Things to Check Out When Alabama Visits Texas
The Battle of Bands?
It won't be happening when Alabama visits Texas on Saturday. When the Million Dollar Band learned one of the great University of Texas traditions at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, lousy seating for the opposing marching band and fans, it decided not to make the long trip to Austin this weekend.
It's not the first pep/marching band to opt to stay home. Even some of the in-state schools have decided it's not worth it to go.
Although the Southeastern Conference, the league Texas is set to join, has game agreements that say visiting fan tickets will be spread among the lower and upper bowls, the Big 12 doesn’t.
You want to guess where the Crimson Tide seats will be Saturday?
In baseball they're known as Bob Uecker seats.
The guess here is that the singing of Rammer Jammer might be heard all the way back in Tuscaloosa should the No. 1 Crimson Tide pull off the win, even if the serenading is done from the upper deck.
It'll also be accompanied by a gesture involving fingers, of course meaning the famous and controversial "Horns Down."
One of the biggest jokes heard around college football after the news broke that Texas was heading to the Southeastern Conference last year had to do with a Big 12 crackdown on taunting, including a 15-yard penalty for Horns Down.
For those who don't know, the Hook ’em Horns hand signal is one of the school's biggest traditions, and was created by cheerleader Harley Clark in 1955.
The inverse, Horns Down, is used by opposing fans to mock or make fun of the Longhorns.
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
When 2021 SEC Media Days opened, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz referenced the crackdown and asked commissioner Greg Sankey if an SEC player flashing a “Horns Down” sign during a game would result in a 15-yard penalty.
“He gave me a strong rebuttal: No comment,” Drinkwitz said.
Well, he does have a couple of years to think of a good response. Texas and Oklahoma aren't slated to join the SEC until 2025. Next year, the Longhorns are slated to visit Tuscaloosa to complete the home-and-home series.
Here are some other things to keep an eye out for on Saturday:
Bevo
For a more in-depth story about Bevo check out the first story in this series.
The quicker description is this: In 1916, a maverick longhorn steer was brought to campus on a train from South Texas and introduced to cheering fans at halftime. Thus, the start of the tradition. Bevo is handled by the Silver Spurs student service organization.
Other Mascots
Texas' costumed mascot is known as Hook ’Em.
We're not sure if actor Matthew McConaughey officially qualifies as a mascot or not.
Burnt Orange and White
The official colors of the Longhorns date back to 1885, when two students on their way to a baseball game stopped at a general store to get ribbons for the crowd. The most plentiful colors in stock were orange and white. Texas officially adopted orange and white as its colors in 1900. At times the school has used a brighter orange, but football coach Darrell Royal revived burnt orange as the preferred shade for good in the early 1960s.
The Eyes of Texas
The school song, “The Eyes of Texas,” was written and performed in 1903 by students, poking fun at a favorite saying of then-President William Prather, and was first performed at a minstrel show. It's become a hot topic as numerous student-athletes have asked for it to be removed, but the establishment and many alumni are resistant to the change, citing tradition. In 2020, President Jay Hartzell announced that UT will own, acknowledge and teach about all aspects of the origins of “The Eyes of Texas” as they continue to sing it moving forward with a redefined vision that unites the community. Those efforts are underway.
"The Eyes of Texas" is sung prior to the start and close of all Texas Athletics events and during all other official university functions. It's actually sung to the tune “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”
Big Bertha
Alabama fans already know this one as they saw it during the 2009 national championship game at the Rose Bowl. Out front of the Longhorn Band (“The Showband of the Southwest”) is always the world’s largest bass drum, Big Bertha. It takes a five-person group of band members to handle the 500-pound drum that measures 8 feet in diameter.
Lighting the Tower
The 307-foot tall Tower was completed in 1937 and commands the highest point of campus. Usually lit up in white light, the Tower glows orange on special occasions, and can also include numbers.
For example, it may be all orange for commencement, a conference title or a win against Texas A&M in football. A number "1" on all sides highlighted by orange lights signals that the university won a national championship.
Smokey the Cannon
Smokey the Cannon was built in 1953 by the university's mechanical engineering laboratory, in response to shotgun blasts often heard at the Red River Rivalry. The current version of the cannon, Smokey III, is a famous replica Civil War artillery cannon that weighs over 1,200 pounds. It's operated by the Texas Cowboys student organization, and fires four 10-gauge shotgun shells simultaneously whenever the football team scores or wins the game.
Parts of this post originated from the book, Huddle Up: Texas Football. This is the first story in a series that will examine the history of the Longhorns football program, and what it will bring to the Southeastern Conference.
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