The 1985 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. This year was Barry Switzer's 13th season as head coach. The Sooners ended this season with 11 wins and a sole loss coming to the Miami Hurricanes in Norman, in a game in which the Sooners lost starting quarterback Troy Aikman for the season. The Sooners were forced to place their trust in freshman quarterback Jamelle Holieway and a physical defense featuring three All-Americans, who led them to a Big 8 Conference title and a national championship. This was Oklahoma's sixth national championship and 34th conference championship in school history.
Schedule
Roster Quarterbacks
18 Troy Aikman† – Sophomore 4 Jamelle Holieway† – Freshman 16 Kyle Irvin – Sophomore 1 Eric Mitchel – Freshman 9 Glen Sullivan – Sophomore
Running backs
28 Rotnei Anderson FB – Freshman 45 Lydell Carr† FB – Sophomore 43 Chris Howard FB – Freshman 5 Earl Johnson FB – Junior 84 Chris Youman FB – Freshman 35 Eric Bross – Freshman 33 Patrick Collins† – Sophomore 28 Ron Counter – Sophomore 23 Don Maloney – Freshman 22 Gregg Nesbitt – Sophomore 2 Leon Perry† – Freshman 38 Chris Richards – Freshman 27 Damon Stell – Sophomore 20 Spencer Tillman† – Junior 26 Mark White – Freshman 82 Greg Dixon – Freshman 13 Dion Wharry – Freshman 30 Robert Stanley† – Sophomore
Receivers
15 Derrick Crudup – Sophomore 87 Paul Rodgers – Freshman 3 Derrick Shepard† – Junior 24 Don Smitherman – Freshman 25 Anthony Stafford† – Freshman Lee Morris – Sophomore Carl Cabbiness – Freshman 83 Jeff Jones – Freshman
Tight ends
85 Darin Berryhill – Senior 88 Keith Jackson† – Sophomore 97 Aubrey King – Freshman 89 Terry Pritchard – Freshman 67 David Frolich – Freshman 81 David Shoemaker – Freshman Lance Price – Sophomore Offensive line
74 W. Bennett G – Freshman 62 Al Laurita G – Sophomore 71 Jeff Pickett G – Junior 63 Eric Pope†‡ G – Senior 73 Scott Harrison L – Freshman 72 Dugan Forrest T – Freshman 58 Mickey Greene T – Freshman 79 Mark Hutson† T – Sophomore 73 Chuck Johnson C – Freshman 75 Greg Johnson T – Sophomore 70 Richard Marks T – Sophomore 68 Anthony Phillips† T – Freshman 77 Caesar Rentie T – Sophomore 76 Mark Van Keirsbilck T – Freshman 65 Mike Wise L – Freshman 57 Kevin Adkins C – Junior 78 Daniel Blackwood C – Sophomore 53 Travis Simpson C – Junior 52 Ric Uhles C – Senior 59 Greg Williams C – Freshman 55 Paul Ferrer† C/G – Senior
Defensive line
92 Tony Casillas†‡ NG – Senior 51 Richard Davis NG – Freshman 93 Curtice Williams NG – Freshman 69 Andre Williams L – Freshman 98 Dante Williams L – Freshman 61 Mike Aljoe E – Junior 47 Jeff Hake E – Junior 80 Troy Johnson E – Sophomore 46 Kert Kaspar E – Sophomore 60 Mike Mantle E – Junior 39 Kevin Murphy†‡ E – Senior 40 Darrell Reed E – Sophomore 95 Jodie Britt T – Sophomore 86 Steve Bryan T – Junior 90 Darren Kilpatrick T – Sophomore 56 Bob Latham† T – Freshman 66 Jon Phillips T – Sophomore 96 Richard Reed T – Junior 78 Jeff Tupper T – Senior 99 Tony Woods T – Freshman Linebackers
44 Brian Bosworth† – Sophomore 41 Tony Sebo – Freshman 54 Evan Gatewood – Junior 50 Dante Jones† – Sophomore 43 Frederick McDonald injured resv."Sophomore" 48 Brad McBride – Sophomore 42 Paul Migliazzo† – Junior
Defensive backs
8 Sonny Brown† – Junior 29 Rickey Dixon† – Sophomore 9 Lonnie Finch – Freshman 49 Scott Garl – Freshman 7 Ledell Glenn – Junior 32 Percy Hines – Junior 6 Andre Johnson – Sophomore 36 Steve Jones – Freshman 17 Ken McMichel – Freshman 35 Tony Rayburn† – Junior 21 Carlos Scott – Freshman 37 Todd Smith – Junior 11 Leonard Thomas – Freshman 22 Kevin Thompson – Freshman 19 Scott Thompson – Freshman 10 David Vickers† – Sophomore 14 Derrick White – Freshman
Kickers
31 Tim Lashar† – Junior 91 Todd Thomsen – Freshman 26 Darren Atyia P – Sophomore 12 Mike Winchester P† – Junior† Starter at position ‡ Team Captain * Injured; did not play in 1985. Courtesy of Soonerstats.com
