First-year head coach Brent Venables asked Oklahoma fans a couple of weeks ago to attend the spring game and show up with pride.

The hashtag was set for weeks and weeks of #PackThePalace. There was going to be the unveiling of the Baker Mayfield statue. OU set up the weekend in hopes that it would be something to remember for years and years to come.

But nobody knew what would actually happen until Saturday afternoon. Lines wrapped around the stadium. The lower bowl full, forcing OU to open the upper deck.

Everything OU had hoped for and more. Because as Venables has been quick to say, every little thing matters.

“This is what a family looks like … This is how we go from good to great,” Venables said. “This is taking everything matters to a whole ‘nother level. To be elite, every little inch takes excellence.”

Venables addressed the crowd before the game and brought all the former players to midfield for an alumni picture. Then he addressed the crowd at halftime and delivered the news.

An attendance of 75,360. No number inflation and easily shattering any sort of record held at OU before for a spring game.

OU fans let Venables know, hey, they’re all-in, too.

“I think it was pretty fun just seeing the fans being enthusiastic with it and seeing (Brent Venables) being all-in,” safety Key Lawrence said. “He really got the fans riled up. It was fun. It was a blast.

“It was crazy. It was way more than I thought. That has to be up there with one of the best crowds for a spring game. I'm pretty sure. It has to be.”

Gabriel gets a workout

One thing that was unique about Red’s 21-17 win against White was the fact Venables had made it clear quarterback Dillon Gabriel was going to play for both teams.

And boy did he ever. Gabriel completed 19 of 28 passes for 250 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

It was an incredibly windy day in Norman, but Gabriel got through it and closed out the spring about as well as he had throughout the rest of spring.

“Personally, I know how much it holds being the quarterback at the University of Oklahoma,” wide receivers Marvin Mims said. “The past two years it’s been crazy, the quarterback situation. For him, I think he’s just wired different mentally.

“He doesn’t care about the glitz and glamor or all of that stuff. I think that’s why we gel so well as a unit. He’s stepped up into a leadership role like that. There was no living up to the hype or anything like that. He just came here to handle business. That’s what we really needed after this last crazy year.”

Gabriel’s touchdown came on a 33-yard strike to Mims.

Gibson makes most of second chance

True freshman receiver Jayden Gibson admitted on social media after the game about how nervous he was playing in front of 75,000.

He had a drop in the first half, but quarterback Micah Bowens went back to Gibson and the two produced arguably the best play of the day.

Backed up to the five yard line, Bowens found Gibson streaking down the field on a post route and Gibson did the rest in scoring a 95-yard touchdown.

“Dude’s really grown up a lot,” Mims said. “With him, he’s so young. He still has that young mindset. We’re going to keep on him. Keep on him and get it out of him. He’s going to be a great player. As you saw today, 95-yard touchdown on a post. It was a great play.”

Gibson finished the game with three catches for 113 yards.

Physicality on display

OK, the quarterbacks didn’t get hit, but outside of that, it felt a lot like a regular season game in terms of the hitting and the physicality.

You could see that on plays like Key Lawrence hitting Drake Stoops or DaShaun White nailing Jovantae Barnes. OU seemed to survive the event without any major injuries, but it was the intensity a lot of OU fans were hoping to see.

“It's just something we really preach on in practice,” Lawrence said. “We just tried to have it translate to the game and keep it simple. Coach (Venables) wants to be violent, so that's what we tried to do.”

Marcus Stripling and Ethan Downs both had two sacks.

Barnes punctuates his spring

No Marcus Major. You knew OU would limit Eric Gray and make sure he didn’t take too many hits. That meant a lot of carries for true freshman Jovantae Barnes.

Barnes finished with 60 yards and two touchdowns and showed he will be someone to watch for in the OU backfield this season and in the future.

Barnes led all rushers with 60 yards. Gray had 54 yards on just four attempts, including one of the best plays in the game with a 43-yard gain.