Just loved watching our very own Barry Switzer's Sooners run that wishbone! It broke my and many Razorback fans hearts when Eric Mitchell spurned the home state Razorbacks for OU. One thing is for sure, he wouldn't have been sitting on the bench playing in Coach Ken Hatfield's flexbone. I will always appreciate QB Greg Thomas who Ken was forced into going with in 1985-87 but we will always wonder what could have been had Eric Mitchell come to Arkansas. Ken went 10-2, 9-3, and 9-4 with Greg at the helm which was very good but with Eric it would have been multiple SWC championships! Oh well I can dream I guess.
Eric Mitchell was a good player but had a problem with holding on to the ball and trying to make something happen every play.That's the reason Charles Thompson took over after Holieway tore up his knee. Of course Thompson had his off the field problems. His son is the QB at Nebraska. Troy Aikman is over on the UCLA side but had to set out after transfer from OU after breaking his leg the year before. Troy would go on to a great carrier at UCLA and take apart Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl witch I was at. Arkansas did have Quinn Grovey from Oklahoma, wanted to go to Oklahoma but Holieway was there and had won the NC.
Eric making that spectacular run, on a broken play, in the Orange Bowl at the end of the 1986/87 season would have been especially hard for Razorback fans. But the Razorbacks did basically win the first 1.5 quarters in that bowl game, shutting down Jamelle, however.
I really liked watching Oklahoma back then with Switzer. 1985 was actually a great coaching job.....Aikman goes down & they switch back to the wishbone & win it all.
Thanks FF....This was very enjoyable. Regardless of how bad Lynn Swann was as a commentator. He was bad as a sideline reporter and even worse in The Booth. Heluva receiver though.
Do you all here how quiet it is between plays, Only the noise of the crowd.. No loud music after every play no screaming Public Adress announcers. Just normal football
Switzer had joked before this game that he wasn’t going to let Troy Aikman officially transfer til after this game.(Aikman was the starting QB at Oklahoma at the start of the 1985 season til he got hurt. He knew it would be hard to replace Holloway and told Switzer he wanted to transfer. Switzer assisted Aikman in finding a program that would throw the ball a lot)
Jimmy Johnson claims in his Book "Turning The Thing Around" that Switzer steered Aikman away from Miami. Johnson and his Staff had recruited Aikman out of Henrietta, OK and thought they had made a really good impression but lost out to the Sooners being an elite type of program at the time. God I can't wait for football!
Yes, you're on point. I think it was Jerome Brown who broke Troy's leg? God, almost 40 years now, lol! That injury opened the door for Jamelle Hollaway, I think. @@mongoslade277
OU was a great team back in the 80's. No less a person than Lawrence Taylor (when he was at UNC) suffered a humbling 42-3 beatdown at the hands of the Sooners. Lawrence had cleat marks up and down his back that day.
1:51:38 I saw this play before when Voyager went to the far side of Jupiter, Jupiter grabbed its jersey and flung it around the other side to increase its velocity.
As a Bruin fan that was a rough game to wake up to that morning. But that Oklahoma team wound up being a juggernaut that year. I think only Miami beat them. My Bruins wound up 8-3-1
@@jeffstricken8549 I'm seeing a pattern here: those Hollywood/surfing dudes need to be CORN-FED farm-boys if they want to compete on an even level with OU/Nebraska.
@@jdwilmoth Turner Gill didn't run the wishbone. Nebraska's triple option was more of an I-Bone. Technically Irving Fryar was a wingback instead of a flanker. I don't know those Texas and Alabama quarterbacks in the wishbone. Holloway to me ran it better than Danny Bradley & JC Watts
At the start of the 2nd quarter, all tied up at 3 apiece, the boys from Hollywood were probably feeling pretty darn good about themselves right then. Hehe.
I never understood College Football's struggle against the Wishbone in the seventies and eighties, I remember Oklahoma would put up fifty and sixty points sometimes with no passing game to speak of, I know a lot of it had to do with some high powered defenses Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska had back then but if you stayed with the QB and Tailback you usually could stop it.
The number of future NFL players in this game is amazing.
Just loved watching our very own Barry Switzer's Sooners run that wishbone! It broke my and many Razorback fans hearts when Eric Mitchell spurned the home state Razorbacks for OU. One thing is for sure, he wouldn't have been sitting on the bench playing in Coach Ken Hatfield's flexbone. I will always appreciate QB Greg Thomas who Ken was forced into going with in 1985-87 but we will always wonder what could have been had Eric Mitchell come to Arkansas. Ken went 10-2, 9-3, and 9-4 with Greg at the helm which was very good but with Eric it would have been multiple SWC championships! Oh well I can dream I guess.
Agreed Eric Mitchell was explosive athlete and quarterback he would have been a Difference Maker for Arkansas.
Eric Mitchell was a good player but had a problem with holding on to the ball and trying to make something happen
every play.That's the reason Charles Thompson took over after Holieway tore up his knee. Of course Thompson had his off the field problems. His son is the QB at Nebraska. Troy Aikman is over on the UCLA side but had to set out after transfer from OU after breaking his leg the year before. Troy would go on to a great carrier at UCLA and take apart Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl witch I was at. Arkansas did have Quinn Grovey from Oklahoma, wanted to go to Oklahoma but Holieway was there and had won the NC.
Eric making that spectacular run, on a broken play, in the Orange Bowl at the end of the 1986/87 season would have been especially hard for Razorback fans. But the Razorbacks did basically win the first 1.5 quarters in that bowl game, shutting down Jamelle, however.
I was there that day. It was hot and sunny. Sooners played great.
I really liked watching Oklahoma back then with Switzer. 1985 was actually a great coaching job.....Aikman goes down & they switch back to the wishbone & win it all.
