The Sooners were fueled by a combination of pride and anger. They had recently been dethroned from the top spot in the AP Poll by Texas A&M, a slight they were eager to rectify. Moreover, they harbored resentment towards Notre Dame quarterback Paul Hornung, who had won the Heisman Trophy the previous year despite leading his team to a dismal 2-8 record. Oklahoma believed that their own star running back, Tommy McDonald, had been unfairly overlooked.

As the Irish arrived in Norman, they were greeted with a hero's welcome. A local Catholic high school organized a pep rally in their honor, and the team was treated like royalty. However, beneath the surface, a fierce determination burned within the Sooners. They were eager to avenge their 1953 loss to Notre Dame and reassert their dominance on the college football landscape.

The game itself was a defensive struggle, a stark contrast to the high-scoring affairs that had become synonymous with Oklahoma football. Neither team could find a rhythm offensively, and the score remained 0-0 for the majority of the game. It wasn't until the fourth quarter that the deadlock was broken. Notre Dame, facing a fourth-and-goal situation from the Oklahoma three-yard line, executed a perfectly timed misdirection play. Quarterback Bob Williams faked a handoff to fullback Nick Pietrosante before pitching the ball to Dick Lynch, who raced around the end for the game's only touchdown.

With this stunning victory, Notre Dame not only snapped Oklahoma's 47-game winning streak but also delivered one of the greatest upsets in college football history. The game would forever be etched in the annals of the sport, a testament to the power of underdogs and the enduring magic of college football.