Pre-game fireworks are supposed to fire up a stadium, energizing the crowd of about 80,000 attendees. But things took a dangerous turn at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, as sparks flew low across the field. The Sooners players and cheerleaders were still making their way onto the field, with the cheerleaders trying to dodge the sparks. The incident happened before Oklahoma’s 14-6 win over New Mexico, and video of the fireworks malfunction quickly spread online.

The pyrotechnics fired low and horizontal instead of shooting up and away. That sent sparks skimming across the turf right as the Oklahoma cheerleaders were on their way out, running their flags during player introductions. They had to scatter and dodge mid-routine, which is not exactly the reaction anyone would want from a pre-game show that is meant to hype the crowd.

A malfunction like that, with people standing on the sideline and right in the blast zone, could have gone a lot worse. Fortunately, no one was reported to be hurt in the Oklahoma Week 3 opening.

This isn’t the first time a college football pregame fireworks show has gone wrong, as back in July 2024, a repeater device malfunctioned during the Stadium of Fire show at LaVell Edwards Stadium, home of the BYU Cougars. The fireworks were horizontally fired then, too, into the stands and injured up to six people, with one person suffering serious injuries.

And it’s not just limited to college football, as New York Giants running back Najee Harris (when he was with the Chargers) suffered a superficial eye injury at a July 4th event in 2025 due to a fireworks accident. A Sunday Night Football game in December also saw a firework nearly strike someone on the field at M&T Bank Stadium.

With not much going Oklahoma’s way right now, the fireworks incident is only adding more attention to the program. After the Week 2 loss to Michigan, head coach Brent Venables and the Sooners were already under pressure to keep the program moving in the right direction and avoid another disappointing season.

However, the Sooners bounced back in the Week 3 game against the Lobos with a 14-6 victory. For a program that entered with a preseason top-10 ranking and coming off a College Football Playoff appearance in 2025, the early loss added pressure to get the program back on track.

“That was ugly,” Venables said during the press conference after the New Mexico win, according to Sooners Wire. “Proud of the fight of our guys overcoming three turnovers in the first half. Incredibly fortunate to be up seven to six. Those are some incredible turnovers, man, killers.”

“But the toughness and resolve, the defense, they really responded and saved our butt,” Venables said. “And got to get better. Two things can be true: thankful for winning, really proud of the defense. They were outstanding, virtually most of the night, and several guys had to step up there because of some injuries, and I thought they really responded.”

Oklahoma’s defense bailed out the offense again, recording six sacks and keeping New Mexico out of the end zone. But three turnovers against a non-Power Four opponent won’t hold up once Georgia and Texas arrive, and Venables knows there is still plenty to fix.

Brent Venables admits Oklahoma has yet to find its rhythm

Though the fireworks mishap made for a wild pregame moment, it was hardly the biggest concern for Oklahoma, with the offense still struggling to find any rhythm or consistency.

“We haven’t gotten into a rhythm with really much of anything,” Venables said, according to John Williams of Sooners Wire. “We’re just too erratic and not consistent enough, not enough rhythm to what we’re doing. We’re our own worst enemy, the worst penalties at the worst times.”

As Oklahoma heads to Georgia for Week 4, followed by Texas, neither opponent will go easy on the Sooners after their sloppy performance against New Mexico. Though the pyrotechnics will be fixed before the next home game, the main question hanging over the program is the offensive rhythm before they head to Athens.