Oklahoma fans still get chills thinking about these moments since the last national title

There are moments in your life that are full of much emotion. They engrave themselves into your memory. If I asked you for a list, you could give me several right off the top of your head -- a marriage, a child being born, a celebration of a loved one -- these are all probably high on the list.

Where does a moment in sports appear on your list? How many are there? If you’re like me, and I’m certain you are, then a film reel of sports highlights is splashing across the walls of your mind where the athletes flash briefly before the camera pans to you and who you were with that night, and how you were together for something spectacular. 

Those moments in sports that we hold dear are not in need of a long description. They all share that in common. When bringing it up in conversation, especially with those who shared it with you, the tag line is brief and almost always involves the words “That night…” I remember several. That night in Madrid. That night in Norman. That night in Columbus. As OU fans, you can relate to the last two. 

Baker Mayfield gave Sooners fans a moment they will never forget

What a blessing it is to have brains that can remember and associate things. Do you all remember that night in Columbus?

We are all seeing the same flag in our mind right now. On Sept. 9, 2017, the No. 5 Sooners traveled to Columbus to face off against the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. It was one of those monumental matchups that truly marked the beginning of the college football season. A night game in Columbus that had 8.3 million people watching for a nonconference matchup.

That year, OSU was an early favorite to win the national championship. That was, until Baker Mayfield came to town, dropped 386 yards and three touchdowns, and then proceeded after the game to take an OU flag and plant it on the OSU logo at midfield. This defined the Mayfield era and was a statement for Oklahoma football that said, “Bob’s gone, but we’re gonna be OK."

How about that night the stadium played “Jump Around”? Mike Leach and the Texas Tech Red Raiders came to Norman on Nov. 22, 2008. Tech was ranked No. 2 in the country and was bearing down on a bid for the national championship. OU was No. 5 again, also looking to clinch a spot in the national championship with Heisman-winning quarterback Sam Bradford.

This had all the hype to be one of the games of the season, and it was, for OU fans. It was 42-7 OU at halftime. The final score was 65-21, marking one of the most dominant wins in OU football history. That score would be profound against any team, let alone the No. 2 team in the country. Now, almost two decades later, the words “Jump Around” evoke the memories of Sooner fans watching the Palace on the Prairie shake with the footfalls of 80,000-plus in Norman. 

I implore you to consider the importance of these moments in our lives as sports fans. These profound games elicit such strong emotions that are hard to find in other facets of the human experience. Our emotions are the human experience. We are chasing those joyous highs, and the two games above were made so much sweeter due to the suffering we’ve all endured as fans. It is a privilege to suffer.

I was too young to remember the last Oklahoma football national championship in 2000. There has been a lot of suffering since that game over 25 years ago. But when the day comes, and we have ‘that night,' and the trophy is lifted by players and coaches clad in crimson and cream, I will have immense joy, and I can tell my kids about all the days that I waited for this day, and it will feel worth it.