Oklahoma had a nasty non conference schedule that year. They played the 'Canes a few weeks later.
Yes they did. At Miami and it crushed us Sooner fans. We just could not beat Miami.
Thanks FF....This was very enjoyable.
Regardless of how bad Lynn Swann was as a commentator. He was bad as a sideline reporter and even worse in The Booth. Heluva receiver though.
Do you all here how quiet it is between plays, Only the noise of the crowd.. No loud music after every play no screaming Public Adress announcers. Just normal football
Eric Mitchell the best QB that never
got a start
Thanks for posting, especially for the feature on Holieway and Mitchel.
if not for the u oklahoma could have gone 36-0 85-87 and 3 straight national titles!!!!
I don't think so
Switzer had joked before this game that he wasn’t going to let Troy Aikman officially transfer til after this game.(Aikman was the starting QB at Oklahoma at the start of the 1985 season til he got hurt. He knew it would be hard to replace Holloway and told Switzer he wanted to transfer. Switzer assisted Aikman in finding a program that would throw the ball a lot)
But he did not want Troy transferring to Miami!
@@cardphins68Imagine if Jimmy Johnson had Aikman back then!! Miami broke his leg. Aikman wasn't going there
Jimmy Johnson claims in his Book "Turning The Thing Around" that Switzer steered Aikman away from Miami. Johnson and his Staff had recruited Aikman out of Henrietta, OK and thought they had made a really good impression but lost out to the Sooners being an elite type of program at the time. God I can't wait for football!
Yes, you're on point. I think it was Jerome Brown who broke Troy's leg? God, almost 40 years now, lol! That injury opened the door for Jamelle Hollaway, I think. @@mongoslade277
I think he made a deal with Donohue that Troy would not play against OU in this game before the transfer. That may have been a joke.
OU was a great team back in the 80's. No less a person than Lawrence Taylor (when he was at UNC) suffered a humbling 42-3 beatdown at the hands of the Sooners. Lawrence had cleat marks up and down his back that day.
The Boz.
1:51:38 I saw this play before when Voyager went to the far side of Jupiter, Jupiter grabbed its jersey and flung it around the other side to increase its velocity.
I loved watching OU with Coach Switzer back then!
As a Bruin fan that was a rough game to wake up to that morning. But that Oklahoma team wound up being a juggernaut that year. I think only Miami beat them. My Bruins wound up 8-3-1
Is this the game we're Bosworth said UCLA was a legit doormat?
Maybe he said. "Semi door mat"
Considering the how the transfer portal is nowadays, pretty sure Mitchel would have been gone at the end of the 1986 season, if not earlier.
Agreed
Keith Jackson would have entered the portal after 1 year.
'Girls school football'. Boz said the Bruins players were polite, probably a reflection of their coach.
Matt Stevens was the Quarterback for UCLA in 1986. When did Troy Aikman did start for the Bruins?
UCLA almost never got the ball past mid-field even!
I think they were ranked #44, and there was a typo.
Reminiscent of '84 when UCLA was Sports Illustrated's preseason #1 and they lost 42-3 to Nebraska in Pasadena in week 2 or 3.
@@jeffstricken8549 I'm seeing a pattern here: those Hollywood/surfing dudes need to be CORN-FED farm-boys if they want to compete on an even level with OU/Nebraska.
@@Bigfishfun333 Not sure if the brothas on those Bruins teams were into surfing.
@@jeffstricken8549 Yes, surfing appeals to a certain demographic.
@@Bigfishfun333 If by corn-fed you mean steroids, then yeah.
UCLA starter at qb throws 5 INT. Maybe there's someone on the Oklahoma sideline to help them in 1987 and beyond.
Good comment But he was enrolled at UCLA. Just couldn't play until 1987
I LOVED THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS
WISHBONE BACK THEN. HOLIWAY WAS THE BEST OPTION QUATERBACK IN OKLAHOMA HISTORY.
Jack Mildren.
Thomas Lott #6
HOLIEWAY WAS THE BEST WISHBONE QB AND THOMAS LOTT TOO!
This play by play guy sounds like he's doing an impersonation of Don Criqui on helium.
Seems like yesterday!
Holloway was the best wishbone quarterback to ever play the game
Turner Gill said hold my beer
@@mongoslade277not even close Holloway was the best but you know Troy aikman hates him
@@jdwilmoth Of course your right. Funny thing Holloway was like Pervis Ellison. Freshman year might have been the best year
@@mongoslade277 hey I didn't say I was right that's just my opinion that doesn't make it right
@@jdwilmoth Turner Gill didn't run the wishbone. Nebraska's triple option was more of an I-Bone. Technically Irving Fryar was a wingback instead of a flanker. I don't know those Texas and Alabama quarterbacks in the wishbone. Holloway to me ran it better than Danny Bradley & JC Watts
At the start of the 2nd quarter, all tied up at 3 apiece, the boys from Hollywood were probably feeling pretty darn good about themselves right then. Hehe.
Led to victory by Jamelle Holieway. A Hollywood boy.
@@Steven-bi1sq Hehe, good point. Lives in Oklahoma now, though. 😃
Lynn Swann was a horrible announcer.
I never understood College Football's struggle against the Wishbone in the seventies and eighties, I remember Oklahoma would put up fifty and sixty points sometimes with no passing game to speak of, I know a lot of it had to do with some high powered defenses Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska had back then but if you stayed with the QB and Tailback you usually could stop it.
BOOMER SOONER
That play by play announcer is annoying. Sounds like he's from Boston or something. Needs to go back to broadcasting school.
The wishbone back when football was played by Iron men!
Today, not so much....