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What Happened in the Big 8 in 1976?!?

I really appreciate all of the discussion and comments to my thread. Apologies if I failed to "like" everyone. More comments are welcome, but I just wanted to say thanks.

I think 1981-ish is when I started to be a fan...full blown by 1983.
 

CornfieldCounty said:
iirc, that is the year that a 'booster' pulled TO aside as they were boarding the plane heading out to Houston for the Blue Bonnet Bowl and was told that if he lost that game, to not bother getting on the plane home.

I watched that game with my grandfather and I don't ever remember him being that involved with a game before.
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We were at that Bluebonnet Bowl. It was against the Razorbacks. First time I saw those silly pig hats. Bet they said the same about our corn heads.
 
KTexUNLfan said:
It was pretty funny at the time. Shut a lot of people up fast. I have vivid memories of relatives wanting TO fired. Bet they don't remember it that way.
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I wish I had a dollar for every time my oldest brother said TO wasn’t Devaney and should be fired.
 
KTexUNLfan said:
We were at that Bluebonnet Bowl. It was against the Razorbacks. First time I saw those silly pig hats. Bet they said the same about our corn heads.
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Actually, we played Texas Tech in the Bluebonnet Bowl after this season. We did play Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl sometime in the 60's.

We were better than our final record, the LSU loss may have been our poorest game of the year.

The Big 8 was up that season, and the losses to ISU and Mizzou were frustrating, as was the loss to Oklahoma as every loss to Oklahoma was in the 70's.
 



NUinID said:
I wish I had a dollar for every time my oldest brother said TO wasn’t Devaney and should be fired.
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Had a cousin that was the same way. The '77 opening day loss to Washington State and late season brutalization by Oklahoma was when he jumped ship completely. Became 'Anti-Osborne' in a way that made many of the 'Anti-Riley' spiel on here strike a nerve. Had to hear that crap year after year until TO 'Finally' won in 1994 and then it was 'Devaney didn't take twenty years to win his championships'.
 
GoBigfRed said:
Actually, we played Texas Tech in the Bluebonnet Bowl after this season. We did play Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl sometime in the 60's.

We were better than our final record, the LSU loss may have been our poorest game of the year.

The Big 8 was up that season, and the losses to ISU and Mizzou were frustrating, as was the loss to Oklahoma as every loss to Oklahoma was in the 70's.
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Your right; fuzzy memory. It was Florida playing Arkansas in the Bluebonnet Bowl that we saw (I think). Just assumed it was Nebraska since those were the only bowls we attended, except this one since it was in town.
 




NUinID said:
I wish I had a dollar for every time my oldest brother said TO wasn’t Devaney and should be fired.
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Oh I know. Had plenty of relatives and friends saying the same thing. We were spoiled for decades while many powerhouses went through much more severe slumps. Much of them seemed to be due to a coaching changes. It finally hit us over the last 20 years. Living in Louisiana in the mid to late 70s watching LSU slide, I remember thinking we don't know how good we have it. They were in a lot of pain.
 
KleinTxHusker said:
Great write up. The Missouri and ISU losses were painful. Kiffin blew the defensive call on third and long with a blitz and then our safety slipped in man coverage against one of the fastest WRs in Football.
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I heard, from a not-reliable source, that, that call was why Kiffin left Nebraska after that season. The source was my ex-mother-in-law.

I was sitting in the West Stadium that day. The pass was caught directly in front of where I was sitting. Over 40 years later, I remember it like it was yesterday.
 
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izzycohen said:
I heard, from a not-reliable source, that, that call was why Kiffin left Nebraska after that season. The source was my ex-mother-in-law.

I was sitting in the West Stadium that day. The pass was caught directly in front of where I was sitting. Over 40 years later, I remember it like it was yesterday.
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For any variety of reasons, Kiffin decided to take a lateral to work for Lou Holtz at Arkansas. That could have been part of it; further, he may have had some nervousness based on what eventually got said to TO after the Blue Bonnet Bowl game. TO was on thin ice that season. I really don't think TO could of or would have fired Kiffin, I think Kiffin was concerned over the drop off in talent he would have faced in 1977; the d-line in 1977 was yery young and green. They were outstanding players by their senior year, but we had a very weak defense, statistically it looks like the pass defense was worse, but people could run on us too. Kiffin may have very well thought that TO was a sinking ship and it was best to get out on his terms.

If you look at it TO had a very rough time from OU game in 1975 until the upset of Alabama in 1977. Basically 9-6-1 over that stretch with expectations on NC in 1976. Kiffin was the favorite of Osborne's critics (most thought he should have been made HC).

I got to watch the play from the north end zone; you see huge pile in the line and Joe Stewart out on the edge, then an Oh S*%$; Stewart breaks free and the DB is laying on the ground... the ball in the air... Stewart catches it and runs all the way in...
 

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