It’s 2:30 PM and… OU Still Sucks!

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Texas chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

And they’ll always suck.

Because at some point, it’s bigger than the game. It’s that collective cheer of victory or those collective groans of disappointment that bring everyone a sense of community. It’s the fact that even though we’re already down 3-0, the people sitting in this room are here for one purpose: To support the Longhorns, through and through.

And there goes another flag. But it’s offside, for OU! So the frowns from a minute ago immediately get turned upside down. And there goes a player, streaking through the field, ball in hand, with one goal in mind.

Is it obvious that I don’t know much about football? I’m not well-versed in its inner workings, but I am in one thing. My love for my Longhorns! And regardless of whether or not Arch Manning is living up to the expectations of some 40-year-old men, or whether or not our defense said “Bye!” right after our bye week, my team is my team, and that’s something most people tend to forget.

Because who’s gonna support the Longhorns, if not us? If not the students, teachers, bartenders, baristas, frat guys, bookworms, engineers, or whoever that’s representing that burnt orange, then who? Because we rep it loud and proud! And there’s 7:50 on the clock. It looks a lot like we’re just running back and forth, but… oh wait. There’s another flag. False start on Oklahoma!! That’s something to cheer for!

And now we’re at 6 minutes. And soon we’ll be at halftime, and then the end of the game!

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Because one thing I’ve learned from the three football games I’ve been to (I know, all the more reason to believe me, right?) is that while they can be slow, they sure as hell are riveting. And sure, what’s riveting about a bunch of 20-year-old men throwing each other around (and occasionally a ball) on a big green field?

This goes back to what I was saying earlier. WAIT! Intermission! I mean, interception! Because how in the world did we get one of Oklahoma’s balls? It was honestly beautiful, seeing it sail through the air and land perfectly in one of our players’ hands, as if it belonged there all along. And there goes Manning with that pass. So good so far, right?

Back to regularly scheduled programming. As I mentioned before, what’s most riveting about these games is the sense of community they bring. Especially to me. I went to my first game with some of my closest friends, and I had one of the best times of my life. Through the heat, exhaustion, and slight rain, the fact that I was there with friends, and then with all of these Longhorns, honestly made my entire day! The feeling those players must have gotten, being cheered on by 10s of thousands of people, fans in the stands grabbing and screaming with/at each other… wow. The atmosphere was like no other. It was more than electric. And we won that game, so that’s a plus!

Now we’re 6-0. But wow, can these players run! And wow, can they tackle. And wow, wow, wow, we’re so close right now. We’re right on that touchdown line. And as I’m sitting here, typing this, my nerves are getting worse and worse. The yelling’s getting louder, energies are getting higher… And we’re 6-3! It’s a start, for sure.

Everybody’s nervous. Their bated breaths fill the room with an air of suspense, fingers clutched tightly at phones, legs shaking in anticipation. Every ad break provides a small buffer to the overwhelming nerves radiating off everyone’s bodies, but not by that much.

As we inch closer to halftime, everyone’s morale seems pretty low. BUT WAIT…. IT’S A TOUCHDOWN!!!

… Never mind. We got the ball, though! And at least we’re in halftime. That should give the team some morale, right? Because one of my favorite phrases is, “If you can believe in yourself, you can do anything.” And with how much hate this team has been getting in the past couple of weeks, they need that belief in themselves now more than ever.

And boy, are people hating. On Arch Manning, on our defense, on just the whole team. And then you have the rivals. Talking who knows what into our team’s ears, bringing down their confidence bit by bit. But guess what? It never works, and it never will! Because we just scored a touchdown!! And a damn good one at that.

This is typically how our football games have gone. A bunch of highs and lows. But that’s how life moves, right? And you take the highs and lows, and you keep moving. You never stop. You keep fighting for it. And so will Texas! We’ll keep fighting, just like our song tells us to!

The game goes on and on, back and forth. And of course, we all know the outcome. The Longhorns come out on top, crushing the Sooners. With a score like 23-6 and those amazing plays, I feel like we gained our reputation back, even if just a little. And seeing those grins on the players’ faces, seeing the pride on Coach Sarkisian’s face… anyone could tell they needed this. Because failures can teach you lessons, and our team learned a valuable one.

That just goes to show that the football environment can be intense. Exciting. Disappointing. All of the above. But what matters the most is that you stick with your team until the very end, whether they’re losing or winning.

And that’s a lesson OU certainly needs to learn. Because who told them they could leave sooner… than later? As always, it’s 7:26 PM, and OU still sucks!