As the players did their Tempe version of The Walk, there was only one non-Hoosier player who could rival the popularity of the team - Jane Hoeppner.
I had the opportunity to briefly talk with Mrs. Hoeppner on our way towards the stadium and she had nothing but positive things to say about the team and the Hoosier faithful who made the trip.
"We've had interaction with (the team)" Hoeppner said. "But they're all so focused, so ready."
Hoeppner, who was accompanied by her family, said The Walk was one of the best she's ever seen.
"It was great, how perfect was that?" Hoeppner said. "It is so much fun seeing red everywhere you look, I mean everywhere. We hiked up the mountain and could see IU shirts, it was just great. We are representing."
Also, some leftover news and notes from the pre-game:
-- The official haircut of the Hoosiers is the Mohawk. Josiah Sears, Andrew Means, Bryan Payton, John Sandberg, Michael Hines and Nick Sexton were all boasting the Mohawk. In my humble opinion, Means was the one who looked most intimidating.
-- We'll get a better estimate come kickoff, but the crowd looks to be virtually dead even. Walking towards the stadium there was very little trash talk between the two fan bases, but I would imagine things may be a little more testy during and after the game.
- Some of the stars on Oklahoma State and their numbers in case you've been looking: #11, quarterback Zac Robinson. #12, wide receiver Adarius Bowman. #22, running back Dantrell Savage. #19, linebacker Jeremy Nethon.
