By Darin 
‘Game of the Century” might be overused in contests of College football. It might be highly appropriate for the 1971 meeting of the two top teams in the Nation, Nebraska and Oklahoma. In fact, ESPN called this the top College game of all time when they ranked 150 games in 2019!
The Duel That Defined a Decade
On Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1971, the nation gathered around their television sets for a meal and a monumental showdown. It was a contest billed as the “Game of the Century,” featuring the undefeated No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers traveling to face the equally dominant No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners. For the 80,000 fans in attendance and the millions watching, the game not only lived up to the hype—it exceeded it.
The contest was a spectacular display of offensive football, featuring 829 yards of total offense. Oklahoma’s high-powered attack, which typically ran over opponents, managed to score on five separate drives of at least 69 yards against a formidable Nebraska defense that had not allowed more than 17 points to any other team all season.
The game was a masterpiece of clean, hard-fought rivalry, marked by incredible efficiency and an unbelievable lack of errors—only one penalty was called the entire afternoon. The lead changed hands four times, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats until the final moments. While many recall Johnny Rodgers’ 72-yard punt return as the decisive moment, it actually came early in the game, after Oklahoma’s first possession, setting the tone for the classic to follow.
The final, gut-wrenching lead change came late in the fourth quarter. With just 1:38 left to play, Nebraska fullback Jeff Kinney powered in for one of his four short touchdown runs, flipping the scoreboard to the visitors, 35-31.
No-Gain Nebrask vs Oklahoma 1971 26 Nov 1971, Fri The Lincoln Star (Lincoln, Nebraska) Newspapers.com
An Unforgettable Classic
The Nebraska victory not only secured a win in one of college football’s most storied rivalries but also paved the way for the Cornhuskers to claim their national championship. The 1971 clash between Nebraska and Oklahoma transcended a simple football game; it remains one of the greatest, most flawlessly executed, and most memorable events in the history of American sports.
Ironically, the same newspapers that printed the game summary the next day were also reporting a skyjacking in Oregon, which would go on to be known as the D.B. Cooper case.