Rankings
Game summaries After losing the 1985 Orange Bowl to the Washington Huskies and letting any National Championship aspirations for that year disappear (and be awarded to the BYU Cougars, the nation's only undefeated college football team that year), the defending Big 8 Champion Sooners came into the 1985 season on a mission. Led by a defense (which later drew comparisons to their NFL counterpart Chicago Bears) and quarterback sophomore Troy Aikman, the Sooners seemed poised for a run at the Orange Bowl and the National Championship.
Nothing seemed to indicate otherwise, as the Sooners rolled past Minnesota and Kansas State before beating the Longhorns in the annual Red River Shootout.
at Minnesota
OU MINN First downs 21 6 Rushing yards 64–254 25–57 Passing 7–17–0 8–20–0 Passing yards 67 121 Total Offense 321 178 Fumbles Lost 1 0 Penalties 6–35 5–35 Time of Possession 40:54 19:06
at Kansas State
SoonerStats.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
OU KSU First downs 30 6 Rushing yards 76–353 25–21 Passing 10–14–1 13–26–3 Passing yards 177 100 Total Offense 530 121 Fumbles Lost 3 0 Penalties 10–74 7–64 Time of Possession 37:27 22:33
vs. No. 17 Texas (Red River Shootout)
Source: "45-yard run gives No. 2 OU 14-7 win over Texas." Gainesville Sun. October 13, 1985
The Sooners' offense didn't have a banner day in the 80th edition of the Red River Rivalry although they still rolled up 220 yards rushing and Troy Aikman completed four of nine passes for 67 yards. Lydell Carr led all rushers with 80 yards on 23 carries, and Patrick Collins added 61 yards on four carries. Keith Jackson had 49 yards on his two receptions.
On the game's third play, Oklahoma's All-American nose guard Tony Casillas went down with a sprained right knee. The Oklahoma defense, even without Casillas, manhandled Texas. The Sooners held the Longhorns to just 70 yards in total offense, 17 on the ground for an average of less than half a yard per their 35 carries, and just four first downs. They got into Oklahoma territory only three times, twice to the 49-yard line and once to the 46, and one of those trips was thanks to another fumble. In addition, the Sooners picked off three passes, and Texas was held to no first downs in the second half. Brian Bosworth finished the game with 14 tackles, 11 of them unassisted, and a leaping interception of quarterback Todd Dodge.
Texas OU First downs 4 14 Rushing yards 35–17 66–220 Passing 4–15–3 4–9–0 Passing yards 53 67 Total Offense 70 287 Fumbles Lost 0 2 Penalties 5–30 3–20 Time of Possession 24:44 35:16
Miami (FL)
The third-ranked Sooners (3-0) returned home to play their first game in Norman, hosting unranked Miami (4-1). The game made local headlines as a homecoming for Hurricanes coach Jimmy Johnson who was an Oklahoma defensive line coach with Switzer from '70-'72 and went 0-5 against the Sooners as the Oklahoma State head coach.
Oklahoma came into the contest with the nation's most aggressive defense (leading to their comparisons to the Monsters of the Midway), which seemingly got better each week, and was led up front by All-American nose tackle Tony Casillas, whose injury against Texas forced him to miss the game. The line featured sophomore tackle Troy Johnson, sophomore end Darrell Reed, and senior end Kevin Murphy, himself an All-American candidate. Lining up behind the group was the menacing Brian Bosworth, with fellow linebackers Paul Migliazzo and Dante Jones (another talented sophomore). This group had permitted an average of only 32 yards rushing per game. Juniors Tony Rayburn and Sonny Brown, and sophomores Rickey Dixon and Derrick White, patrolled the secondary, allowing only 91 yards passing per game. In three games, the defense had allowed only 16 first downs and had permitted an average of 6.6 points per game.
