STILLWATER — College kids dressed as bananas formed a conga line, splitting from their bunch in Section 124 to march up to Section 231, where neither shirts nor peels are allowed.
Two quirky communities of Boone Pickens Stadium became one Saturday night: The bananas, new to the party, and the bare-chests, which rose to fame a week ago.
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Together, they waved their shirts and twirled their peels.
Up until the last second of Oklahoma State’s 49-17 loss to Cincinnati. Then they placed their arms around each other and swayed en masse as the Cowboy Marching Band played the alma mater.
The game wasn’t nearly as lopsided as a 32-point margin suggests — OSU’s offense showed real pop — but the on-field proceedings were almost secondary to the party in the bleachers.
It was homecoming in Stillwater, and another blowout loss wasn’t about to dampen the mood. Credit Cowboys fans for finding new ways to enjoy Saturdays that are all starting to look the same.
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OSU women’s basketball coach Jacie Hoyt wore a shirt that said “Shirtless” in the shirtless section, which has officially been renamed. A “2 NO-SHIRTY 1” sign replaced the standard 231 sign.
More: Oklahoma State football stumbles late in blowout loss to Cincinnati | 5 takeaways
OSU wrestling alum Wyatt Hendrickson joined in on the fun. After being honored on the field for his stunning national title win, Hendrickson ripped off his shirt, sending the crowd into a frenzy.
And then there were the bananas (Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” played on repeat).
Pete’s Peelers, they called themselves.
Why did 100-plus college kids who knew each other through various campus ministries decide to form a banana-costume-only section?
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Tremendous question.
“We put our heads together to try to solve the problem of OSU football,” one of the bananas told me. “This is what we came up with.”
“Bananas?” I asked.
“Bananas,” they responded.
There are no wrong ideas. OSU is 0-13 in Big 12 games dating back to last season. Wearing a banana costume probably won’t help … but then again, it can’t hurt.
“We’re trying to bring smiles back to the faces of OSU football fans,” one of the bananas said.
And that they did.
“It was fun to see them at the very end of the game being there supporting us,” offensive lineman Bob Schick said. “When the fans are into it and we know that they’re going to be there for us, you kind of play a little bit harder.”
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Schick and the offensive line sprung running back Rodney Fields Jr. to a 163-yard night. The Cowboys gashed the Bearcats for 228 yards on the ground, averaging nearly 5 yards per attempt.
More: Meet the Oklahoma State football fans who started a viral shirtless movement with a dare
Fields ripped off a 41-yard run. Quarterback Sam Jackson V completed a 48-yard pass to Shamar Rigby — a frozen rope that Jackson uncorked on the run. Between Jackson’s brand of chaotic quarterbacking (he came to OSU as a receiver) and Fields’ long runs, it was about as entertaining of a 49-17 game as you’re going to get. OSU was in it for three quarters before the Bearcats blanked the Cowboys 21-0 in the fourth.
“Some positives there, right?” interim coach Doug Meacham said to open his postgame press conference.
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Indeed there were.
You can tell how badly Meacham wants a win. Not for him, but for the players who have stuck around. As for the fans, they’re long past the booing phase. The 47,000 who showed up Saturday night did so in good spirits.
And the team felt it.
“What a great atmosphere,” Meacham said. “You would have thought we were up 21.”
Meacham gave a shoutout to the “shirtless people” for sticking with their stunt even after the cold front blew through.
“It got a little nippy out there,” Meacham said. “I probably would have put my shirt back on.”
Meacham was just as confused as the rest of us about the banana people, but he was glad to see them nonetheless.
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“It’s just college kids having fun being at a football game,” Meacham said. “Man, it’s pretty cool, you know? A lot of those kids up there, they’re gonna have a lot of memories …”
OSU has fallen so far that a 49-17 loss to Cincinnati won’t be remembered at all for the score, but rather as the game when the bananas merged with the shirtless and partied late into the night. And for that you can’t help but smile.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” OSU PA voice Larry Reece announced, “please watch for banana peels on your way out of the stadium.”
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OSU football fans party on with banana costumes as losses pile up
