At the BYU game this Saturday, the Texas fans were the most polite, fun and classy group I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching a football game with. They were knowledgeable about the game and were there for one reason: to support their team. Of course, they did boo when Garrett Gilbert kept coming in as quarterback, so they’re not a bunch of Pollyanna’s either.

But the UT band played the BYU Alma Mater before the game, and the fans all remained standing and quiet during it. They applauded the BYU team as they left the field, and it wasn’t sarcastic.

It was a hard-fought game, but I was not cursed and didn’t have anything thrown in my direction — unlike at Utah. There wasn’t a lot of anti-Mormon sentiment except for a few T-shirts that said, “My wife is hotter than your wives.” I wasn’t offended, but I was disappointed with the lack of creativity. A Texas fan said that when the T-shirts first went on sale, there was a local backlash against them, so not many were sold and they were taken out of the college bookstore. Unlike other places where they make fun of the church and its missionaries, I didn’t see anything of the sort at Texas.

All I heard all game and really all weekend was how nice and numerous the BYU fans were. Everyone hoped we would join the Big 12 and take A&M’s place so we could make this game a regular thing. I never felt unwelcome walking around the campus before the game even with all my BYU stuff. It was a great weekend, and I look forward to going back in three years.

— Cristopher Balmanno
BYU fan