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1968 ASTRO-BLUEBONNET BOWL SMU 28, OKLAHOMA 27
1980 HOLIDAY BOWL BYU 46, SMU 45
The 53,543 fans who gathered in the Astrodome on New Year’s Eve night for the 1968 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl comprised what at the time was the largest crowd ever to see a football game played indoors. They also witnessed one of the most exciting college bowl games ever as SMU and Oklahoma combined to score 35 points in the fourth quarter before the game was decided. OU scored on its first possession of the game when Bob Warmack carried on a sweep to the right for an eight-yard touchdown. Warmack’s touchdown stood as the game’s only score until the third quarter when Mike Richardson scored for SMU on a one-yard dive. The Sooners retaliated by driving 80 yards and scoring on a 21-yard pass from Steve Owens to Johnny Barr. The fireworks began in the fourth quarter when SMU’s Chuck Hixson connected with Jerry LeVias for an 11-yard scoring pass to tie the game at 14-14. Richardson scored his second touchdown with 7:35 left in the contest to give the Mustangs a 21-14 lead. After OU answered with a touchdown to tie the game, SMU linebacker Bruce Portillo intercepted a Sooner pass on the OU 22. Hixson put SMU on top, 28-21, after a 19-yard pass to Ken Fleming with just three minutes remaining. After driving the length of the field, Oklahoma cut the Mustang lead to 28-27 when Barr caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Mickey Ripley with 1:16 left. SMU held on to the lead when Ripley was stopped short of the goal line on the Sooners’ two-point conversion attempt.
The 1980 Holiday Bowl featured two teams with distinctly different offensive philosophies. SMU relied upon the running of Eric Dickerson and Craig James, while BYU boasted an explosive aerial attack led by Jim McMahon. The Mustangs jumped out of the gate early, racing to a 19-0 lead in the first quarter after touchdown runs by Dickerson and James, a safety and a 42-yard field goal by Eddie Garcia. SMU had increased its lead to 29-7 in the second quarter before BYU’s Vai Sikahema returned a punt 83 yards, pulling the Cougars within 16 at halftime. Entering the fourth quarter, SMU led 38-19, and with four minutes remaining the Mustangs held a 45-25 advantage. With his team trailing by 20, McMahon led BYU to two quick touchdowns to cut the SMU lead to 45-39. With 18 seconds remaining, BYU's Bill Schoepflin blocked Eric Kaifes’ punt to give BYU possession at the Mustang 41-yard line. After two desperation passes by McMahon fell incomplete, the Cougars had one final opportunity with just three seconds left. As time expired, McMahon found tight end Clay Brown in the end zone for a 41-yard touchdown pass, guiding BYU to one of the greatest comebacks in bowl history.
Houston, Texas December 31, 1968
San Diego, Calif. December 19, 1980
SMU BYU
19 7
10 6
9 6
7 27
-
45 46
GAME STATISTICS
Scoring Summary Oklahoma - Bob Warmack 3-yard run (Derr kick) SMU - Mike Richardson 1-yard run Oklahoma - Johnny Barr 21-yard pass from Steve Owens (Derr kick) SMU - J. LeVias 11-yard pass from Hixson (P. Clements pass from Hixson) SMU - Mike Richardson 18-yard run (Bicky Lesser kick) Oklahoma - Bo Denton 22-yard pass from Mickey Ripley (Derr kick) SMU - Ken Fleming 19-yard pass from Chuck Hixson (Lesser kick) Oklahoma - Johnny Barr 21-yard pass from Mickey Ripley (run failed)
Scoring Summary SMU - Eric Dickerson 15-yard run (Eddie Garcia kick) SMU - Craig James 45-yard run (Garcia kick) SMU - Safety, ball snapped out of end zone SMU - Garcia 42-yard FG BYU - Clay Brown 64-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Kurt Gunther kick) SMU - James 3-yard pass from McIlhenny (Garcia kick) SMU - Garcia 44-yard FG BYU - Vai Sikahema 83-yard punt return (pass failed) SMU - Dickerson 1-yard run (pass failed) BYU - Brown 13-yard pass from McMahon (pass failed) SMU - Garcia 42-yard FG BYU - Scott Phillips 1-yard run (Gunther kick) SMU - Craig James 42-yard run (Garcia kick) BYU - Matt Braga 15-yard pass from McMahon (pass failed) BYU - Phillips 1-yard run (Phillips pass) BYU - Brown 41-yard pass from McMahon (Gunther kick)
Team Statistics First Downs Yards Rushing Yards Passing Total Yards Passes Punts-Average Fumbles-Lost Interceptions Penalties-Yards Attendance
Team Statistics First Downs Yards Rushing Yards Passing Total Yards Passes Punts-Average Fumbles-Lost Interceptions Penalties-Yards Attendance
SMU Oklahoma
0 7
0 0
6 7
22 13
-
28 27
GAME STATISTICS
SMU 22 72 281 353 22-43 7-41.0 2-2 3 4-34
Oklahoma 23 176 294 470 18-37 6-38.2 1-1 2 6-55 53,543
Individual Statistics Rushing: SMU - Richardson 18-76; Oklahoma - Owens 36-113 Passing: SMU - Hixson 22-43-281; Oklahoma - Berry 11-26-146 Receiving: SMU - LeVias 8-112; Oklahoma - Barr 8-138
SMU 25 393 53 446 6-11 4-38.8 2-0 1 7-65
Individual Statistics Rushing: SMU - James 23-225; BYU - Phillips 8-18 Passing: SMU - McIlhenny 6-11-53; BYU - McMahon 32-49-446 Receiving: SMU - James 2-13; BYU - Phillips 10-81
2013 SMU FOOTBALL PAGE 89
BYU 23 -2 446 444 32-49 5-32.6 2-0 0 8-80 50,214