How to Watch Oklahoma's Spring Game

The Sooners are back in action on Saturday for the first look at Brent Venables' SEC bound squad.

Ross Lovelace | Apr 17, 2024

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables speaks before a spring scrimmage game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma / NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY

Coming off a promising season that ended in heartbreak down the stretch, Oklahoma is back in action in the most pivotal season in quite some time. On Saturday, fans will get their first glimpse of the SEC Sooners.

ESPN announced that the Sooners' spring football game, scheduled for Saturday, and will stream through their network on ESPN+ (subscription required). Toby Rowland and Dusty Dvoracek will be on the television call. The game itself is set to kickoff at 1 p.m. inside Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, although weather could push the game’s date and time around a bit.

In addition to ESPN+, the game will also be available by radio broadcast on 107.7 The Franchise. The radio broadcast will feature play-by-play announcer Chad McKee, analyst Teddy Lehman, sideline reporter Chris Plank and sideline analyst Gabe Ikard on the call.

Brent Venables led the Sooners to a perfect 7-0 start last year that included knocking off No. 3 Texas after the Longhorns dismantled Oklahoma 49-0 a season before. OU sputtered down the stretch though, dropping two winnable games to Kansas and Oklahoma State, followed by a disappointing Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona.

Heading into the SEC with a brand new quarterback, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator, nobody knows what to expect. Expectations are all over the place, and Saturday will be the first time fans will get a few answers. Jackson Arnold displayed flashes of serious arm strength and star potential against Arizona, but couldn’t keep the turnovers at a minimum. Saturday will be his time to shine.

In addition to the game itself, OU will hold its "Party at the Palace presented by Allstate" pregame fan festival on the lawn just north of the stadium starting at 9 a.m. Per the Oklahoma press release, “many of the usual Party at the Palace elements will be featured, including a variety of food trucks (Midway Deli, Psycho Taco, Supermercados Morelos, Taste of Africa, HTeaO and Kona Ice), interactive games, music, balloon artists, face painters, inflatables, mascot appearances, a mini-football field and other activities (weather-permitting).”

Last season, both the players and the fans had trouble adjusting to Oklahoma’s complicated Spring Game rules. This year it’ll be more of the same.

The rules, according to OU’s press release, are as follows: “Saturday's game will feature the offense (Red Team) vs. the defense (White Team) and a point-scoring system for each squad. Each quarter will be 12 minutes in duration. At the start of the fourth quarter, a target score will be generated by adding 12 points to the leading team's score. If one of the teams reaches that target score before the fourth quarter clock expires, that team wins. If the target score is not reached by either team, the team leading when the clock expires wins.”

Published Apr 17, 2024

ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.