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There are a select few things in this world that will make a Oklahoma State fans' blood boil. Typically anything associated with the institution south of Oklahoma City, Iowa State's goal post (Squinky), and for many a little tune called "Cowboys4Ever." "Cowboys4Ever" debuted in the 2009 season in a game against perennial SEC power Georgia. This was not a happy sound that came from the public address system at Boone Pickens Stadium. The "prairie wind touches our skin," but it did not touch the hearts, ears, or anything that would've deemed this song worthy of replay again by fans.
That is not why this game though is so important to the Cowboys program, and why this game is a part of this list of top Boone Pickens Stadium moments in the last eight years. This game against Georgia was much like Mike Gundy's first major win as the head coach at Oklahoma State back in 2005. There were a lot of detractors that said that OSU could not beat a major SEC power like Georgia. Sure the Cowboys had beaten Alabama in the 2006 Independence Bowl, but who was the coach at Alabama that year? Not Nick Saban. It was Mike Shula, so can that win really count as a quality win over an SEC opponent? It's debatable.
This was Mike Gundy's first major home non conference opponent in his time as head coach at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys had played the Bulldogs in 2007 in Athens, where the Bulldogs easily handled the Cowboys 35-14.
For those that remember, there was a little magazine cover that Oklahoma State was featured on. It provided some hype for a program that hadn't necessarily had any in a while. That magazine was indeed Sports Illustrated, and with Zac Robinson and Andrew Lewis representing the Cowboys on the biggest print sports media in the world, that was the next step at placing Oklahoma State on that upper echelon of football programs.
The game itself was a fun one for the home crowd in Boone Pickens Stadium. The first quarter though was all Georgia. The Bulldogs held the ball in the first quarter for almost nine minutes, and controlled the pace of the game. The first quarter also brought the first round of the seemingly 10 round bout between now NFL All-Pro receiver A.J. Green and NFL veteran and former Cowboy Perrish Cox.
Then the Cowboys reminded the Bulldogs in the second quarter that they too had a star wide receiver. That receiver we all know is Dez Bryant. The Cowboys knotted the game at 7, when Zac Robinson connected with Bryant on a 46 yard strike for a Cowboy score. A Dan Bailey field goal at the end of the half would give the Cowboys the first half lead at 10-7.
The Cowboys never looked back after that.
Robinson would score along with Bryant catching another touchdown to make the final score 24-10 over the 13th best team in America.
This game wasn't just about the opponent. It was about answering the bell. When the hype is stacking up for you the best teams answer the call. This was the first time that Oklahoma State was favored in a major match up in the Gundy era. There are still times at this point in the regime that it's better for the Cowboys to be the underdog. This game though, was the first moment that gave Cowboy fans a glimmer of what it's like to be a dominant college football program.
The first time is always the sweetest. If only Dez could've been around longer.