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OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
OSU stumbles under SI cover curse
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this Nov. 1, 2008, file photo, OSI wide receiver Dez Bryant runs the football during a game against the Iowa State Cyclones in Stillwater, Okla.
ISAN
By Adam Kemp The Daily O'Collegian
STILLWATER, Okla. — Curses are the stuff of old wives' tales and late night grandpa stories by the fireplace.
But for Oklahoma State, fans are beginning to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.
When the Cowboys landed on Sports Illustrated's cover for its special college football edition with an eyebrow-raising picture of quarterback Zac Robinson and center Andrew Lewis, OSU fans rejoiced because its team was ranked in the preseason Top 10, playing in a marquee matchup against SEC power Georgia, and was now featured on one of the premier sporting magazines. It seemed that OSU had finally arrived.
Of course there were some fans who immediately pointed out the notorious Sports Illustrated Curse that has affected so many athletes before. But no way the Cowboys could fall victim to it, this is our year, this is THE team, and this curse is nothing but a myth.
Well, folks, it is happening.
In the past 72 hours it was announced that starting cornerback Perrish Cox was arrested, starting tight end Jamal Mosley has left the team for "personal reasons" and starting middle linebacker Orie Lemon has torn his ACL and will miss the entire 2009 season. Couple this with the extreme amount of pressure the Cowboys are facing before the biggest home opener in school history against the Georgia Bulldogs and you have Mount Vesuvius ready to blow.
Coach Mike Gundy made the decision to lock all Oklahoma State media out of practice for 10 days leading up to game week in hopes of relieving some of the weight of the media. If the players fell into a dreamland during those 10 days, they were rudely awakened this past Monday by an onslaught of hungry media members desperate to expose their fears to the football world.
only linebacker for OSU that was proficient at stopping the run and, as a senior, the loss of his experience will not go unnoticed on a defense aching for an identity.
The loss of Mosley will hurt, but the Cowboys do have a lot of young depth at tight end and Mosley did not make any jaw-dropping plays during his stint starting for the injured Brandon Pettigrew last season. But losing Lemon, a senior, will hurt considerably more. Lemon was the
If things weren't bad enough, the Oklahoma State Athletic Department thought it would be a genius idea to hire a former Baylor football player to write a new spirit song that embarrasses and frustrates the orange-clad faithful who were looking for that perfect season.
Oklahoma State hired John Martin, son of OSU Associate Athletic Director Dave Martin, to compose a new spirit song detailing the feelings of being a Cowboy. The song has caused quite the uproar on the Oklahoma State campus, a Facebook group page called "Stop Cowboys 4ever Now" has more 5,000 fans.
The Cowboys seemed to have the dream season ahead of them, a season that fans have always been looking for. Now, if this curse runs its course through the rest of the team, there is no telling what could happen.
Cowboy fans may not recognize the signs of the cursed, but when I think of the trouble that has been inflicted so far this year, I see only two letters — Si.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THE WAVE SEPTEMBER 4,2009