OU Unveils $2 Concessions for Rescheduled Ole Miss Game, Shifts 3 Sunday Events

Q: What triggered the sudden rescheduling of the OU football game that forced the university to offer massive giveaways and $2 beers?

The trigger was a nationwide FAA ground stop on Friday that prevented Ole Miss from leaving Oxford for Norman as scheduled. According to the SEC and multiple reports, the Rebels’ flight was halted during the federal ground stoppage caused by air-traffic communications problems. After the FAA lifted the stop, Ole Miss still could not depart Friday night because its charter company could not accommodate a late departure. That pushed the team’s travel to Saturday afternoon, making the original Saturday kickoff unworkable. The SEC then moved the Oklahoma-Ole Miss game from Saturday to noon Sunday. Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny said OU strongly objected and was told by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey that if the Sooners did not play at the assigned Sunday time, they would forfeit. That abrupt shift created the need for OU’s fan-appreciation push: discounted concessions including $2 beers, free student admission, bonus Sooner Points, merchandise discounts, and giveaways such as ponchos and hand warmers. The university was trying to offset major disruption for fans who had planned around a Saturday game and now faced a cold, rainy Sunday kickoff, along with changes to other OU home events. So the immediate cause was the FAA’s national ground stoppage; the larger fallout came from Ole Miss’ inability to secure alternate travel in time and the SEC’s decision to postpone the game to Sunday.

3 articles · Updated · Soonersports.com · Nov 14

OU Athletics rolled out fan-appreciation perks for Sunday’s noon football game against Ole Miss, including $2 concessions, free hand warmers and ponchos, and free entry for students with valid IDs.
The promotions follow the SEC’s rescheduling of the game and also include 20% off storewide merchandise, up to 60% off select items, 50 bonus Sooner Points for season-ticket holders, and complimentary tickets to future OU events.
Southern’s women’s basketball game was pushed from Sunday to Dec. 17 at 5 p.m., while volleyball against Vanderbilt and wrestling against Penn State remain on Sunday but both move to 6 p.m.
Those two Sunday events will be free to the public, and the reduced concession pricing will apply there as well, excluding hot chocolate.