Shock and awe await Ags in Norman

The first time Brian Lewis punted in Oklahoma Memorial Stadium he was intimidated — and he was a member of Sooner Nation.

"It wasn't a great kick, but I remember everyone coming up and grabbing me afterwards and asking, 'Are you OK, man?' I know my eyes had to have been as big as silver dollars," he said. "It's something I'll never forget. It was a Saturday night game and it was on ABC and it was a big deal."

If it was a big deal for Lewis when he played for the Sooners in 1995 and 1996, how big of a deal will it be for the visiting Utah State Aggies, who will be making their fourth trip to Norman in school history on Saturday for a meeting with No. 3 Oklahoma.

"It was absolutely amazing to walk in there because the stadium is so big — and it's bigger now since I have been there," said Lewis, who prepped at St. George's Pine View High and played his final season of college football at the University of Utah in 2001.

Utah State (0-2) is also the first WAC team to play Oklahoma since Boise State beat the Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl last year.

Lewis, who finished third in the Big 12 and 21st in the nation in punting at 41.92 yards per punt, remembers the way he was taunted by fans at the Cotton Bowl before a big game with the University of Texas. He shanked a punt during warm-ups and the crowd began chanting his name.

He said it will be the same for the Aggies, who kick off with the Sooners Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (MDT), in Memorial Stadium (82,112). The game will be broadcast on KJZZ.

Most of the Aggie veterans are familiar with games such as this one, having played at the University of Alabama twice and the University of Arkansas, but Utah State coach Brent Guy said the game with the Sooners will be nothing like the ones with those two universities.

"Attitude is always the most important thing going into the game. I think our kids will be excited. This is a lot better team than Alabama and a lot better team than Arkansas," he said. "I'm going to make sure they understand that."

Utah State linebacker Jake Hutton, who played in two of the three games, already does.

"I don't think they (the Tide and Razorbacks) are as good as Oklahoma right now," he said. "Oklahoma is blowing teams out. They blew out Miami, so they are the real deal right now. I think we've just got to focus on the job at hand and go in there and play as hard as we can."