Oklahoma State's football players were eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and waiting out a storm. Their coach was usually asleep by ten. At midnight, they still hadn't begun the game.[2]

Tulsa's band had already played the national anthem on Saturday, September 17, when the approaching storm interrupted the familiar countdown to kickoff. Fans were told to shelter in the concourses, the basketball arena or their vehicles. Rain soaked the stadium. The Associated Press reported that one man remained in his seat.[2]

Tulsa athletic director Bubba Cunningham and his Oklahoma State counterpart, Mike Holder, settled on a cutoff: a lightning strike near the stadium after 11:30 p.m. would mean cancellation. The last recorded strike came at 11:23. That left just enough of a gap for players to return to warm up shortly before midnight.[1]

On the teams' schedules, there was no shared weekend off to which they could simply move the game. Both faced ranked opponents the next Saturday. A postponement meant finding space where their calendars offered very little; continuing meant putting on helmets and starting the work after midnight. Thousands of fans stayed for it.[2]

Cunningham also had an NCAA bylaw to account for, one prohibiting athletic activities from starting between midnight and 5 a.m. He told the AP he understood it as protection against early-morning punishment practices imposed by coaches after games. In his reading, a delayed kickoff could go ahead. Tulsa's Saturday home opener began at 12:16 a.m. on Sunday, September 18, 2011.[1][3]

With players facing a full game at an hour when he normally slept, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy worried about injuries on both sides. He pushed back against the obvious reassurance that young people stay up late anyway. Being awake at three in the morning, he pointed out, hardly prepares a body to play football then.[2]

At 3:35 a.m., Oklahoma State had its 59-33 win, and quarterback Brandon Weeden had another late night to compare with five years of minor-league baseball. He had played 20-inning games. Nothing, he said, really compared to this. The winners were excited, but people were walking around like zombies. Victory still left everyone needing sleep.[2]

Back at the start of that long night on the field, referee Randy Smith had asked the captains: "Are you guys ready to finally play some football?" Oklahoma State's players had waited through the storm, eaten their sandwiches and warmed up again. Tulsa kicker Kevin Fitzpatrick approached the ball. Whistles sounded. The officials needed to reset the play clock. The play clock went back to 25 seconds.[2]

Sources

  1. Associated Press via Deseret News: Rare midnight football game almost didn't happen
  2. Associated Press via ESPN, archived game report
  3. University of Tulsa: Tulsa Falls to Oklahoma State, 59-33

Illustrative venue photo: H.A. Chapman Stadium during Tulsa vs. Sam Houston State, September 26, 2009, not the 2011 midnight game. Photo by Chippothenut, CC BY 3.0; cropped and resized. Image source. CC BY 3.0 license.