time. Then they finished the season in the Orange Bowl as well, defeating Michigan 14-6 capping another national title year.

In the 1978 Orange Bowl, The Sooners suffered their first loss ever in the Magic City. They lost to Arkansas in a rout 31-6.

They avenged their first loss the next year in an odd rematch against Nebraska who had beat them during the regular season by a field goal. Nebraska was upset by the rematch but OU was delighted and it showed on the field as OU won the rematch by seven, 31-24.

The eighties were a mixed bag of bitter defeat and glory for the Sooners in Miami. They started off with a victory on the first day of the new decade with an easy win over Florida State 24-7. The next year they got Florida State again, while the game was much closer. Now politician, J.C. Watts, sporting a huge 'fro, lead the Sooners to a one-point win 18-17.

They returned in 1985 to the Orange Bowl for the infamous "Sooner Schooner" game.

With 14 minutes left the Schooner charged on the field prematurely when a made kick was recalled due to a procedure penalty the Schooner got OU tagged with another fifteen yards. Turning a chip shot to take the lead into a blocked kick and a momentum swing that Washington carried turned into a victory.

In '86, OU lost to Miami in the regular season 28-16 but returned to Miami to play Penn State where OU ended up securing another national championship with a 25-10 win.

In the 1988, OU got its only matchup with Miami in an Orange bowl. It was a classic that almost all Sooner and Miami fans can recall the score of to this day. Miami came out on top, 20-14. It cemented OU-Miami as a rivalry though the teams seldom face one another.  

The Sooners went into hibernation for the next 13 years in the wake of the Switzer NCAA penalties. It would be 2001 before OU returned to Miami.

In a game that was supposed to be a offensive showdown 15 total points were scored as OU won a defensive struggle 13-2.

That was OU's last taste of success in Miami.

They seem to return to the championship in the BCS every time it is in Miami as they were defeated in the last two title games in Miami after winning the first Miami BCS title game.

OU looks to return to their winning ways in Miami on Saturday. Miami and OU are both in must win situations and Miami has the home-field advantage and OU has a inexperienced QB starting so it will be a major challenge for OU.

In Orange bowls, the Sooners are 12-4. In the actual Orange bowl overall with the regular season games with Miami they are 13-6. Overall, in Miami, they are 13-7 which is impressive seeing how most or the games have been against top ten, or even top five teams. 

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