It’s now difficult to deny: UT has rivalry with Bears
Tempers could flare again after last year’s brawl
AUSTIN — For years, Texas bristled at every suggestion it had a rival wearing green and gold. Even as Baylor’s program became a fixture in the national rankings and the Longhorns dropped out of them, UT players routinely scoffed at the idea that the Bears were worthy of their scorn.
But Monday, UT offensive lineman Kent Perkins conceded there’s no sense in denying it anymore. Not after last December, when the programs’ mutual distaste boiled over into a benches-clearing skirmish that nearly erupted into an all-out brawl.
Yes, Perkins said. That’s a rivalry.
“The tension was so crazy,” Perkins said. “It just took one person to say one thing, and you could see how it ticked off everybody.”
And even though the Bears were the ones who stayed ticked off longest after UT pulled off an unlikely 23-17 upset in Waco last year, it’s difficult to argue that Baylor isn’t the glamour team in the grudge match these days.
This week, for the sixth time in seven years, the No. 8 Bears enter a game against UT with the higher ranking and the higher profile. Baylor has won four of the previous six meetings, and odds makers have pegged the Bears as three-point favorites to prevail Saturday. Not willing to concede yet
Still, while the Longhorns are warming to the idea of Baylor as a rival, they’re not ready to say the Bears have passed them as a program.
“They’ve been having success,” UT wide receiver Jacorey Warrick said. “But as far as us trying to catch up to them? No.”
“Nope, sure don’t,” UT defensive tackle Paul Boyette said when asked if he feels like an underdog against Baylor. “They have a good, rising program. I’m not taking anything away from those guys. They work hard, just like we do.
“It doesn’t boil down to just giving them credit and (saying), ‘Oh, they’re the up and comers, we’re chasing them.’ It’s not about that. At the end of the day, this still is the University of Texas.”
But once again, the
state’s flagship school will be reduced to playing spoiler against a Baylor team with national championship aspirations.
The Longhorns (3-4, 1-3 in the Big 12) still have work to do to get the six victories required for bowl eligibility, and last week’s ugly 24-21 loss at Kansas State didn’t help. The Bears (6-0, 3-0) remain in position to compete for a Big 12 title and a spot in the College Football Playoff, although they’ve faced one of the nation’s weakest schedules so far.
Against UT in Austin, they’ll face a team that has been undefeated — and much better defensively — at home.
‘It’s been building’
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the Longhorns added four recruits from the class that originally signed with Baylor last February before being released in the aftermath of the Bears’ sexual assault scandal. The most notable of that group is wide receiver Devin Duvernay, who’s caught touchdown passes in three consecutive games for the Longhorns.
Perkins, UT’s senior offensive lineman, said he’s well aware of the rancor many Baylor fans feel toward the Longhorns as a result of those signings, and he said it fits with the trend of increased animosity between the two schools.
“Honestly, I’ll say it’s been building,” Perkins said.
The Bears’ success has had a lot to do with that. As UT coach Charlie Strong pointed out Monday, “it’s been just amazing to watch how that program has come on strong and really turned it on over the past couple of years.”
Longhorns safety Dylan Haines said it’s increased what he called the “backand-forth between a lot of schools in Texas about, ‘Oh, we’re the best team.’ ”
So how will that backand-forth play out this Saturday?
“Hopefully no brawls this year,” Haines said. “But we expect that same type of energy.”