2018 Oklahoma Sooners Football Countdown To Kickoff | 75 Days!

It’s that time again, Sooner Nation! There are only 75 days until the return of Oklahoma Football, which means we’ve reached the second quarter in our Countdown to Kickoff! For today’s countdown commemoration, we take a look back on the national title winning 1975 Oklahoma Sooners.

In Barry Switzer’s third season as head coach, Oklahoma began the year as the No. 1 team in the land. Led by all-time Sooner greats like defensive linemen brothers Lee Roy and Dewey Selmon, tailback Joe Washington, and Orange Bowl MVP quarterback Steve Davis, Oklahoma took care of business en route to Switzer’s second national championship and the program’s fifth overall.

Well, when I say took care of business, there was actually one small hiccup. It was just one of those games, but on November 8th, a 5-4 Kansas Jayhawks team came into Norman and waltzed out with a shocking 23-3 victory. It was a nightmare for a team with championship aspirations, but fortunately for the Crimson & Cream, it didn’t completely derail those hopes.

With that as a motivational backdrop, the Sooners needed to rebound fast. A close win over the Missouri Tigers didn’t exactly help, but when the undefeated No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers came to town, an opportunity for Oklahoma to jump back into the driver’s seat presented itself. What ensued on that late November Saturday was a defensive clinic football junkies from any era could appreciate. Oklahoma’s defense forced six turnovers that day, including three in the fourth quarter. As a result, the Sooners ran away with it in decisive 35-10 victory.

It was onto the Orange Bowl for Oklahoma, where the Michigan Wolverines awaited. Earlier in the day, then-No. 1 and undefeated Ohio State fell to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, opening the door for No. 3 Oklahoma to win a second straight national title. It’s worth noting that it was also Barry Switzer’s first bowl game as a head coach, since the Sooners were coming off a two-year bowl ban due to recruiting violations. In a tightly-contested battle, the Sooners stout D and ingenuity on offense was enough to take down Bo Schembechler’s Wolverines by a score of 14-6. The Sooners’ 11-1 season, while not perfect, was enough to bring home a second straight national title. The voters deemed Oklahoma’s win over Michigan and overall body of work impressive enough to allow the Sooners to leapfrog No. 2 Arizona State.

And as a bonus, current Oklahoma senior right guard Dru Samia began his Sooner career at right tackle, logging 10 starts on the outside before eventually moving inside full-time, where he’s now amassed 24 starts and counting.

The Sacramento, CA native was named to the second-team All-Big 12 in 2017 and also made first-team Academic All-Big 12 in the process. In honor of his effort on and off the field, check out this tremendous tenacity Samia showed against TCU (part one) last season. Pass protection like this doesn’t grow on trees, folks.

Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!