Oklahoma’s first appearance in a postseason bowl game was in 1939. The Sooners, unbeaten and untied in the 1938 season under second-year head coach Tom Stidham, were matched up in the Orange Bowl with another unbeaten and untied team in the Tennessee Volunteers. OU came into the game ranked fourth in the nation, according to the Associated Press; Tennessee was the country’s No. 2 team that season.
The Sooners’ 10 regular-season victories in 1938 included a remarkable eight shutouts.
In a bit of an ironic twist, OU’s first bowl appearance ended up a shutout itself, only on this occasion it was the Sooners who registered the goose egg on the scoreboard.