ALAMO MISSION
OSU is on a quest to win its 10th football game, and Cowboy fans are in San Antonio to help the cause
A nne and Gregg Felber posed for a friend's cellphone photo in front of the iconic Alamo Mission, smiles on their faces, “OSU Cowboys” on pretty much every article of clothing they were wearing.
Even though they live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, they are huge Oklahoma State fans. Anne is an alum who loved her time in Stillwater and came to adore all things orange and black, and when she married Gregg over two decades ago, she converted him to the Cowboys.
They even traveled to two football games this season.
But they never went to a bowl game — until now.
“Once they made a bowl game,” Anne said on the eve of OSU’s Alamo Bowl showdown with Colorado, “we were like, ‘We are going to go this year.’”
The Felbers definitely weren’t alone.
While Colorado fans were more numerous around San Antonio on Monday and Tuesday, the numbers started to swing toward OSU fans on Wednesday.
Orange was a popular color around the city’s River Walk as well as the Alamo and other historic missions.
While the sights and sounds were great Wednesday, Cowboy fans have a very specific goal for Thursday.
Beat Colorado. “The kind of season they’ve had, I really think it should’ve been a betterlooking season than it was, but we had some weird things happen,” Anne Felber said. “I think we got cheated out of a few things.”
The blown call that cost OSU a victory against Central Michigan comes to mind. And yet, OSU still has a chance to reach the 10-win plateau.
That double-digit win total has become something of a benchmark for excellence in college football, and with a win against the Buffs, the Cowboys would reach that mark for the fifth time in seven seasons.
“Any time you can hit double-digit wins at this level, it’s huge,” OSU offensive lineman Zach Crabtree said. “Not many people in the country win 10 games a year, and so this game has big-time implications for us.
“We want this 10th win.”
Fifth-year seniors like receiver Austin Hays have a chance to be part of three 10-win seasons in their five years at OSU.
“That’s unbelievable,” Hays said. “To be part of this has just been so special.”
Cowboy offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said, “It just doesn’t spring up. It just doesn’t happen. … There are so many people involved.”
Count OSU fans among that group.
Even though the school had not sold out its allotment of 12,000 tickets by Wednesday afternoon, OSU assistant athletic director for ticket operations Andy Sumrall expected an overall number higher than that.
“We are anticipating 15,000 fans in orange,” he said.
Dustin and Morgan Wilson will be there with sons Ryder, 7, and Hutson, 4.
The family lives in Jones but long had plans to be in San Antonio this week — Dustin had a pre-arranged work trip — and lo and behold, their Cowboys happen to be in town, too.
“We hadn’t been able to go to a game all season, so we’re really excited,” said Morgan, who like her husband has a degree from OSU. “This is his first game.”
She pointed toward little Hutson as he snapped selfies with his brother, the Alamo in the background.
“We’re excited.”