1981 Sun Bowl

American college football game August 2023 January 2026 Sun Bowl December 26 1981 1981 Houston Cougars 7–3–1 Bill Yeoman SWC 0 7 0 7 QB Darrell Shepard (Oklahoma) NR 19 Oklahoma Sooners 6–4–1 Barry Switzer Big Eight 7 0 3 30 bg Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas 33,816 Jimmy Harper (SEC) CBS Tom BrookshierHank StramFred Dryer The 1981 Sun Bowl was a college football postseason bowl game that featured the Houston Cougars and the Oklahoma Sooners. Background The Cougars finished third in the Southwest Conference, making their fourth straight bowl appearance. The Sooners finished second in the Big Eight Conference and made their seventh straight bowl appearance. This was not only the first Sun Bowl appearance for both teams, but the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Game summary Darrell Shepard scored on a 34-yard touchdown run to make it 7–0 Oklahoma. Houston responded with a Lionel Wilson touchdown plunge to make it 7–7 at halftime. Michael Keeling gave Oklahoma the lead back on his 32-yard field goal in the third quarter. On the ensuing Houston drive, Robert Durham caught a pass from Wilson at the Sooner 47, and he dashed for what seemed to be a sure touchdown. But at the 3-yard line, Elbert Watts knocked the ball away, and the ball went out of the end zone for a touchback. A few plays later (highlighted by a 42 run by Shepard) ended with a touchdown plunge by Shephard to make it 17–7 early in the fourth quarter. A 14-yard punt by Houston led to Keeling's second field goal from 49 yards out to make it 20–7 midway through the quarter. A Houston fumble led to a Fred Sims 30-yard score a few plays later. Houston responded with a 74-yard, 13-play drive culminating in a Donald Jordan 6-yard score to make it 27–14 with less than three minutes to go. After Oklahoma recovered the onside kick, Sims' 48-yard run set up Ron Mills' touchdown plunge to make it 33–14 with 1:30 to go. John Truitt returned an interception 28 yards for a touchdown to make the final score 40–14. Darrell Shepard, despite passing for -2 yards on 1 for 5 passing, rushed for 107 yards on 17 carries for 2 touchdowns. Backup Fred Sims, who had rushed for only 179 yards the entire season, ran for 181 yards on 15 carries after an injury to Stanley Wilson. Houston QB Wilson threw 17 of 21 for 216 yards in a losing effort.2010 Houston Cougars Football Media Almanac 2010 History: Bowl Recaps 91 University of Houston Department of Athletics Houston, Texas http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/hou/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2010-media-guide-history.pdf December 28, 2015 July 14, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140714204926/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/hou/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2010-media-guide-history.pdf dead http://www.sunbowl.org/the_sun_bowl_game/recap/48 Oklahoma 40, Houston 14 | Recaps – Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl | December 31, 2021 | el Paso, Texas Scoring summary Oklahoma – Shepard 34 run (Keeling kick), 1Q – 5:05 Houston – Wilson 1 run (Clendenen kick), 2Q – 3:39 Oklahoma – Keeling 32 field goal, 3Q – 4:09 Oklahoma – Shepard 1 run (Keeling kick), 4Q – 13:07 Oklahoma – Keeling 49 field goal, 4Q – 8:03 Oklahoma – Sims 30 run (Keeling kick), 4Q – 6:19 Houston – Jordan 6 run (Clendenen kick), 4Q – 2:55 Oklahoma – Mills 2 run (kick failed), 4Q – 1:30 Oklahoma – Truitt 28 interception return (Keeling kick), 4Q – 1:16 Aftermath While Houston has not returned to the Sun Bowl since this game, Oklahoma has returned twice (1993, 2009). Statistics Statistics Houston OklahomaFirst downs 26 15Rushing yards 157 409Passing yards 228 -2Passing (C–A–I) 18–29–1 1–5–1Total offense 385 407Fumbles–lost 4–3 2–1Penalties–yards 2–27 7–48Punts–average 6–37.0 5–38.6 References Sun Bowl Category:Sun Bowl Category:Houston Cougars football bowl games Category:Oklahoma Sooners football bowl games Category:1981 in sports in Texas Category:December 1981 sports events in the United States