When the clock finally ran to 0:00 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium Saturday afternoon, Baylor fans everywhere breathed a huge sigh of relief. How quickly we have become accustomed to celebrating a win at the end of the first quarter, looking on in delight as our Bears run up record numbers. Even after Baylor scored a TD to go up by 10 late in the 4th quarter, I wasn't confident the game was in the bag until that clock ran down. I think the only record set on Saturday was the most important one: Baylor got the win, for the first 5-0 start since 1991.
The boys and I got up early Saturday, leaving the house about 4:45. Both of them were troopers; we made it to Manhattan with only one quick bathroom and gas stop. We at lunch at Aggieville, a commercial area adjacent to campus, then took the shuttle to the stadium. KSU's campus is sprawling, with a funny mix of architecture. The stadium is about the same size as Floyd Casey, but with a more open, accessible feel. 
One nice feature of the stadium is all this tailgating space, with very easy access to the seats. I'm sure this is premium parking for donors. There's a lot of it, and lots of these folks tailgate. I've never been a tailgater, but it does add to the game day experience.
We were definitely in the nosebleed section, amid a sea of purple. We loudly, enthusiastically cheered for our Bears, but I don't think anyone would say we were too obnoxious. The fans were, without exception, welcoming, nice, and congratulatory. The only sour words we heard were reserved for the Wildcats's offensive play calling. . . . You can see Zippy was worn out. Although the temperature was mild, in the 70s, the sun felt hot, and Zippy chose to spend the entire game below the stands in the shade. He didn't see too much of the game, but says he had a good time.
We were all alone in our section, surrounded by KSU faithful. There was a smattering of Baylor fans a few rows in front of us, and another handful in the section to our right. Here you can see the official Baylor section, with, I would estimate, 200-300 Baylor fans. These seats were in the corner of the endzone, with the video board behind them. While it would have been fun to celebrate with fellow fans, I'm not sure how much of the game we could have seen from that perspective. I'm glad we sat where we did.
And of course, this is the most wonderful sight of all! Even though Baylor has played well the last few years, they have really struggled in Big 12 road games. To get a road win, with this loud and enthusiastic K-State crowd (4th largest in KSU history), was huge for the Bears. The season is not going to get any easier. Even though we'll be favorites to win the next 2 games, against Iowa State in Waco, and at Kansas, this game tells Baylor not to take any game for granted.
Sic 'em!
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