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Football: OU vs. Texas Tech Football: OU vs. Texas Tech Watch

He wanted it. He got it.

After head coach Bob Stoops said OU football fans weren’t known for causing much of a “ruckus” last week, a record-breaking crowd rolled into Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Saturday ready to rock.

For four solid quarters, they screamed, shouted, booed, cheered and jumped as OU demolished the No. 2 team in the country.

Stoops acknowledged the 85,646 spectators’ efforts as soon as the game was over.

“I should start off by saying how much I appreciate the fans,” Stoops said immediately following the Sooners’ 65-21 rout over Texas Tech.

“I’ve got a game ball here,” Stoops said. “Not everyone can see it, but [I have] a game ball for the fans. That’s what you hope the stadium would be like.”

The crowd was loud all day Saturday — and all night.

Shouts of “Boomer Sooner” roared from the student section two hours before kickoff and continued throughout, still echoing after the game.

Fans around the stadium jumped in waves to the popular House of Pain pump-up song “Jump Around” during TV timeouts.

“The one part, when they were playing the music and everybody was jumping around and going crazy, I mean that got everybody up,” said senior wide receiver Manuel Johnson.

The crowd was electric throughout the contest.

“That’s by far the best atmosphere I’ve ever played in anywhere, and I think that had a huge impact,” said sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford. “I don’t think they realize how much that we feed off the crowd energy, and for them to be such a big part of this game tonight, it really helped us.”

The first signs of the crowd’s effect on the Tech offense came at the 8:54 mark in the first quarter, when the Red Raiders had a delay of game penalty and a false start consecutively as they began their second drive.

Texas Tech finished with eight penalties for 45 yards, and the crowd was a major factor in several of those.

The crimson and cream crowd didn’t let up on the Red Raiders throughout the contest.

The gaping holes in areas of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium that appeared in the second half of earlier games were nowhere to be found this time around.

“I don’t think anyone left throughout the game,” said redshirt freshman linebacker Travis Lewis. “The crowd was amazing. I think it really affected their play calling. I would give [fans] a game ball, too.”

Players were quick to praise the dedication of Sooner fans after the game.

“Oh man, did y’all here them?” said sophomore defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. “Nobody left; they stayed the whole game. I think the crowd affected the game a lot. [Tech] couldn’t hear what was going on, and we couldn’t hear what was going on, but luckily we knew our signals. I’m glad they cheered the way they did. I love our fans.”

Sophomore running back DeMarco Murray, who had 196 yards and scored two touchdowns, said Texas Tech was rattled by the noise pouring out of the stands.

“They played a tremendous role,” Murray said of the crowd. “Believe it or not, they sometimes do sound off a play or two here. If it’s too loud you know, [the other team] can’t get a signal. So they just played a great role and it was a great atmosphere out there tonight.”

Stoops acknowledged the record-breaking crowd’s contribution to the game.

“I hope I didn’t offend anybody challenging them this week,” Stoops said. “I’ve always appreciated and respected [the fans]. We have great fans. You don’t sell out every single game for 10 years without loyal and committed, great fans.”

Stoops said he was just urging those loyal and committed fans to turn up the tempo, and they did Saturday.

“I’ve always envisioned a loud and raucous crowd to influence a game, and they sure did tonight.”