Sooners Share First Game Memories

NORMAN, Okla. -- Saturday night's game against BYU will mark the first college football game for a number of Sooners and will undoubtedly provide a number of 'Welcome to College Football' moments. Playing in front of 85,000 fans on national TV can be quite the experience for athletes used to playing under the Friday night lights of high school ball.

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SoonerSports.com recently polled a number of players, one assistant coach and one College Football Hall of Famer on their most vivid memory from their first college football game:

"My first memory of playing in an OU game was when I got in, everything seemed to be in slow motion. I was running on the field and I was looking at the crowd and I spotted my family waving at me. I started waving back at my family. I started pointing at everybody. I think I almost jumped offside because I was so ready to go."

Senior Receiver Adron Tennell

"My first memory was running out of the tunnel. Words can't express how it feels. It's everything you've ever worked for thrown right there in your face. It gets a little emotional sometimes, but that's my greatest memory."

Senior Offensive Lineman Brian Simmons

"Walking out in a full stadium, 90,000 fans out there, that was pretty exciting. That was really my first memory."

Sophomore Linebacker Travis Lewis

"Just learning to play a lot harder than I did at any other level of football. I was mesmerized when I was on the field for the first time."

Junior Offensive Lineman Cory Brandon

"My first college football memory was probably back in my freshman year the very first game. I was backing up Rufus (Alexander) and he got hurt, but they had already scored. I didn't realize that they had already scored so I ran out there thinking that we were about to call a play or call goal line. But we were just out there for a field goal and I was all disoriented. That was my first memory."

Senior Linebacker Ryan Reynolds

"My first college experience, we played Utah State and I started that game. I know they tell us not to worry about making plays but to just go out there and do the technique. But I'm not going to lie, it crossed my mind, trying to make a play. I just so happened to get to the quarterback and I had a facemask. I sacked the quarterback and got a facemask. After that I calmed down a little bit and I was able to continue to do well, but I was so excited, I didn't know what to do, my mind was everywhere. After I calmed down I'd have to say that was my greatest college experience. "

Junior Defensive Tackle Adrian Taylor

"I have a bad first memory. Against Washington, my redshirt-freshman year right out here on Owen Field, I missed a tackle the first play on defense. I played safety and missed a tackle. The guy broke and scored a touchdown. That's my first memory of college football."

Senior Linebacker Keenan Clayton

"Silence in the locker room. Everybody was so focused."

Senior Defensive Tackle DeMarcus Granger

"My first college moment as a true freshman... I thought I better play pretty hard so I wouldn't get my butt kicked. So I played with great effort to make up for the lack of size and strength."

Assistant Coach James Patton

"The first moment here at Oklahoma was coming down the ramp. Coach Fairbanks leads the team out and we came down the ramp and the place went wild. I thought, "This isn't Kansas anymore Toto." I knew then this was a big time and this was the real thing. So that was really it, it was an unbelievable experience. And then I got a chance to play, and the rest was history."

Executive Director of Varsity "O" Joe Washington

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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