By Parmida Schahhosseini
Sports Writer
With the sweet smell of barbecue filling the air and tailgaters partaking in the festivities more people began to crowd what was already a full Floyd Casey Stadium for one of the most anticipated games in Baylor history.
Just two hours before kickoff, the stands were beginning to fill up as a sea of black began to take over the Stadium resembling dark clouds sweeping over an area as Baylor Nation comes together to support their team.
“Everyone’s really excited for this game, especially since it’s on a Thursday,” Dallas sophomore Jesikah Suggs said. “Bruiser also was walking around, so it was chance for everyone to get involved and really be a part of this.”
Baylor has played in big games before, but none of this magnitude. The hype going into the game has been surreal as thousands purchased black shirts well in advance. Baylor even went tarpless for this game, which hasn’t happened in a decade.
Some Baylor students decided to go all out dressing up in costumes. Brownwood junior Payton Christopher and his friends dressed up as characters from the movie “The Dark Knight” to fit the mood.
“I’m Batman and I chose it because he’s the dark knight and this is blackout,” Christopher said.
Despite the long lines, there were some people still tailgating and enjoying the food and music. Students have prepared well in advance for this event by planning how early they would get to the stadium.
“My roommates have been preparing for this for the past couple of days, buying a bunch of black clothing, talking about how they’re going to get to the stadium early and start tailgating,” Atlanta senior Joshua Gill said.
Going up against Oklahoma is why there is so much hype. Despite being 14 point favorites, Oklahoma has a history against Baylor. The only time the Bears won was in 2011. However, this team is different and many people are starting to believe in this Baylor team.
“People are excited because we get to play a big opponent like Oklahoma,“ Gill said. ”People want to see, since Baylor has been doing so well, them against an opponent like them to show everybody that we’re a contender.”
With traffic backed up to Franklin Ave., many people parked by stores along the street making for a long walk to the stadium. The closer one got to the stadium the more scare the parking became, but that can only attest to the community that is coming together to watch Baylor play.
“The hype coming into this game is unreal,” Dallas senior Danny Oceans said. “It’s the biggest Baylor game I’ve ever been to and I’m really excited. The hype is far greater [compared to the RG3 era], because we actually have a defense now.”
As people continue to scramble to get in line, some can be seen taking pictures and cherishing the moment while others are scarfing down food from the tailgates.
When the sun sets, and the sky gets darker, Baylor Nation will be ready when players rush out of the tunnel and a true blackout begins.
