1987 Orange Bowl
53rd Orange Bowl
Arkansas Razorbacks Oklahoma Sooners
(9–2) (10–1)
SWC Big Eight
8 42
Head coach: 
Ken Hatfield		 Head coach: 
Barry Switzer
APCoaches
910
APCoaches
33
1234 Total
Arkansas 0008 8
Oklahoma 0141414 42
DateJanuary 1, 1987
Season1986
StadiumOrange Bowl
LocationMiami, Florida
MVPSpencer Tillman (Oklahoma HB)
Dante Jones       (Oklahoma LB)
FavoriteOklahoma by 17 points[1]
RefereePaul Schmitt (Independent)
Attendance52,717
United States TV coverage
NetworkNBC
AnnouncersDon Criqui, Bob Trumpy,
and Paul Maguire

The 1987 Orange Bowl was the 53rd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, January 1. Part of the 1986–87 bowl game season, it matched the ninth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southwest Conference (SWC) and the #3 Oklahoma Sooners of the Big Eight Conference.[2] Heavily-favored Oklahoma won 42–8.[3][4][5]

Teams

Arkansas

The Razorbacks lost twice, to Texas Tech and Baylor. This was Arkansas' first Orange Bowl appearance in nine years; that 1978 game was a 31–6 upset rout of Oklahoma.

Oklahoma

The Sooners won the Big Eight Conference title for the third straight year and appeared in a third consecutive Orange Bowl.[2] Only a 28–16 loss at Miami in late September cost them a shot at a second straight title. Standout linebacker Brian Bosworth was suspended for this game after testing positive for steroids.[6]

Game summary

The game followed the Rose Bowl on NBC, and kicked off around 8:30 p.m. EST;[2] it was the sole game in that time slot, as the Sugar Bowl was played earlier in the day on ABC.

Following a scoreless first quarter, Spencer Tillman gave Oklahoma the lead in the second quarter with two touchdown runs, the latter occurring after an Arkansas turnover, and it was 14–0 at halftime. Quarterback Jamelle Holieway added his own two touchdown runs to make it 28–0 after three quarters. Arkansas threw five interceptions, as Anthony Stafford and Duncan Parham added touchdown runs of their own to make it 42–0 for Oklahoma. In the final half-minute, Arkansas scored on a one-yard touchdown run by fullback Derrick Thomas (and a two-point conversion) to avoid a shutout.[3][4][7]

Scoring

First quarter
No scoring
Second quarter
Third quarter
  • Oklahoma – Jamelle Holieway 2-yard run (Lashar kick)
  • Oklahoma – Holieway 4-yard run (Lashar kick)
Fourth quarter
  • Oklahoma – Anthony Stafford 13-yard run (Lashar kick)
  • Oklahoma – Duncan Parham 49-yard run (Lashar kick)
  • Arkansas – Derrick Thomas 1-yard run (James Shibest pass from John Bland)
Source:[3][4]

Statistics

StatisticsArkansasOklahoma
First Downs1711
Rushes–yards45–4848–366
Passing yards19247
Passes (C–A–I)16–33–52–5–0
Total Offense78–24053–413
Return yards1858
Punts–average9–415–47
Fumbles–lost2–03–2
Turnovers52
Penalties–yards3–254–40
Time of possession35:2924:31
Source:[3][4]

Aftermath

While on the sidelines, Bosworth displayed a shirt referring to the NCAA as "National Communists Against Athletes." After this game, he was dismissed from the team, and later declared himself eligible for the NFL supplemental draft in June, where he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks.[8][9]

In the final AP poll, Oklahoma remained at third and Arkansas fell to fifteenth.[10][11]

Oklahoma returned to the Orange Bowl the next year for a fourth consecutive appearance, but through 2024, Arkansas has not been back.

References

  1. ↑ "The latest line". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 1, 1987. p. 38.
  2. 1 2 3 "Today's bowl games: Orange". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). January 1, 1987. p. 5B.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Switzer gets revenge, Sooners get the win". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 2, 1987. p. 3B.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Oklahoma romps over Arkansas, 42-8, in Orange crush". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 2, 1987. p. 16.
  5. ↑ "Sooners claim they're No. 1 after bowl rout". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). UPI. January 2, 1987. p. D1.
  6. ↑ "Bosworth makes memorable Orange Bowl appearance". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. January 2, 1987. p. 16.
  7. ↑ "The 1980s | Orange Bowl".
  8. ↑ "Bosworth threatens to skip season after being drafted by Seahawks". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. June 13, 1987. p. 14.
  9. ↑ Richmond, Peter (June 13, 1987). "Maybe he'll swap for missiles". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Knight-Ridder. p. B2.
  10. ↑ "Final AP college football poll". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. January 4, 1987. p. D4.
  11. ↑ "It's official - Penn St. claims national championship". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. January 4, 1987. p. 1B.
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