1987 John Hancock Sun Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
Date | December 25, 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||
Season | 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Sun Bowl Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | El Paso, Texas | ||||||||||||||||||
Referee | Pat Sweeney (WAC) | ||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Brent Musburger and Pat Haden | ||||||||||||||||||
The 1987 John Hancock Sun Bowl was the 54th annual Sun Bowl. The contest featured the West Virginia Mountaineers and the 11th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys. Oklahoma State edged out West Virginia, 35–33. The game was decided with 1:13 to play. [1] The game was played on snowy, cold Christmas Day of 1987 before a crowd of 43,240 in front of a CBS national television audience.
The game featured West Virginia's exciting new quarterback Major Harris, who had defeated Browning Nagle in the offseason for the Mountaineers' starting quarterback position. Nagle later transferred to Louisville. It was also the final college game for Oklahoma State running back Thurman Thomas, went on to Pro Football Hall of Fame career in the National Football League (NFL). Oklahoma State also featured tailback Barry Sanders. Sanders won the Heisman Trophy the following season and also went on to Pro Football Hall of Fame career.
The game featured a lot of offense, with teams trading touchdowns in the first quarter. Cowboys quarterback Mike Gundy and wide receiver Hart Lee Dykes completed a long pass off of a flea flicker to set up a 5-yard touchdown by Thomas. West Virginia's Anthony "A.B." Brown answered with a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7. Thomas scored again on a 9-yard run to take a 14–7 lead for Oklahoma State.
West Virginia, however, scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter. West Virginia's Brown scored on a 5-yard run to tie the game at 14, and the Mountaineers extended their lead to 17–14 on a Charlie Baumann field goal. West Virginia defensive lineman Darnell Warren intercepted Mike Gundy to extend the Mountaineer lead to 24–14 at the end of the first half.
OSU reverted to Thomas to begin the second half, and he carried the ball six consecutive times, marching the Cowboys 56 yards down the field and scoring from 5 yards out to pull the Cowboys to within three at 24–21.
West Virginia answered with a Baumann field goal to extend the lead to 27–21. Oklahoma State took at 28–27 lead with 1:43 left in the third quarter, by virtue of a six-yard touchdown pass from Gundy to J. R. Dillard.
Thomas's dominance continued in the fourth quarter, as he capped a 13-play, 74-yard OSU drive with his fourth touchdown of the game, giving Oklahoma State a 35–27 lead with time running out in the fourth quarter.
With just 1:13 remaining, West Virginia's Craig Taylor scored a touchdown on a 6-yard run to pull the game to within two. West Virginia attempted to tie the game on a two-point conversion attempt. West Virginia quarterback Harris completed his two-point attempt pass to tight end Keith Winn, but Winn was tackled just shy of the goal line by Oklahoma State's Shawn Mackey. [2]
With the win, Oklahoma State finished its season 10-2, lost only to No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 5 Nebraska. Thurman Thomas was named the C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player, while Sanders would go on to win the Heisman Trophy one year later. West Virginia's Darnell Warren was named the Jimmy Rogers Jr. Most Valuable Lineman. [3]
Thomas still holds three Sun Bowl records: most rushing attempts (33), most points (24) and most touchdowns (4). [4]
Initially, Sun Bowl officials granted the Ohio State Buckeyes an invitation to play Oklahoma State. The Buckeyes had beaten West Virginia in the season opener, and at 6–4–1 possessed a better record than the 6–5 Mountaineers. However, in the aftermath of the controversial firing of head coach Earle Bruce, Ohio State declined the invitation. [5]
First quarter
OSU - Thomas 5 run (Blanchard kick): OSU 7, WVU 0
WVU - Brown 1 run (Baumann kick): OSU 7, WVU 7
OSU - Thomas 9 run (Blanchard kick): OSU 14, WVU 7
Second quarter
WVU - Brown 5 run (Baumann kick): OSU 14, WVU 14
WVU - FG Baumann 33: OSU 14, WVU 17
WVU - Warren 23 pass interception (Baumann kick): OSU 14, WVU 24
Third quarter
OSU - Thomas 4 run (Blanchard kick): OSU 21, WVU 24
WVU - FG Baumann 38: OSU 21, WVU 27
OSU - Dillard 6 pass from Gundy (Blanchard kick): OSU 28, WVU 27
Fourth quarter
OSU - Thomas 4 run (Blanchard kick): OSU 35, WVU 27
WVU - Taylor 6 run (Two-point conversion failed): OSU 35, WVU 33 (FINAL)
Rushing
OSU - Thomas 33-157, Sanders 6-19, Gundy 8-9
WVU - Brown 32-167, Harris 24-103, Taylor 12-58, Napoleon 2-3
Passing
OSU - Gundy 12-18-161
WVU - Harris 7-21-54
Receiving
OSU - Dykes 3-72, Thomas 3-20, Williams 1-19, Dillard 3-18, Keith 1-16, Green 1-16
WVU - Bell 1-45, Winn 1-9
Thurman Lee Thomas is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft, where he spent all but one season of his professional career. Thomas spent his final NFL year as a member of the Miami Dolphins in 2000.
Noel Devine is a former American football running back. Devine played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and holds the record for career-all purpose yardage.
