Each year, the Texas-OU game transforms Dallas into a blur of burnt orange and crimson. Students flood bars, tailgates and hotels for a weekend defined by rivalry and tradition. But behind the excitement lies a darker truth: OU weekend is also part of the “red zone,” a period where college students face higher risks of sexual assault.
The red zone typically stretches through the first months of the fall semester, when new independence, partying and social pressure collide. Large events like the Texas-OU game amplify those dynamics. The weekend’s mix of crowds, anonymity and alcohol creates an environment where boundaries are ignored and accountability fades.
“This kind of event brings together the perfect storm of elements that aid and abet an opportunity for someone who wants to cause harm,” said Rose Luna, CEO of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault and former research fellow at IDVSA. “We have a society that is unknowingly unwilling to identify when this is happening.”
At UT, gameday traditions are celebrated as rites of passage and moments of pride that define the college experience. Yet those same traditions can also normalize unsafe conditions. Students are told to “let loose” and “have fun,” but are rarely told how quickly that freedom can be manipulated.
“(People are) letting their guard down,” Luna said. “They’re having a good time. … There are folks that are just going to take advantage of that.”
The risk isn’t rooted in celebration itself, it’s in a culture that too often dismisses warning signs until after harm occurs.
“Ultimately, the only way that we can stop violence from happening, before it happens, is by preventing people from committing it in the first place,” said Colleen McDaniel, director of research and program development at It’s On Us. “We know that there are many instances where people may try to protect themselves, but because of force or coercion … they may not be able to, no matter how hard they try.”
OU weekend reveals more than a safety issue, it exposes the gap between awareness and accountability. Students circulate warnings and safety reminders, however, cultural change rarely follows. Until sexual assault prevention is treated with the same urgency as gameday planning, the red zone will unfortunately remain a recurring part of campus life.
“We can reframe these traditions as opportunities for prevention,” said McDaniel. “We can use these games as opportunities to talk about prevention and keeping each other safe.”
At the institutional level, awareness also means knowing what resources exist before a crisis. The conversation around OU weekend shouldn’t end with caution, it should include clarity about where students can turn if something does happen.
According to UT Austin’s Title IX Office, students retain the same protections and resources under University policy regardless of where an incident occurs. The office connects survivors with case managers and mental health referrals, and collaborates with campus groups on prevention and outreach. In the days surrounding major events like the Texas-OU game, the office increases outreach through prevention trainings, awareness campaigns and joint efforts with groups such as the Longhorn Wellness Center and SHIFT to remind students how to get help if they need it.
College traditions like rivalry weekends are meant to celebrate pride, not perpetuate danger. A true Longhorn tradition should be one where students protect each other as fiercely as they cheer for their team.
Chitturi is a statistics and data science junior from Houston, Texas.
Editor’s note: The Daily Texan used an illustration taken from another entity in the print edition of this article. The error has been corrected in the online version.
