1974 Oklahoma Sooners football team The 1974 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the college football season of 1974 - 1975 . This was the first of three national championship squads for head coach Barry Switzer . Only one opponent played the Sooners within 14 points and four failed to score a touchdown . At the same time , OU led the nation in scoring offense with an average of 43 points per game to finish the season as the only undefeated team in the country at 11 – 0 . Oklahoma was loaded with talent , evidenced by its eight All - Americans , the most of any season to that point . OU ' s wishbone offense , triggered by running back Joe Washington , fullback Jim Littrell , and quarterback Steve Davis , averaged 73 . 9 rushing attempts per game , which still stands as an NCAA single - season record , as does its 21 . 4 rushing first downs per game . Oklahoma also featured a tough defense led by senior All - American Rod Shoate , a swift and punishing linebacker , and a defensive front consisting of brothers Lee Roy and Dewey Selmon , and Jimbo Elrod . On probation from the Coaches ' poll , The Sooners opened the ' 74 season as the top - ranked team in the AP Poll , the first time since 1957 that OU debuted at # 1 and the first time in 11 years that Oklahoma sat atop the poll . Despite being a 43 - point favorite against Baylor , the Sooners struggled in their season opener , needing three fourth - quarter touchdowns to secure a 28 – 11 victory . The win didn ' t impress AP voters , and OU dropped to # 3 behind Ohio State and Notre Dame . The Sooners quickly rebounded by destroying Utah State and Wake Forest in back - to - back weeks by a combined score of 135 – 3 . Eight Sooners scored touchdowns against Utah State , while nine players found the end zone against the Demon Deacons . Next up for the Sooners was the Red River Shootout , and the Texas Longhorns presented Oklahoma ' s toughest challenge yet . Trailing 13 – 7 in the fourth quarter , OU dug into its bag of tricks with a reverse to split end Billy Brooks , who scampered 40 yards down the sideline for a touchdown . The ensuing extra point attempt by Sooner kicker John Carroll was ruled no good , leaving the game tied at 13 – 13 . Oklahoma ' s defense rose to the challenge , led by Shoate , who finished the game with 21 tackles , two pass breakups , a forced fumble , and a fumble recovery . The last statistic was the critical one , as the Sooners forced a Texas fumble on the next possession , which Shoate recovered at the 50 . A 37 – yard field goal from Tony DiRienzo minutes later was the difference . " This was as close as a game can be , " coach Switzer said afterward . A testament to how hard the game was fought , OU offensive tackle Mike Vaughan reportedly passed out from exhaustion following the game . The Sooners followed their victory over Texas with a pair of blowouts over # 16 Colorado , 49 - 14 , and Kansas State , 63 – 0 . Joe Washington rushed for 200 yards and four touchdowns against the Buffaloes , while eight players found the end zone versus the Wildcats . After a sloppy performance on a soggy field in a 28 – 10 win at Iowa State , Oklahoma shutout a tough Missouri squad 37 – 0 , a team that had beaten Nebraska and scored 82 points in its previous two games . OU ' s third shutout of the season ran its record to 8 – 0 as top - ranked Ohio State was upset by Michigan State , 16 – 13 . Oklahoma regained the # 1 ranking and , following a 45 – 14 win over Kansas , traveled to Lincoln with a Big Eight Conference title on the line . OU changed its defense for the game against Nebraska , using man - to - man coverage instead of zone . The move paid dividends as the Sooners intercepted four passes , including three by Randy Hughes , while the offense rolled up 482 yards on the ground despite not completing a single pass in the contest . The victory earned Oklahoma its second straight Big Eight Championship with one game remaining against Oklahoma State . Against the Cowboys , OU faced a 13 – 10 deficit late in the third quarter before scoring five TDs during a seven – and – a – half – minute span . The 44 – 13 victory marked OU ' s 20th consecutive win and 29th straight game without a loss . When Alabama fell to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl , the Sooners were left as the nation ' s only unbeaten team . With a # 1 ranking in the final AP Poll , OU laid claim to its fourth national championship and first since 1956 . To date , the 1974 Sooners are the last NCAA Division I - A team to claim an AP national title without benefit of a postseason bowl win . Game notes . Wake Forest .