The Red River Rivalry had fans showing up and showing up loud all day at the State Fair of Texas. NBC 5’s Tahera Rahman reports that while fans of both teams had fun at the fairgrounds, some were much happier than others.
The Red River Rivalry had fans showing up and showing up LOUD all day at the State Fair of Texas.
While Big Tex welcomed both teams to Fair Park, a University of Texas flag on one side and an Oklahoma University flag on the other, it was burnt orange versus crimson all day.
It's an allegiance that doesn't budge, even for love.
"I hope you lose!" laughed Jada Hemphill, a Sooners fan at the fair, with her partner, Thomas Sorensen, a Longhorns fan.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
"Hook ‘em horns!" Sorenson responded.
Don Winstel still dons burnt orange, even though his kids went to OU.
"My first Texas-OU game was 1977," he said. "Giving each other a rough time, but not too rough."
The match-up brought unmatched energy levels to the fairgrounds.
"You can feel like it's the electric atmosphere," said Roland Rios, an OU fan since childhood.
"My Paw Paw, he's an OU fan. My mom was an OU fan, so growing up, I was an OU fan," he said.
"Good people, good food, good vibes," Hemphill said.
There was room in the rivalry for some common ground.
"We're going to have a good time," said Rios and his wife, Krystal. "Eat some corn dogs, have a few beers, and then at the end of it, go pick up the kids and go home."
But in the end, only one color left the fairgrounds with the same energy they came in with.
"Great game," said Chinteo Derric, a Longhorns fan.
"She might not want to talk to me after UT, whoops them, but that's okay," said Sorensen as he hugged Hemphill.
The Longhorns are smashing their rivalry game and keeping their number-one ranking, riding the W out of the fairgrounds and, fans hope, through the end of the season.
"Texas. National championship, man," said Byron Brown.
