Both Cowboys, BPS Earthquake Proof
Sitting in the press box Saturday night after one of the most exciting college football games I’ve ever seen, I was typing furiously trying to get everything done before deadline.
Oklahoma State and Kansas State gave us a gem of a game, but it took forever to get done. With less than an hour to deadline when the game ended, I decided to stay in the press box while my teammates Gina Mizell and John Helsley went to postgame interviews.
Who knew I’d have a chance to test Boone Pickens Stadium’s earthquake readiness in the process?
Yep, the big 5.6 magnitude tremor that hit near Sparks was felt at the stadium. And felt. And felt.
What I first thought was being caused by some rowdy fans — hey, they sway at Texas A&M and the whole press box goes side to side — was quickly pinpointed as an earthquake. The strong shaking lasted a good 20 seconds, but the stadium was still vibrating for another 30 seconds or so.
Not sure Boone Pickens had earthquake-proof on his wish list when he gave all those millions to OSU for a stadium, but he sure got it.
He got a team that is equally solid.
The Cowboys were on the ropes Saturday night. No other way to say it. Their offense was committing uncharacteristic turnovers. Their defense was not only allowing yards but also points. That Cowboy D has been known to do the former but not so much the latter in recent games. It was a recipe for disaster.
The season was crumbling around them. Ditto for their national championship hopes.
Ironically, Pickens talked to a few of us media types at halftime. That was before the game unraveled and the press box shook, but I asked him, a man who’s been so highly successful in business, what it was about this team that he thought made it successful.
He mentioned a lot of things, including coach retention and strong recruiting, but he also brought up Brandon Weeden. Pickens talked about the Cowboy quarterback’s maturity, about what he’s been through, about how that sort of experience comes in handy.
Darn if that wasn’t one of the main things that saved the Cowboys on Saturday night. On OSU’s last three drives, Weeden was 8 of 10 for 149 yards and one touchdown. And had Joseph Randle not weaved his way into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown, something told you that Weeden would’ve found a way to get that score.
In the most important moments of the game, he was at his best.
The Cowboys feed off of that steadiness. There didn’t seem to be panic on offense or defense, and part of that flows from the confidence that Weeden exudes. He wasn’t intimidated. He wasn’t fearful. He wasn’t shaken.
Earthquake proof, just like the stadium around him.
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