Miami had lost their '85 opener to Florida, 35-23, before reeling off four straight wins against unranked opponents. The Hurricanes were the nation's top offensive team, and they were sporting a pro-style passing attack, orchestrated by junior quarterback Vinny Testaverde, who had backed up Bernie Kosar the last time the Hurricanes had won the National Championship. Alonzo Highsmith and Melvin Bratton lined up in the backfield, and the acrobatics of top-flight wide receivers Michael Irvin and Brian Blades helped the team average 36.2 points per game. The Hurricane defense came in after a shutout of Cincinnati, permitting an average of only 16 points per game, featuring junior tackle Jerome Brown and cornerback Bennie Blades.
In front of a sellout crowd of 75,008 at Memorial Stadium, Miami's Jerome Brown broke through and sacked Aikman on the 29-yard line with 9:18 left in the first half and broke his ankle. Aikman, who had been six of eight passing for 131 yards, would be lost for the season.
Testaverde and company took over, scorching the Oklahoma secondary with 270 yards passing and the 'Canes rambled for 105 on the ground. They played mistake-free football and didn't give up any turnovers. Brown led the Miami defensive effort with 16 tackles, a blocked field goal, and the sack on Aikman. And on the other side, pressed into duty as a true freshman, Holieway had rushed for only 57 yards on 17 carries and attempted just six passes.
Furious about the loss, both of the game and their starting quarterback, Oklahoma proceeded to go on a rampage, pasting Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri and Colorado by a combined score of 189-26, before playing host to Nebraska in a game that would ultimately decide the Big 8 Championship.
Miami OU First downs 17 20 Rushing yards 39–105 63–211 Passing 17–28–0 7–14–1 Passing yards 270 151 Total Offense 375 362 Fumbles Lost 0 1 Penalties 4–30 5–48 Time of Possession 26:57 33:03
Iowa State
In freshman Jamelle Holieway's first start at quarterback, the Sooners rolled up 542 yards rushing and 643 yards of total offense in a dominant win over Iowa State.SoonerStats.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
ISU OU First downs 15 25 Rushing yards 41–122 64–542 Passing 15–27–0 2–5–0 Passing yards 128 101 Total Offense 250 643 Fumbles Lost 1 1 Penalties 8–65 7–81 Time of Possession 31:21 28:39
Kansas
SoonerStats.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
KU OU First downs 14 22 Rushing yards 40–63 58–424 Passing 14–33–3 5–8–0 Passing yards 112 101 Total Offense 175 525 Fumbles Lost 1 3 Penalties 9–69 3–30 Time of Possession 33:30 26:30
at Missouri
SoonerStats.com. Retrieved 2018-Feb-18.
OU MU First downs 24 12 Rushing yards 66–341 37–62 Passing 8–17–1 15–25–2 Passing yards 168 157 Total Offense 509 219 Fumbles Lost 2 4 Penalties 6–38 4–35 Time of Possession 32:49 27:11
Colorado
Gainesville Sun. November 17, 1985
CU OU First downs 6 24 Rushing yards 39–75 81–360 Passing 4–12–1 3–10–0 Passing yards 34 39 Total Offense 109 399 Fumbles Lost 0 3 Penalties 5–45 3–20 Time of Possession 25:34 34:26
No. 2 Nebraska
Nebraska came into Norman ranked second in the nation, with the nation's highest scoring offense with 39.1 points per game and the best rushing attack in the country with 395 yards per game. This high-powered offense was led by fullback Tom Rathman, one of the best in Nebraska history who had rushed for over 800 yards that season. Together with quarterback McCathorn Clayton and junior I-back Doug DuBose, whose 1,115 rushing yards made 1985 his second straight season over 1,000, the Cornhuskers were poised for a national title run. Junior linebacker Marc Munford was the leading tackler for the Huskers for the second straight year and led the defense, together with tackle Jim Skow and defensive back Brian Washington.