In the early years, it was not unusual to win 50-0 one week and play to a scoreless tie the following week. In fact, from the Sooners’ first varsity game, which they lost 34-0 in 1895, to the Bud Wilkinson era, which began in 1947, Oklahoma shut out its opponent twice as many times as the Sooners were held scoreless (153-70).
That’s 223 games in 52 seasons (1895-1946) in which one or both teams were held scoreless.
That number has gone down considerably in the 71 years since. Since Wilkinson’s first season, in 1947, through the 2018 season, the Sooners have shut out 92 opponents and been held scoreless themselves a total of 15 times.