Patrick Christian White is an American football offensive assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL), and former West Virginia University quarterback. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Michael Ray Gundy is an American football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at Oklahoma State University. Gundy played college football at Oklahoma State, where he played quarterback from 1986 to 1989. He became Oklahoma State's coach on January 3, 2005. Gundy and the University of Utah’s Kyle Whittingham are currently the second-longest tenured FBS coaches with one school, trailing only Kirk Ferentz. He is the longest-tenured in the Big 12 Conference.
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his 17th year as head coach. Oklahoma State plays its home games at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team began play on September 1, 2007. The team was coached by Rich Rodriguez until he announced on December 16, 2007, that he was leaving West Virginia to coach the Michigan Wolverines. The head coaching position remained vacant after his announcement, with assistant head coach Bill Stewart serving as interim head coach. Stewart was then named head coach on January 3, 2008, after leading the Mountaineers to victory in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl over the #3 Oklahoma Sooners. West Virginia played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game. It was part of the 2007–2008 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Played annually since 1971, first at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona through 2006, the game was played at 8 p.m. EST on January 2, 2008, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game featured the fourth ranked (BCS), Big 12 champion Oklahoma Sooners hosting the ninth ranked (BCS), Big East champion West Virginia Mountaineers. West Virginia defeated Oklahoma by a score of 48–28. The contest was televised on Fox.
The 1989 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl, played on Monday, January 2, was the 18th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. It featured the top-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the third-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers. With both teams undefeated, the Fiesta Bowl was the stage for the "national championship" for the second time in three years. As in 1987, the Fiesta Bowl featured two independents squaring off for the national title.
The 1988 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 30, 1988, in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the 12th ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys, and the 15th ranked Wyoming Cowboys.
The 1987 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented the Oklahoma State University in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A college football season. The Cowboys finished the regular season with a 9–2 record. Thurman Thomas was in his senior year for the Cowboys. In his career at Oklahoma State, Thomas had 897 rushes for 4,595 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 21 100-yard rushing games. He was also a Heisman Trophy candidate and a first team selection on the College Football All-America Team in 1987. In the 1987 Sun Bowl, Thomas ran for 157 yards and four touchdowns in the 35–33 victory over West Virginia, keeping Barry Sanders on the sidelines for the majority of the game. Thomas left OSU as the school's all-time leading rusher and his number 34 is one of only three jerseys retired at Oklahoma State. Sanders replaced Thomas as starter the next year in 1988.
The 1974 Fiesta Bowl was the fourth edition of the college football bowl game, played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona on Saturday, December 28. Part of the 1974–75 bowl game season, it matched the unranked Oklahoma State Cowboys of the Big Eight Conference and #17 BYU Cougars of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). After falling behind early, underdog Oklahoma State won 16–6.
The 2009 West Virginia Mountaineer football team represented West Virginia University in the college football season of 2009. The Mountaineers were led by head coach Bill Stewart and played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers finished the season 9–4 and lost in the Gator Bowl 33-21 to Florida State.
The 1985 Gator Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the Florida State University Seminoles and the Oklahoma State Cowboys, and was played on Monday, December 30, 1985, at Gator Bowl Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the 41st edition of the bowl game.
The 2011 West Virginia Mountaineers football team represented West Virginia University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the Big East Conference. The Mountaineers were led by Dana Holgorsen, who was in his first season as head coach. West Virginia played their home games on Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. They finished the season 10–3, 5–2 in Big East play to earn a share of the Big East Conference championship with Cincinnati and Louisville. The Mountaineers, in their final season in the Big East before moving to the Big 12 the following season, earned the league's automatic berth in the BCS due to being the highest ranked of the Big East champions in the final BCS rankings. They were invited to the Orange Bowl for the first time ever where they defeated Clemson 70–33. This was the third victory for West Virginia in three BCS games played in the BCS era, while the 70 points in the Orange Bowl set a record for most points scored in a bowl game.
The 2012 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, at Sun Life Stadium, now known as Hard Rock Stadium, in Miami Gardens, Florida. The West Virginia Mountaineers defeated the Clemson Tigers by a score of 70–33. West Virginia tied or broke eight separate team and individual bowl game records, while the combined 69 points West Virginia and Clemson scored in the first half set another new record. The game was part of the 2011–2012 Bowl Championship Series of the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the concluding game of the season for both teams.
The 2014 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented Oklahoma State University in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cowboys were led by tenth-year head coach, Mike Gundy, and played their home games at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They are a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 4–5 in Big 12 play to place seventh. They were invited to the Cactus Bowl where they defeated Washington.
The 1976 Fiesta Bowl was the sixth edition of the college football bowl game, played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona on Saturday, December 25. Part of the 1976–77 bowl game season, it matched the eighth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners of the Big Eight Conference and the unranked Wyoming Cowboys of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Heavily-favored Oklahoma won in a rout, 41–7.
The 1984 Gator Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game between the #7 South Carolina Gamecocks and the #9 Oklahoma State Cowboys. It was the 40th edition of the bowl game. This was the first meeting of two top ten teams in the Gator Bowl with the 1987 Gator Bowl being the only other such occasion when #9 South Carolina lost to #7 LSU.
Taylor Cornelius is a professional gridiron football quarterback for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Oklahoma State.
Dru Brown is an American gridiron football quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Oklahoma State and Hawaii.