Editor’s note: This column was submitted to the Texan by a member of the UT community.
It’s every football fan’s dream: a magical season filled with stellar plays, minimal injuries and a winning record all coming together to send your team to the championships. It’s the perfect combination of factors creating another opportunity for the team to do what they do best. And for Texas fans, it’s been a long time coming.
Texas Football’s ticket to the Allstate Sugar Bowl is a dream come true and so much more.
Every team has their fanbase, but it’s no secret that Texas fans are committed. Each weekend before a home game, West Campus starts to come alive with burnt orange gear and the sound of boots on pavement. Fridays are filled with alumni returning to campus, and the Co-op is packed with fans needing to update their uniforms. Saturdays start early, no matter the game time, and the air smells like barbecue and fair food on Bevo Boulevard. A sea of burnt orange and white makes their way to Darrell K Memorial Stadium from far and wide. And Sundays, more often than not this season, are meant for basking in the warmth of another UT victory.
Texas’ fanbase is dedicated and loyal, if ever persistent, and it always has been. When Texas joined the Big 12 in 1994, the Longhorns were ready to fight their way to the top, and the fans were right there with them. UT football has always been unique in my mind as having fans that are one with the team every year. We feel their losses, their triumphs, their mistakes, their injuries and their constant longing for a title.
Texas’ fans were especially charged this season as Texas prepares to leave the Big 12 behind and make their way in the SEC alongside the University of Oklahoma. Similar to our first year in the Big 12, we were prepared to fight our way to the finish and fight we did.
Longhorn spirit doesn’t end at the Austin city limits. It’s an integral part of attending UT, and we carry it into every dinner conversation for years to come. After last weekend, our dinner conversations got a lot more interesting and a whole lot shinier.
With eyes squeezed shut and fingers crossed, we watched our Longhorns overcome an overtime, make 55 total touchdowns and rush 2,729 total yards. We traveled with them across the country and to Arlington where they were finally crowned Big 12 champions.
The 2023 team has earned every yard, every touchdown and especially every field goal (thank you, Bert Auburn). They took every dismissal as motivation to prove themselves to an entire conference; for years, Texas has dreamed of this season’s record, but the factors just hadn’t lined up.
But this season, with integral players in Ewers, Worthy and Sweat, Texas is pushing their way towards the top. With a Big 12 Championship trophy as proof, Texas’ record is ready to add yet another win to their column.
As the Longhorns head to New Orleans to compete in the Sugar Bowl, we’ll bring the same love and pride we always do. Longhorn fans will descend upon Caesars Superdome to remind college football fans across the nation that burnt orange always shines the brightest.
I can proudly say, with confidence, Texas is back.
DuFresne is a journalism senior from Dallas, TX.
