University of Texas football loyalists will gather in burnt orange tonight for a mega-pep rally aimed at cursing their fierce rivals, Texas A&M University. The "Hex Rally", as it is known, is a 25 year tradition held before the customary Thanksgiving Day game between UT and A&M.
The Texas Exes explains what to expect:
The rally begins with trumpeters sounding off from the top of the tower for all of Austin to hear. The Longhorn Band and Texas football team enter to the beat of the band as student’s erupt in wild cheers and begin the rally. Student spirit groups then raise the energy of the crowd with their electrifying dances and cheers leading up to the most anticipated part of the night. Head Coach Mack Brown, two players, and strength and conditioning coach Jeff “Maddog” Madden speak to the students and stir them into a frenzy as “Maddog” does his infamous “Ooooooooo TEXAS!” cheer. Next, as Longhorns have done since 1941, a Hex is put on the Aggies. The “Eyes of Texas” is sung three times as the thousands of students pass on the flame from candle to candle until the Main Mall is illuminated.
UT is hot off Saturday's 51-17 pummeling of Florida Atlantic and must win Thursday's matchup with the Aggies to become eligible for a bowl.
"A&M's playing well," Longhorns head coach Mack Brown said during his weekly press conference this morning. "We have not played well. Hopefully, Saturday afternoon will be a game that we can get more confidence from and get some momentum going into the game."
"We're down to where we have to win the game, or it's the senior's last game of their career," Brown said.
Tonight's rally starts at 8 p.m. Here's what it looked like in 2009.
