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Posted: 09.07.2002 Sooner Magic
"Sooner Magic" first appeared in 1976 in the fourth quarter of the Nebraska-Oklahoma game. It was born on a cold and windy afternoon in Lincoln in '76 when the fourth quarter found the Sooners trailing the Cornhuskers 17-7. With three minutes to play, and the lead down to four, hope for a comeback had all but vanished into the Nebraska clouds. Oklahoma was stuck at the 'Husker 16-yard line when Woodie Shepard completed a 50-yard halfback pass to freshman end Steve Rhodes, whose catch was nothing short of miraculous. Two plays later, Rhodes ran a curl pattern and then pitched to halfback Elvis Peacock on the old hook-and-lateral. Peacock was finally knocked out of bounds at the Nebraska three.
Peacock scored the winning touchdown on next play with 30 seconds remaining, vaulting the Sooners into a three-way tie for the conference championship. Further proof of the pixy dust that filled the air over Lincoln that day was the pregame prayer delivered in the Oklahoma locker room by defensive back and team captain Scott Hill at the behest of coach Barry Switzer: "Please dear Lord don't let any injury or harm come to any player. And please, please, please, dear Lord, please don't let the best team win." The youthful Sooners were outmanned and outgunned that day. But "Sooner Magic" never failed them. (Article from ESPN Classic.) What do I say? As much as I prayed we wouldn't, we obviously bought into our own hype. I called Stacy eight minutes into the fourth quarter to concede. I told her that even if we somehow managed to win -- we wouldn't mentally. The minute Jason's ACL snapped, my heart broke in two. Again, I just knew before he even stood up. (Anyone remember Nebraska last year? The poor kid has fought so hard to come back, only to blow out the other knee.) I am one of Nate's biggest and most vocal critics. The guy just doesn't have what it takes to be an OU QB. He'll take a sack before throwing the ball away. He's got that deer-in-the-headlights stare when defenders are coming at him. He just freezes. And now the rest of our season rests on his shoulders...again...for better or for worse. But I don't want any of that commentary to take away Alabama's game. We had the most points. We didn't deserve them. We walked away with the "W". We didn't earn it. Bama played their hearts out today -- especially in the second half. We were out-coached. We were out-played. Our special teams made Norman High's squad look like a Fiesta Bowl-bound team. Anything that could have went wrong...did. And it was all at the hands of the Crimson Tide. The only thing that made the final score 37-27 was Sooner Magic. Thank God.  Hey, you know I warned you about this game. When they put the Sooners at +12.5 favorites, I had to run to the little pay window and grab a ticket. Coach Fran (former hometown head coach @ TCU) gets his teams ready BIG TIME. He can break down film like nobody's business. To make matters worse, OU showed a couple of defensive weaknesses vs. Tulsa when everyone thought there weren't any. Plus this was 'Bama's bowl game because of the probation. I told you you'd need a whole bottle of Tums. If it makes you feel any better, next week is UTEP. They were woodshed-ed today by Kentucky 77-something. But, I do think you're gonna see some trouble with Iowa State. :( Anyway, I'm hoping we (FSU) see you in the Fiesta!! ¤ ¤ credit: Kevin | 09.07.02 at 09:37 PM | link- -this ¤ ¤ You know, I don't think I've ever been more proud of our guys. They really did give it their heart and soul... that really counted in my book! Congrats to you guys... without it being OU and Bama playing... it wouldn't have been so special. ¤ ¤ credit: christi | 09.07.02 at 09:39 PM | link--this ¤ ¤Christi, I'm even more of a Bama fan now. And I'm already fearing next year in YOUR house. ;-) ¤ ¤ credit: robyn | 09.07.02 at 10:11 PM | link--this ¤ ¤lol! You'll get to see what a Bama game is really like!! Two hundred fifty RV's??! That is nothing like a home game here... :) ¤ ¤ credit: christi | 09.07.02 at 10:19 PM | link--this ¤ ¤Just to clarify, UK won 77-17 over UTEP. WHOOPIE! ¤ ¤ credit: Ashley | 09.07.02 at 11:05 PM | link--this ¤ ¤Thank God we get UTEP next week...I think... ;-) Congrats on your win! When we saw the score, and I knew you were there, I knew you had to be a very happy woman. ¤ ¤ credit: robyn | 09.07.02 at 11:06 PM | link--this ¤ ¤A hoarse, but very happy woman! :) ¤ ¤ credit: Ashley | 09.08.02 at 09:01 AM | link--this ¤ ¤
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