FORT WORTH, Texas – As Oklahoma State’s eight chartered buses pulled into the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, they were greeted by a lot of their real life contemporaries as the hotel was flooded with gentlemen wearing western boots and Stetsons. Over in Arlington, Texas at the new Globe Life Field, the National Finals Rodeo is being staged with Friday night’s second go round. The Worthington Renaissance is one of three headquarter hotels for the NFR, which has been in Las Vegas before COVID-19 and was a longtime staple in Oklahoma City back in the day before Las Vegas lured it out of Oklahoma. Football Cowboys mixed with plenty of the real deal Cowboys in Fort Worth.
Every Cowboy and Cowgirl that I ran into throughout the evening wished Oklahoma State luck and claimed they would be rooting for Cowboys to beat Frogs. Nice gesture.
This is a quick trip at one of the nicest hotels the team stays in on the road in the Big 12 Conference. Oklahoma State’s buses arrive on time at 4:45 p.m. despite I-35 being closed and the travel posse having to take a detour off the interstate and through Purcell because of an accident.
The team had some quick meetings and then dined on a really awesome Friday meal with prepackaged salads, smoked chicken breasts, grilled sirloin steaks, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, rice, quinoa, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, green beans with almonds, and baked potatoes.
After a couple of hours, it was the Friday night snack with an array of cereals, ham and turkey sandwiches, hamburgers, fresh fruit, and bagels and other assorted carb items. Lots of milk, Gatorade, and water.
Bedtime and lights out is 10 p.m. and the wake-up call will come early in the morning at 6:30 a.m. for the 11 a.m. kickoff at Amon Carter Stadium. Oklahoma State is looking to go 7-2 on the season and 6-2 in Big 12 play and keep their hopes alive of playing in the Big 12 Championship Game. They will need help from West Virginia, either tomorrow at Iowa State, next week at home with Oklahoma, or both.
Good news, Oklahoma State’s testing on Friday for COVID-19 revealed no positive tests per Pokes Report’s sources.
