It was a pleasant surprise that we made it to a BCS Bowl Game this season. After upsetting Oklahoma State we anxiously waited to see what bowl game we would be put in.  Immediately after they announced our placement in the Sugar Bowl, a group of friends and I bought our tickets, booked our hotel, and planned on rooting for the Sooners in New Orleans whether or not we won. It literally was going to be the last opportunity to be able to attend a BCS Bowl game. To be offered a position in a BCS Bowl Game is an honor. Our head football coach, Bob Stoops, has played and won in every BCS bowl. The Sugar Bowl was the only bowl he had not conquered. Therefore, this game was huge for our university and football program.  With the game being played in the Mercedes Superdome in New Orleans, we were sure to have a great time. This game attracted thousands of families and students because of the location. I was sure to make this a trip to remember.

On the car ride down all of us talked and fantasized about how awesome it would be to actually win against the defending national champs. In the back of our minds we even thought about how it would make this trip the best trip we had ever been on if we won. Never thinking it would actually happen, we were very skeptical going into the game and expected the worst. We were about to play a football game going against the one and only Bama, the ruler of the SEC.

We found out pretty quickly how crazy New Orleans can be especially on game day. This was the ultimate tailgating experience. People were throwing crimson beads on every block of Bourbon Street. You could not go into a restaurant without fans chanting “BOOMER” or “ROLL TIDE”! Alabama fans were constantly giving us Sooner fans a hard time by saying we didn’t stand a chance. Unfortunate for them, we were about to show them that we deserved to be in this BCS bowl game just as much as they did. It was an experience that I have never endured anywhere else in my college career.

45-31. Can you believe it? Was it Sooner Magic?  Was it luck?  I’m not sure what it was, but we couldn’t believe that we had actually won. Crimson and cream streamers filled up the superdome as the students screamed Boomer Sooner for countless minutes. We just beat the self-proclaimed “number one” school in the nation!! I felt like I was in a crazy dream!  A group of students started the chant “Bye Bye SEC” and it eventually echoed throughout the entire stadium. As the last few seconds rolled by, every Sooner watched the Bama fans leave the stadium. Only about twenty-five percent of the stadium was left to celebrate, and it was none other than the Sooners! Big Bowl Game Bob had completed his BCS Bowl collection! He was now the ONLY coach to win every BCS bowl game and a national championship!   After the game, a state of euphoria continued when all the Sooner fans took over New Orleans famous Bourbon Street! There was nothing but OU flags, fans, and the famous Boomer Sooner chant playing up and down the street. Every student had lost their voice from screaming so loudly.  I have a feeling I will be on a “SUGAR” high for a long time. This was the best way to go out as a student, but I am so eager for next year.  So is it the 2014 football season yet?  Now let’s go win a National Championship! BOOMER!

Tony Montalvo

Oklahoma City, OK

Energy Mgmt Senior