1987 Sun Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 1987 John Hancock
Sun Bowl
featured the and the Oklahoma State Cowboys
.
In the spring of 1987, West Virginia was the scene of an historic battle for the starting quarterback position. It was one of the most entertaining games of the 1987-88 bowl season..This game was played on a snowy, cold Christmas Day before a crowd of 43,240 between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the West Virginia Mountaineers in front of a CBS
national television audience . The game featured West Virginia's exciting new quarterback Major Harris
and Oklahoma State's Thurman Thomas' last game before enjoying a successful NFL career.
It was a track meet at the 54th annual Sun Bowl as No. 11 Oklahoma State edged out West Virginia at the finish line 35-33 on Dec. 25, 1987. The tandem led West Virginia to 10 unanswered points before Darnell Warren intercepted Mike Gundy to extend the Mountaineer lead to 24-14.
OSU reverted back to Thomas to begin the second half, and he carried the ball six consecutive times and scored from 5 yards out to pull the Cowboys to within three at 24-21.The Thomas-Sanders Show continued in the fourth, as Thomas capped a 13-play drive with his fourth touchdown of the game and a 35-27 lead with 1:13 to play. Thomas was named the C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player, while Sanders would go on to win the Heisman Trophy one year later. Warren was named the Jimmy Rogers Jr. Most Valuable Lineman..
Shawn Mackey tackled West Virginia tight end Keith Winn just shy of the goal line on a two-point conversion
attempt with 1:13 remaining.The Final Score was Oklahoma St. 35, West Virginia 33.
John Hancock Insurance
John Hancock Financial is a loose term for a United States insurance company which existed, in various forms, from its founding on April 21, 1862, until its acquisition in 2004 by the Canadian insurance company Manulife Financial. It was named in honor of John Hancock, a prominent patriot...
Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
featured the and the Oklahoma State Cowboys
1987 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team
The 1987 Oklahoma State Cowboys football team represented the Oklahoma State University in the 1987 NCAA Division I-A college football season. Thurman Thomas was in his senior year for the Cowboys.-Schedule:...
.
In the spring of 1987, West Virginia was the scene of an historic battle for the starting quarterback position. It was one of the most entertaining games of the 1987-88 bowl season..This game was played on a snowy, cold Christmas Day before a crowd of 43,240 between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the West Virginia Mountaineers in front of a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
national television audience . The game featured West Virginia's exciting new quarterback Major Harris
Major Harris
Major Harris is a former college football quarterback for West Virginia University during the 1980s. Harris was a 1989 All American and finished third and fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1988 and 1989, respectively. He was also the ECAC Player of the Year in 1988 and 1989...
and Oklahoma State's Thurman Thomas' last game before enjoying a successful NFL career.
It was a track meet at the 54th annual Sun Bowl as No. 11 Oklahoma State edged out West Virginia at the finish line 35-33 on Dec. 25, 1987. The tandem led West Virginia to 10 unanswered points before Darnell Warren intercepted Mike Gundy to extend the Mountaineer lead to 24-14.
OSU reverted back to Thomas to begin the second half, and he carried the ball six consecutive times and scored from 5 yards out to pull the Cowboys to within three at 24-21.The Thomas-Sanders Show continued in the fourth, as Thomas capped a 13-play drive with his fourth touchdown of the game and a 35-27 lead with 1:13 to play. Thomas was named the C.M. Hendricks Most Valuable Player, while Sanders would go on to win the Heisman Trophy one year later. Warren was named the Jimmy Rogers Jr. Most Valuable Lineman..
Shawn Mackey tackled West Virginia tight end Keith Winn just shy of the goal line on a two-point conversion
Two-point conversion
In American and Canadian football, a two-point conversion is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point convert immediately after it scores a touchdown...
attempt with 1:13 remaining.The Final Score was Oklahoma St. 35, West Virginia 33.