Written by Allen Kenney at Bloguin
Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. were showing us the money in the hit film “Jerry Maguire.” Hootie and the Blowfish won a Best New Artist Grammy after giving us a peek through their “Cracked Rear View.” Slick Willy Clinton rolled through his Presidential re-election bid.
The year was 1996, and in Norman, Oklahoma, Sooner fans were anxiously awaiting the debut of new football coach John Blake. Blake came back to his alma mater for his first head coaching job with Barry Switzer’s stamp of approval, generating lofty expectations among a downtrodden fan base that had slogged through years of probation-induced setbacks.
The Crimson and Cream offered a preview of what was to come when they took the field against TCU on Sept. 7 for Blake’s first game. OU bumbled and stumbled to a 20-7 loss against the Horned Frogs, who notched their first victory over the Sooners since 1947.
It has become a running theme throughout the last 20 years. Despite Oklahoma’s frequent dominance on the gridiron, TCU just has a knack for giving the Sooners fits. The Horned Frogs have won three of their seven meetings with OU during that period, including last year’s 37-33 upset in Amon Carter Stadium that launched TCU toward the top of the college football food chain and sent the Sooners spiraling toward rock bottom. Even when coach Gary Patterson’s teams combined to go 6-12 in conference play in 2012 and 2013, they played OU within seven and three points.
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