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Switzer denies it, but Miami defender is convinced the 1988 Orange Bowl did in OU's trademark offense

 
By John Rohde | Published: September 6, 2007    Comment on this article Leave a comment

Barry Switzer installed the wishbone offense during an open week early in the 1970 season.

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Third time's a title
Miami 20

Oklahoma 14

•Date: Jan. 1, 1988

•Place: Orange Bowl

•Rankings: OU No. 1, Miami No. 2

•Records: OU 11-0, Miami 11-0

•Heroes: Quarterback Steve Walsh completed 18 of 30 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns in Miami's national title-clinching victory. Hurricanes fullback Melvin Bratton had nine receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown before leaving with an injury. Miami linebacker Bernard Clark had 14 tackles, and the Hurricanes limited OU to 255 total yards.

•Legacy: Miami coach Jimmy Johnson finally won the national championship his Hurricanes also could have won in 1985 and 1986. "I was with (Florida State coach) Bobby Bowden and Barry (Switzer) a few years ago at one of the Orange Bowls,” Johnson said. "Bobby was talking to Barry, saying, ‘Do you realize how many national championships we could have won if it hadn't been for this guy?' We all had a big laugh.”

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It was that same moment when Jimmy Johnson started figuring out ways to defend it.

And during the 1988 Orange Bowl, more than a few people were convinced Johnson officially broke the wishbone.

Johnson beat Switzer 20-14 for the national title, limiting an OU offense that averaged 43.5 points and 499.7 yards per game to just 255 yards on 66 plays.

OU's longest play from scrimmage was a 29-yard "fumblerooskie” touchdown run by offensive guard Mark Hutson with 2:05 left in the game.

It marked the third straight season the Hurricanes beat the Sooners, having previously won regular-season games in Norman and Miami.

Take away those games against Johnson, and Switzer went 33-0 from 1985-87.

OU entered the Orange Bowl riding a 20-game winning streak. The school was seeking its seventh national championship since 1950 and Switzer was after his fourth crown.

The Sooners wouldn't get their seventh title until 2000 under second-year coach Bob Stoops. By that time, they had adopted a spread attack while using a left-handed junior-college transfer quarterback out of Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.

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