As Longhorn fans filtered into the famous Michigan Stadium’s lower bowl, Texas players gathered in the corner of the end zone to sing “The Eyes of Texas”, a tradition that has occurred since 1903 when fans originally expressed their desire for a school song.
Once they finished, linebacker David Gbenda attempted to plant a Texas flag on Michigan’s logo at midfield. The flag didn’t stick but it was about the only thing that didn’t go the Longhorn’s way all afternoon as they beat the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor 31-12. The win broke a nation’s best 16-game winning streak and the defending national champions also saw their 29-game regular season winning streak and 23-game home winning streak come to an end. The loss marked Michigan’s first since October 2021.
“It was a great game. Texas was dominant and as a fan it was fun to see. A lot of Texas fans showed up and you could see the amount of burnt orange even on TV. I really hope that they can continue the momentum into the rest of the season and be able to compete for a national championship.” Junior Roshan Richie said.
Among the official crowd size of 111,170, the biggest crowd to witness a college football game during the 2024 season, were 20,000 fans wearing burnt orange to support the visiting team.
During the postgame festivities, the Texas Takeover included cowboy hats and burnt orange, fleets of black SUVs, and dozens of orange and white balloons lining the staircase inside Ann Arbor’s Graduate Hotel and the nearby Regent Hotel as Michigan fans threw the infamous horns down gesture, an inversion of Texas’ iconic Hook Em’ Horns gesture.
On Michigan football weekends, it’s not uncommon for the Graduate to be filled with fans of both schools. Michigan fans saw just how well Texas fans travel when they walked into the Graduate and saw it rebranded completely with Texas decor.
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, who threw for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns in the game is widely regarded as one of the front runners for the Heisman trophy, awarded to the best player in college football. “I think we did a really good job of playing with good poise and composure. Besides the couple of false starts that we did have, I think we overcame them and reacted to some adversity pretty well today.” Ewers said.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was among those who were impressed with his team’s effort.
“I liked our poise and composure. We knew that was going to be needed today,” Sarkisian said. “This is a really good team, really physical team. I thought we handled the environment early on and found our rhythm.”
Texas super fan and actor Matthew McConaughey and former Michigan player Charles Woodson meet on the 10 yard line carrying their respective teams flag.
The 2024 College Football season brought a lot of changes around the sport. Texas and rival Oklahoma joined the SEC, the Big Ten added four schools from the Pac-12 and the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams. In 2023, with the original 4 team playoff, Texas lost to Washington in the semifinal before Washington lost out to the eventual champions, Michigan, which marked Michigan’s third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff.
“That’s a credit to Michigan,” Sarkisian said. “That’s a sign of a great program and that’s something we’re trying to build to. When you can have that sustainability as a program in developing your players and recruiting the right types of players.“
Texas returned to Austin this past weekend to face the University of Texas at San Antonio, beating the Roadrunners 56-7. After dominant play on both sides of the ball, and a difficult Georgia Bulldogs win against the Kentucky Wildcats, Texas was ranked #1 in the Sept. 15 AP top 25 for the first time since 2008.
