Oklahoma football: Oklahoma vs. Western Carolina could be historic

When I was just nine years old, I witnessed what I believe to be one of the greatest experiences in Oklahoma football history.

It was November 22, 2008. My father and I, along with my friend and his father, started the day early by visiting the set of ESPN’s “College GameDay.” It was the very first time I ever got to see the “GameDay” crew in person.

The No. 5 Sooners, led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, were set to take on the undefeated and No. 2-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders.

It was also the first time I was able to watch Oklahoma basketball and football play on the same day. Both starring players who won national honors.

Oklahoma Sooners Football

That afternnon, I was fortunate enough to see Blake Griffin defeat Gardner-Webb at the Lloyd Noble Center. Shortly thereafter we returned to the OU campus, still buzzing with anticipation before the big football game.

Campus Corner was barely walkable because of the sheer volume of fervent fans, donning crimson and cream and drinking criminally overpriced cans of an adult beverage. OU fans, most of them drunk before noon, could be heard creating their own small-scale Boomer Sooner chants throughout the campus.

The Oklahoma campus is always electric on gameday, but on that day there was something different. There was an entirely different energy moving about on this particular day.

Bob Stoops had challenged Sooner fans to bring their A-game to Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in a press conference in the week leading up to the game. The Sooner fans took Stoops’ appeal to heart and did not disappoint.

At one point, the entire stadium was jumping up and down, creating a violent rumble throughout the stadium and leaving Mike Leach and Graham Harrell stunned, all to the tune of “Jump Around” by House of Pain.

The Sooners went on to win 65-21, capping off one of the greatest days of my young life. Even after all these years, I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced a home crowd of that magnitude since then. But that could change very soon, and probably will.

After a year of reduced crowds, a return to form could be in store

OU president Joe Harroz and athletic director Joe Castiglione both announced that the Sooners are planning to have a full stadium come Oklahoma’s home opener against Western Carolina on Sept. 11. If that turns out to be a reality, I’m not sure there are enough adjectives to describe the kind of electricity that will be permeating throughout the campus on that day.

After over a year of adhering to strict public health measures, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainties of the 2020 season, and witnessing severely reduced or empty crowds for major sporting events, fans will be chomping at the bit to finally be shoulder-to-shoulder with like-minded fans.

The game against Western Carolina will likely be a pay-per-view event and will be mostly meaningless as it pertains to the greater college football landscape, but to the Oklahoma faithful who finally get to pack Owen Field after months and months of dealing with the demands and frustration associated with coronavirus issues and concerns, it could be one of the greatest experiences they will have had in quite some time.

Oklahoma will likely be a top-5 program by the time Western Carolina comes to Norman, and will probably be favored by 40-50 points. In a normal year, this would be a more tame Sooner crowd. In 2021, it could be one of the most electric.

Now, there’s every chance that the COVID situation takes a turn for the worse between now and then, but that seems very unlikely at this point. Sooner fans should be exceedingly hopeful.

After all this time and uncertainty, there is finally an end in sight. It’s important during times like this to have hope and an optimistic outlook.

Even if the timeline ends up being pushed back, plan on being able to gather once again with crimson-clad strangers like yourself. In 2021, you will hear the roar of a full-capacity OU crowd. You can take that to the bank.