Oklahoma's New Faces Can't Wait for Their First Game Day in Norman

NORMAN — Friday night’s opener will be special for a handful of Sooners.

Twenty-five players on OU’s initial depth chart on offense and defense will make their Owen Field debuts.

The excitement to finally play in front of Oklahoma fans is perhaps only rivaled by the excitement to finally get on the field against an opponent.

“No matter where you’re at, Florida, high school, Oklahoma — if you put in seven months of work, it’s a beautiful thing watching it all come together,” Florida transfer Hayden Hansen said on Sunday. “And (Brent) Venables has said it time and time again: we have all the pieces we need. It’s on us to put it all together. We have what we need. Our best is the best in the country. If we can go out there, starting with UTEP, go put it on, we’re going to have a good season ahead of us.”

Hansen said he didn’t know a ton about the history at Oklahoma growing up, but since the Sooners have entered the SEC, he’s gotten a full education.

“I started hearing things about Oklahoma and obviously, Venables’ name always comes up,” Hansen said. “He’s one of the best coaches of all time. You must be living under a rock if you haven’t heard about him. Over time, they moved to the SEC, at first, when they both moved, I was like, ‘Uh, let’s see how this works out.’

“Then Texas came in hot; then OU obviously last year made the playoff. So it’s been exciting to see that they’re kind of just a plug-and-play anywhere. That’s kind of Venables’ whole identity. The secret’s in the dirt. Spot the ball, predictions don’t matter, opinions don’t matter, we control and that’s kind of how they live life here.”

Defensive tackle Bishop Thomas is ready to soak in the pageantry of a game day in Norman.

"The culture is just straight football, bro,” the Georgia State transfer said. “There's no NFL team here, so it's us. We're the team that everybody grows up watching. You know, I'm not from Oklahoma, but I can assume if I was, I would have grown up watching Oklahoma ball.

“I mean, it says it in the name — 'Oklahoma drill.' I think this is what football is made from, honestly. Molded."

Center Caleb Nitta is ready to take the field, but he’s focused on doing his job as offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh has worked through various injuries and minor setbacks to find his strongest lineup.

“I’m super excited,” Nitta said. “… I think Coach Bedenbaugh is going to put the best five out there, but if I'm able to get out there, then I'm excited. You know, I have to be prepared and get ready to go and continue to improve every day. But I'm excited.”

The Sooners will have the national stage mostly to themselves on Friday, which is important to Hansen as he makes his first impression with his new fanbase against UTEP.

“There’s a standard we have to defend here, at all times,” he said. “No matter who’s in this stadium, we have to go out and attack. We have to put the OU brand in the spotlight and take care of business.”

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