What began as a one-point victory for BYU in Dallas ended as a midnight rally at Provo Municipal Airport, as hundreds of fans gathered to welcome home the conquering heroes.  

Seconds after the BYU Cougars defeated the Oklahoma Sooners in a stunning upset, Utah Jazz point guard Deron Williams wrote via Twitter, “Get ur Ginger Ale ready it’s going down in Provo!”

Apparently, hundreds of fans had the same idea.

When the Cougars surprised fans and pundits alike with a last-minute victory over No. 3 Oklahoma, it sent Provo into a frenzy.

Crowds of students scattered along University Ave. shortly after the victory, celebrating what many are calling one of the greatest wins for BYU football in decades.

“I’ve never been so proud to be a Cougar in my life!” said Matthew Page, a BYU student from Maryland. “There must have been at least three crowds on University Ave. At seventh North and University they were blocking off the streets.”

As police officers began to control the crowds at 700 North, students moved to LaVell Edwards Stadium, where the celebration gained momentum and turned into a dance party, complete with crowd surfing. Some fans were even doing flips off the top of a truck into the excited hordes of people.

“It was amazing; I got bounced 14 times,” said Jacob Bratt, one of the crowd surfers.

Music blared from car speakers as strangers danced with each other and exchanged celebratory hugs.

Christina Green, a student from North Carolina, was present at the spontaneous party, soaking in the post-game elation.

“I feel awesome,” she said. “They were shouting ‘BCS’ for a while, then ‘BYU’ and ‘Florida State.’ Then they tried to sing the [fight] song.”

The partying lasted late into the night, as hundreds of fans gathered at Provo Municipal Airport to greet the returning team.

Aaron Haslam, vice president of activities for Cougars United, coordinated with airport officials and organized the late-night rally.

“I think it was a really great turnout,” Haslam said. “I just knew this was something that needed to go down.”

News spread fast, as text messages and Facebook updates announced the pep rally, and by the time the team landed around 2 a.m., fans were anxiously waiting with homemade posters and flags.

Coach Bronco Mendenhall gave an impromptu speech to the cheering fans.

“We can certainly feel your support,” Mendenhall said through a microphone. “I think this is just the beginning.”