Why an Oklahoma State student is punishing himself every football loss
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STILLWATER — Last Saturday, Seth Storey walked into the Stillwater Raising Cane’s and ordered a 25-finger tailgate platter. It costs $41.99 and feeds 6-8 people, but Storey wasn’t sharing.
At 9:02 p.m., Storey sat down at a booth with an aluminum pan full of chicken and couldn’t leave the restaurant for 24 hours. For every tender he ate, one hour came off his clock.
The first 30 minutes went OK as Storey powered through 12 tenders. At the 15 tender mark, his consumption started to slow down. He gagged attempting to swallow tender 18 and nearly threw up. The bathroom would ultimately call three times — once to throw up.
Even the tasty Raising Cane’s sauce didn’t make things better.
“It didn't help with the flavor and it just kind of tasted like nothing,” Storey said. “Like definitely toward the end, I was just sick of the taste.”
At 12:03 a.m., three hours after he began his challenge, Storey walked out of Cane’s a free man after eating 21 tenders.
Why was Storey, a junior at OSU studying mechanical and aerospace engineering, in that predicament? He posted a TikTok video before the season saying he was so confident in OSU football going 12-0 he voluntarily created punishments for every game OSU loses this season, customized to the opponent.
So, after he watched OSU lose 24-10 to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at H.A. Chapman Stadium, Storey drove back to Cane’s to complete the “Reign Cane” challenge.
If OSU, a 22.5 point underdog loses to Oregon on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN), Storey will have to run (or walk or crawl) one mile for every point the Ducks wins by. That’s not bad, compared to some of the other punishments Storey came up with.
Murray State punishment: Transfer to Murray State.
West Virginia: Get dropped off on a random country road and find the way home without navigation.
UCF: Get locked in a medieval pillory for one hour in public where people can throw tomatoes at him.
Houston: Go to a bar and get a cougar’s number.
Colorado: Attempt Buffalo Wild Wings’ Blazin’ Challenge.
Iowa State: Get pushed down a hill in a trashcan filled with flour and oil to simulate what it would be like in a Cyclone.
Kansas State: Run a mile on a track eating one can of wet cat food per lap.
Texas Tech: Eat one extra large flour tortilla for every point OSU loses by.
Arizona State: Get a bikini wax and spray tan.
Kansas: Eat an entire container of sidewalk chalk.
The inspiration for the challenge came from watching a Barstool Sports personality do something similar for Ohio State football games. After watching Oklahoma State go a combined 4-20 his first two years in college, Storey thought he was taking a calculated risk upping the ante with new head coach Eric Morris and quarterback Drew Mestemaker joining the program.
“I saw his video my freshman year and I was like, ‘Oh, that's kind of cool,’” Storey said. “And I'd always kind of wanted to do that. Thank God that I forgot about it last year. That'd have been really bad for me. But with the new team, new coach, I was like, you know, why not? So that's kind of why I wanted to do it. I just thought it'd be fun.”
A couple of the punishments scare Storey more than the others. He said the Oregon punishment has the potential to be bad, considering the score was 69-3 last season. He is also concerned about the spicy wings challenge a Colorado loss would bring because he doesn’t handle heat well.
The Murray State punishment is only one he dreads the thought of. Would he really transfer to a school in Western Kentucky if OSU loses that game?
“I'd hope that they have a mechanical and aerospace engineering program, but if not, I guess I'd have to figure something out,” Storey said.
Instead of being petrified for her son, Storey’s mother thinks the high stakes for each game this season are fun. Although she went to OSU, she is hoping the Cowboys lose to Arizona State so her son will have to get a bikini wax and spray tan. She even offered to pay for it.
“I think that she knows that I might yell a little when I get waxed,” Storey said. “I think she's going to enjoy that.”
Storey pointed out the last line in OSU’s Cowboy code is “We finish what we start.”
“I have no regrets," Storey said. "I intend to follow through on my word and I have faith in my team.”
OSU vs. Oregon
KICKOFF: 11 a.m. Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater (ESPN)
Ben Hutchens covers OSU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ben? He can be reached at bhutchens@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ben_hutchens_. Sign up for OSU Sports Minute newsletter to access more coverage of the Cowboys and Cowgirls. Support Ben's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Why an Oklahoma State student is punishing himself every football loss
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