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Gen Z Punk Watches 1988 Bedlam Game for the First Time and Blogs About It

A first look at a classic Bedlam.

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I went down a rabbit hole Tuesday afternoon.

I’m working on “OSU’s Five Biggest Bedlam Heartbreaks” (depressing, I know), and OSU’s 1988 loss made the shortlist. Finding stats for games pre-2000 can be a little tricky, so that’s what I set out to do.

I found something much better than stats. I found nearly the whole freaking game.

So, here is a live blog of me watching it. I was born in 1995, so take that into account when I don’t mention how this game was similar to a one Terry Miller had back in the day. Entering this watching I knew nothing more than that OSU lost 31-28 and that it was Barry Sanders’ Heisman-winning season.

• The game was played in Stillwater at Lewis Field, before the Gallagher and west end zone expansions, which I’ve known most of my life.

• It’s No. 12 OSU vs. No. 8 OU. The Cowboys enter at 6-1 with their only loss coming against Nebraska in a 63-42 shootout. OU enters 7-1 with its only loss being a 23-7 defeat against USC.

• On ESPN’s call are Roger Twibell and a 53-year old Lee Corso.

Screenshot (117)

• In a pregame standup, Twibell mentions how OU has always gotten the better of OSU. Some things don’t change much. OSU’s last win in the series at this point was in 1976. The Cowboys’ last win in Stillwater was 1966.

• The teams take the field with the coaches in the lead. Barry Switzer is wearing an OU snap back and an OU Starter jacket. Pat Jones is wearing a letter jacket. I would like to sign any petition possible to get Lincoln Riley and Mike Gundy to mirror those looks Saturday.

• Twibell: “Oklahoma State’s wearing orange pants for the third time this year. They wore them against Texas A&M, and they won 52-15. They wore them on the road at Colorado, and they won 41-21.” He might’ve published a blog if blogs were things in 1988.

• Charles Thompson and the OU offense got the ball first. Gundy mentioned Thompson on Monday in his mini rant that ended with him saying Jalen Hurts is running the wishbone out of the spread.

• OU running back Mike Gaddis, who passed away earlier this year, entered the game with 234 rushing yards on the season. He breaks off a 50-yard run on his first touch. Gaddis scores a few plays later.

• 7-0 Oklahoma

• Gundy enters the day 20-6 as OSU’s starter. They try a flea-flicker with him early, but he gets sacked.

• Gundy hits Hart Lee Dykes for 10 yards on third-and-11. The Cowboys go for it on four-and-1 from their 44, but Barry Sanders gets stuffed.

• Gaddis scores on a 44-yard run almost immediately after.

• 14-0 Oklahoma

• Print the #Gundy2Dykes shirts:


• A stat just popped up stating Barry Sanders has ran from 1,141 yards in OSU’s past five games, the best five-game stretch in NCAA history. Sanders entered the game with 192 carries, 1,476 rushing yards (7.7 yards per carry) and 22 touchdowns. All that in just seven games.

• Mike Gundy scores on a four-yard scamper. It’s his first rushing score of the season.

• 14-7 Oklahoma

• OU fullback Leon Perry scores on a seven-yard run on OU’s next possession.

• It’s 21-7 Oklahoma after one quarter.

• Sweet mother:


• OSU called a timeout to let Sanders catch his breath. The Cowboys might have to do that for Chuba Hubbard on Saturday.

• Gundy hits Dykes from about five yards out for a score.

• 21-14 Oklahoma

• OU responds with a 27-yard field goal.

• At the half, it’s 24-14 Oklahoma.

• At halftime, Robin Ventura, John Smith and Kenny Monday were honored for all winning gold medals at the 1988 Olympic Games.

• OU enters the second half 0-for-2 on pass attempts but with 307 rushing yards.

• More Barry things:


• No one scored in the third quarter. There were a few turnovers from each team. It’s 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter.

• Is this even legal?


• Next is the iconic Bedlam leap. It makes it 24-21 with 13:37 to go.


• OSU’s defense forces a punt on OU’s next drive and Lewis Field is going loony. The Cowboys’ defense hasn’t given up a point in this half after getting torched in the first.

• OSU runs a reverse to Curtis Mayfield, who takes it 30 yards to get to the Sooners’ 21-yard line.

• Sanders scores on a pitch play to make it 28-24 with 8:45 to go after a nice drive from Gundy.

• Sanders has 36 carries for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

• OU is marching down the field. Gaddis, who is playing great, nearly loses a pitch deep in OSU territory, but he is able to fall on it and avoid disaster.

• On the next play Gaddis catches a ball out of the backfield on third down. He gets the first then fumbles again, but another Sooner is there to fall on it. The ball is recovered behind the line to gain, so OU goes for it on fourth-and-inches.

An OU running back runs into his quarterback, but it projects him forward enough to get the first down. Three straight plays where OU catches every break imaginable.


After the game, Switzer said that three-play ordeal was “Sooner magic.” After he uttered those two words I’m sure many a beer bottle were thrown at big box TVs around Stillwater.

• Thompson scores on an 18-yard option keeper. It’s the first time OU has scored in the second half, and the Sooners do so with 2:33 to go. It’s 31-28 OU.

• Sanders catches the ensuing kick about three yards deep in the end zone. He takes it out but gets tackled inside his own 10.

• Gundy hits Dykes for a 22-yard gain. Then Gundy finds him again for another big gain into OU territory.

• On a third down with under two minutes to go, Sanders runs inside OU’s 30, eclipsing 200 rushing yards.

• Sanders gets the ball again and gets down to the 20-yard line. OSU takes a timeout with 1:03 to go.

• The guys on the call mention that Mike Gundy drove the length of the field to win a high school state championship as a senior. The game was at Lewis Field.

• OSU’s fullback Garrett Limbrick gets a personal foul called on him for something that happened after the play and out of bounds. The guys in the booth don’t agree with it because the OU defender pulled Limbrick out of bounds and slung him.

Watch OU’s No. 41:


So because that guy (I didn’t get his name) slung Limbrick out of bounds, OSU went from a measurement for a first down to fourth-and-14.

In his postgame interview, Switzer said the flag was for something Limbrick said after the play. These #olds refs are soft.

• Holy crap. So on fourth-and-14 Gundy nails Brent Parker in the back of the end zone, but Parker dropped it.


• OU kneels out the rest of the clock and wins 31-28.

• So let’s look at all the things that didn’t go OSU’s way in the final minutes:

OU fumbled twice but recovered both
OU’s quarterback got hit so hard by its running back that he got a first down
OSU gets a 15-yard penalty for talking smack in the final minute of a rivalry game
OSU drops a pass in the end zone

I’ve lived through Blake Bell scoring on fourth down. I’ve lived through Justin Gilbert dropping an interception at the last possible moment he could drop it. I’ve even seen a Taylor Cornelius 2-point pass fall to the Owen Field grass. But all of that happening is ridiculous.

The world doesn’t want OSU to win Bedlam.

That’s the depressing thought I’ll leave you all with.

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