The minute I got off work, I got onto I-35 and drove to Norman as fast as possible. While exhausted from a lack of sleep and dealing with a nasty cold, there was no way I was going to miss the OU Spring Game.
I finally arrived about three minutes into the first quarter wearing my crimson Baker Mayfield jersey. I almost couldn’t believe it as I looked around: we really did it. We packed the palace.
75,000 Sooners fans showed up for an exhibition. [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag]’s statue “reveal” got the audience it deserved.
It was overcast for the entirety of the first half. I hadn’t seen the sun all day.
And then Baker Mayfield came out.
You’d think I’m making this up, but I’m not. The second Baker’s feet touched Owen Field, the sun started to shine through the thick sheet of clouds covering Norman, Oklahoma.
The Southern sun shined on Baker Mayfield and Brent Venables as they gave speeches that had the 75,000 Sooners fans ready to run through a wall. He finished his speech with a nod toward his former backup QB Kyler Murray, who will join him in Heisman Park.
Venables did precisely what the head coach of a football program should do; provide some shine for the other programs on campus. The way he shouted out other OU teams was just fantastic.
I don’t know how much energy this guy has, but he brings it every time he speaks.
There’s a new feeling surrounding this team. The camaraderie seemed like something out of a movie.
That game will end up doing wonders for this program. The recruits all saw firsthand the kind of passion that Oklahoma fans bring to the palace.
Venables packed the palace with a challenge to OU fans. On Saturday, Venables gave Sooner Nation another challenge. Make Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial a nightmare for the rest of college football. Let’s rise to the occasion once more and answer the call this fall.
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