Newton’s Bedlam Memories: The Good, the Bad and the CHEETAH

It’s Bedlam Week. This means reflecting back on some of the most memory-embedding football experiences of our lifetimes. Here are my three most memorable Bedlam moments.

3. The Belldozer 2-Minute Drill (2013)

One memory that I cannot escape happens to be a horrid one. On a cold Saturday in Stillwater, as a chipper young freshman at Oklahoma State, I witnessed a tragedy — Bedlam 2013.

To recap, OSU entered the game ranked No. 6 in the Nation, coming off of a 49-17 beatdown of the Baylor Bears. OU was further down the list at No 17.  With just 1:41 left, the Pokes led 24-20, and Blake Bell and the OU offense had the ball with a chance to come back. You know the rest.

A couple thoughts:

• Gilbert was soooo close to holding on to that interception. Woulda iced it.
• 3:51 seconds in — Bell hits a receiver and it was unclear whether or not he crossed the line of scrimmage. I had to look this up, but only one part of a QB’s body has to be behind the line to constitute a legal forward pass, even if its just a shoelace.
• This serves as a microcosm of many other Bedlam memories.

2. The Weedon2Blackmon Beatdown (2011)

YES! I attended this game with my Dad, and I’ll never forget the emotion and intensity in the stadium. Coming off of the plane crash and the loss at Iowa State, you could sense that this game in Boone Pickens encompassed so much more than just another sports’ event, more than just another Bedlam.

The Cowboys put together what was, in my opinion, the most well-rounded Oklahoma State football performance of my lifetime. Here are a few numbers to ponder:

• OU was forced to punt 8(!) times in the affair.
• The Pokes out-rushed the Sooners 237–108.
• OSU scored 44 points without Weeden throwing one touchdown.

The cinematic highlights are blissful.

1. “THERE GOES THE CHEETAH” (2014)

Much has been written about the similarities between the 2018 and 2014 seasons — *tries to forget that the Pokes actually beat Iowa State and Texas Tech in 2014.* Those similarities have some merit, and if the Pokes can pull out a win on Saturday, it would make comparing the two even more valid and also make for a saving grace to an otherwise bleak remainder of 2018.

Entering the 2014 Bedlam affair, I remember thinking my friends and I would probably watch the first half, enjoy seeing a young Rudolph compete against OU, and then go on about our business. But from the start, it seemed reasonable that the Pokes could hang! Down 35–21, Brandon Sheperd caught a pass and broke free for a 43-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 7 with just under five minutes left. My friends and I had been watching the game at a house outside of Stillwater, and sprinted downstairs and started shooting shotguns off into the air in celebration (Stillwater things).

With :45 left on the clock, the celebrating went from the prior sprint outside to a dog-pile on the middle of the floor as the below happened. Courtesy of Dave Hunziker.

After the game? Sorry to disappoint Porter and Cunningham, but we did not make it to the Neon Palms. We went to Texas Roadhouse. #bloomin’onions