Freshman fan cheers on her team

Among the 88.7 percent of Ball State University students who are from Indiana, few were cheering louder than a freshman at Woodworth Complex.

Freshman Brittany Korreck watched the game from her friend's room in Crosley Hall in Woodworth Complex. Decked out with blue and white face paint, a blue scarf, blanket and jersey, she was focused on watching the game.

'When they won, it was freaking amazing,' she said. 'I was nervous until the third quarter when [Pierre] Garcon made that awesome catch.'

When the Colts were down 17-13 at halftime, she said she was still confident they could win.

'We're a second half team,' she said. 'I think the Colts will be the underdog, but they'll pull it off in the end.'

Korreck said she wasn't happy with coach Jim Caldwell's decision to put in the second string when Indianapolis played New York three weeks ago. But she recognized it as his strategy to get the team to the Super Bowl.

When the score was tight, she said she kept remembering that game.

'I wasn't happy with it, breaking the team's winning record, but it paid off,' she said. 'The Colts are gonna heat it up [in the Super Bowl].'

Korreck became a huge Colts fan when she was 12 and her parents took her to her first game.

The game was against the Bears, she remembers, which was her second favorite team. After the game, she started getting attached, looking at the players' stats and seeing how sincere the players are outside of playing football.

'If you can catch them outside the game, they're the best people,' she said. 'They're one of the only teams that don't show off. They're classy, and their coaching staff is unbelievable.'

Korreck said she's seen three Colts players in person.

About a year ago, her mom and she ran into Bob Sanders at an airport, and she said she was impressed with how approachable he was.

'He was like any other person, leaning against the wall and talking to us,' she said. 'He asked me about starting college and he talked to us about everything, not just football.'

Gary Brackett is another player she's had the opportunity to meet.

'I straight-up left school because I knew he would be at McDonald's,' she said.

Two years ago, Korreck said she almost had the opportunity to meet Dallas Clark. Her dad's boss was good friends with Clark, and because everyone knew she was a big fan, her dad had arranged for Clark to come to her house for Christmas Day, but it didn't work out with his schedule.

'I shouldn't have built my hopes up,' she said. 'I mean, it was Christmas.'

Even though she's met these two players, and saw Dallas Clark across the room in a bar, Peyton Manning is still her favorite player.

Korreck still has a couple aspirations to fulfill. One of her big dreams is to get a team picture with all the players. Another is to be able to see the team leaving the locker room after a game.

'One day I stayed after the game and cried,' she said. 'I thought I'd be the last one there, but I didn't see them.'


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