1985 Orange Bowl

1985 Orange Bowl
Washington Huskies Oklahoma Sooners
(10–1) (9–1–1)
Pac-10 Big Eight
28 17
Head coach: 
Don James		 Head coach: 
Barry Switzer
APCoaches
43
APCoaches
22
1234 Total
Washington 140014 28
Oklahoma 01403 17
Date January 1, 1985
Season 1984
Stadium Orange Bowl
Location Miami, Florida
MVP Jacque Robinson (TB, UW)
Ron Holmes         (DT, UW)
Favorite Oklahoma by 6 points [1]
Attendance 56,294
United States TV coverage
Network NBC
Announcers Don Criqui, Bob Trumpy,
and Bill Macatee

The 1985 Orange Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game played on January 1, 1985, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It matched the #4 Washington Huskies of the Pacific-10 Conference and the #2 Oklahoma Sooners of the Big Eight Conference.[2][3][4][5][6]

Teams

Oklahoma

The Sooners (9–1–1) won the Big Eight title for the ninth time in the last 12 seasons and were making their fifth Orange Bowl appearance in seven years. Oklahoma was favored by six points.[1]

Washington

The Huskies (10–1) had risen back from a loss at USC on November 10 that knocked them from the top spot in both polls to fourth (#3 UPI), and cost them the Pac-10 title and the accompanying berth in the Rose Bowl. This was the first appearance by a Pac-10 team in the Orange Bowl and remains the Huskies' only appearance.

Game summary

Danny Greene gave the Huskies an early lead on his 29-yard touchdown catch from Paul Sicuro, and Jacque Robinson made it 14–0 after one quarter on his touchdown plunge. Sooner Danny Bradley cut the lead with a touchdown sneak, and Derrick Shepard tied the game before halftime on his 61 yard catch from Bradley for a touchdown.

After a scoreless third quarter, Tim Lashar made it 17–14 on his 35 yard field goal. With 8:39 remaining, Hugh Millen threw a touchdown pass to Mark Pattison to give the Huskies the go-ahead lead. After an interception of a Sooner pass, Washington soon scored again on a touchdown run to make the final score 28–17.[7]

The Sooner Schooner Game

The Sooners were attempting a field goal that would've given them the lead and broken the 14–14 tie early before Lashar's eventual make in the fourth, this from 22 yards out. The field goal was good, and the Sooner Schooner rode out onto the field, as was tradition for Sooner scores. However, the field goal kick was nullified due to an illegal procedure penalty on Oklahoma due to a Sooner player not reporting his temporary jersey number to the officials, which he was required to do before the ball was snapped.

The wagon got stuck on the wet grass, ending up in front of the Huskies' sideline. The Sooners were assessed a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, moving the field goal attempt back to the 32. However Lashar's 42-yard kick was blocked, keeping the game tied at fourteen.[8][9]

The Orange Bowl returned to natural grass in 1976; the Sooners' home field in Norman had artificial turf from 1970 through 1993.

Aftermath

Washington finished second in both final polls;[10][11] undefeated Brigham Young won the national title after they rallied for a 24–17 victory over unranked Michigan (6–6) in the Holiday Bowl on December 21.[12][13]

This remains Washington's sole Orange Bowl appearance; Oklahoma returned to the Orange Bowl in the three seasons.

Statistics

StatisticsWashington  Oklahoma  
First Downs1717
Rushing Yards192162
Passing Yards119124
Total Yards311286
Interceptions31
Punts-Average6–37.77–34.6
Fumbles-Lost3–16–2
Penalties-Yards5–258–60

Source:[14]

References

  1. 1 2 "The latest line". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1985. p. 39.
  2. ↑ "Today's bowl games: Orange". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). January 1, 1985. p. 2B.
  3. ↑ "Huskies vote: 'We're No. 1'". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1985. p. 1C.
  4. ↑ "Huskies smash Sooners, 28-17". Milwaukee Sentinel. wire services. January 2, 1985. p. 1, part 2.
  5. ↑ Blanchette, John (January 2, 1985). "Huskies leave 'em Orange with envy". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. B1.
  6. ↑ Robinson, John (January 3, 1985). "Have Huskies crowned Y's season of destiny?". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. G1.
  7. ↑ http://game.orangebowl.org/orange-bowl-history/the-history-of-the-orange-bowl/1980s/1985/
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0NOuti5LfU
  9. ↑ http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1985-01-02/sports/8501010032_1_sooners-field-orange-bowl-oklahoma-sooners
  10. ↑ "It's close, but Huskies are No. 2". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). wire services. January 3, 1985. p. 19.
  11. ↑ Robinson, John (January 3, 1985). "BYU No. 1". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  12. ↑ "BYU finishes 13-0, but will it stay No. 1?". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 22, 1984. p. 1B.
  13. ↑ Robinson, Doug (December 22, 1984). "Bosco pass seals Holiday Bowl victory". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. D1.
  14. ↑ "Football: Orange Bowl". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). January 2, 1985. p. B4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.