Here's my take on a "real" response.
First off, the question is flawed. We don't rush the field/court "every time" we beat OU. In fact, I can't remember the last time we rushed the court after beating OU in basketball. Off the top of my head, the past several "court rushes" in basketball were:
- Beating #2 Missouri last year (huge upset obviously)
- Beating #1 Kansas in 2010 (again, obvious big upset)
- Beating Texas in 2004 (game that essentially clinched the Big 12 title)
The only other game that I can possibly remember us *maybe* rushing the court would have been the Bedlam game in 2001 or 2002? The Victor Williams last second shot game... Although I'm not 100% sure on that. Maybe others remember. I think we also might have rushed the court after immediate post-plane crash game vs. Missouri in 2001. Again, not 100% sure on that.
As for football, as you and others pointed out, the rush after winning in 2011 was really more about winning our first conference football title in forever.
As for Saturday, I don't necessarily agree with rushing the court after that game, but I understand it. The rush wasn't necessarily about just beating OU... it was about celebrating the renewed atmosphere inside GIA.
This was the first time that this batch of students got to experience GIA in its full force. It's hard to describe the energy in the building unless you're there. Back in the day, the students were basically used to that energy because it happened all the time. But it's new for the current students and rushing the court is just a natural extension celebrating that fact.
So no, the victory itself certainly wasn't "monumental", but GIA returning to its full glory for, really, the first time in the Travis Ford era was something that
was monumental to those of us who remember what it used to be like.
I wouldn't expect people on the outside to understand that, but for those of us who have an emotional attachment to OSU basketball and to a full, rowdy GIA, it means a lot. I think the students were celebrating that, more than anything.