2024-09-08 13:20:02
NORMAN — When lifelong OU football fans Jensen Arnold and Isabella Regalado arrived at their seats last Friday in the south end zone of Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, they had an idea.
During warmups ahead of the Sooners’ season opener against Temple, footballs were constantly flying directly at the two as kickers practiced extra points and field goals. Regalado planned to film each kick on their end of the field throughout the game and see if she could capture Arnold catching one.
The first few kicks that came their way during the game flew over their heads. But in the second quarter, OU holder Josh Plaster was flagged for a 5-yard delay of game penalty.
“We knew once they moved back,” Arnold told The Oklahoman, “that was our chance.”
Sooners kicker Tyler Keltner’s extra point sailed through the uprights and right at the two fans. It was Arnold’s time to shine.
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“You ladies alright?” Arnold said, mimicking an internet trend, after she had snagged the ball, reaching her arms over the spectators in front of her.
“I have every field goal on that end zone videoed on my phone, we were just waiting for it,” Regalado said. “But once she caught it, and she said the line, I saw the video, and we just started jumping up and down, just dying laughing that that just happened.”
Regalado shared the sequence on social media and the rest is history.
On Regalado’s TikTok, the video has been watched over 7.7 million times. ESPN, Bleacher Report and Overtime each posted the video. Fanatics’ official account reached out to the two about sharing the video. WingStop, Jack Link’s and DUDES wipes’ official accounts commented on Regalado’s TikTok post.
Thousands of people took to social media, impressed with her catching skills.
What started as a Friday night outing for the friends and fellow graduates of Sand Springs High School, turned into one of the most viral moments of college football’s Week 1.
“SportsCenter just posted it the other day saying, ‘highlights of the week,’ Arnold said. “I’m like, ‘I’m a highlight?’ It’s been pretty crazy.”
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Arnold is an alum of Oklahoma Baptist University and an ER nurse in Tulsa and Regalado is a women’s basketball graduate assistant at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant.
“I’ve been trying to stay humble, but it’s been very hard,” Arnold joked. “I’ve been letting it get to my head a little bit, but I realized this is probably only my 15 minutes in fame, so I need to enjoy it while I can.”
The wildest part of the past week for Arnold came a little before 11 a.m. Friday morning when Arnold was watching “The Price is Right” like she always does. Her phone had been flooded with notifications all week but she noticed OU football’s official X account’s username when it flashed on her screen.
Sooners starting quarterback Jackson Arnold, Jensen’s favorite current OU player, posed with a signed football with a message for her.
“You ladies alright??” Jackson wrote. “To: J Arnold from: J Arnold.”
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“I saw the tweet and started freaking out,” Jensen said. “I called Bella and I called my mom. It’s been a crazy day.”
Once they captured the moment, Arnold and Regalado had no doubt the video would go viral. It took many perfect circumstances to pull it off, but Arnold stays ready.
Jensen responded to OU’s post on X: “I’ll be there tomorrow, have a jersey ready.”
