NORMAN, Okla. – Just outside the door to the visitor's locker room at Memorial Stadium is a sign that proclaims "There is only one Oklahoma." It hangs above pictures of each of the Sooners five Heisman Trophy winners, Billy Vessels to Sam Bradford. Throughout the stadium are reminders of Oklahoma's seven national championships, spanning from 1950-2000, and 40 conference titles.
When the Cardinals exit their locker room tonight minutes before their 7 p.m. game against the No. 2 Sooners, the Heisman winners will be the last thing they see before entering a sea of Oklahoma fans. Then the Cardinals will round a corner and enter the stadium, descending down a short ramp covered with a crimson carpet bearing the dates of each of the Sooners' national championships.
Oklahoma has spent the last 60 years creating an aura around its football program it now proudly displays for the world to see in the monument it built to itself.
Ball State has spent the last six days trying to convince anyone that would listen that it doesn't care what kind of legacy has been created in Norman.
"We've got to turn around and go out and play 60 minutes of football regardless of who we're playing against," Pete Lembo said.
"They've got pads just like us," cornerback Jeffery Garrett said.
The one concession Lembo seemingly made to Oklahoma's might this week was to pipe its fight song into practice, preparing Ball State for the noise that accompanies a crowd of more than 82,000 people. The Cardinals also used the tactic before playing Indiana and South Florida this year.
Still, Lembo understands Ball State (3-1) will face one of the best teams in the country tonight. Oklahoma (3-0) was ranked No. 1 for in the preseason and the first three weeks of the season before LSU's impressive 4-0 September knocked the Sooners down a spot in the AP Poll.
"There's no glaring weakness in this team," Lembo said. "This is a team built to do just what it's doing, to compete at the very highest level of college football.
"This is exactly where they want to be."
But Lembo never gets too concerned with the opposing team. Certain parts of the game plan are put into place depending on the opponent, but Lembo wants his players to focus on themselves every day in practice.
After starting the season 3-1, the Cardinals are wary of getting complacent.
"You need to keep pushing," Lembo said. "[I] talked to the players after practice [Tuesday] about the whole sense of urgency. What does that mean? How does that apply to you as an individual player? To me that means you're coming out every day and putting some positive pressure on yourself to get better."
It will be difficult to ignore the opponent from the time Ball State leaves the locker room Saturday. Once on the field, however, the aura will mean less. It will then be up to the Cardinals to execute their game plan and see just where they stand against one of the college football elite.
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