The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Forty Acres Insider: October 7
10.07.2025 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte
Longhorn Nation,
Folks, you know what time it is — IT'S ALLSTATE RED RIVER RIVALRY TIME! There's truly nothing better than this one-of-a-kind tradition. No grander venue than the majestic and historic Cotton Bowl, and no better setting than the Texas State Fair — with all its sights, sounds, Big Tex belting out "Howdy," and that glorious smell of corny dogs in the air. Think about the gravitas of this rivalry — the legendary teams and players, the thrilling plays and fantastic finishes, and the generations of families and friends who've gathered in Dallas for this annual October extravaganza. We're coming into this one after a tough, hard-fought road loss at Florida, but you know Coach Sark and the squad will pick themselves up, dust off and pour their hearts — and plenty of Texas Fight — into this week's 121st meeting of two of college football's all-time great programs. Our Horns are back at work preparing, there's still so much to play for, and a tremendous opportunity lies ahead — the stakes are even higher once again with this matchup in year two as an SEC rivalry!
Beginning to look like rivalry week! 🏈 pic.twitter.com/8TFyz5PfdV
— State Fair of Texas (@StateFairOfTX) October 6, 2025
But before we get too deep into the Red River Rivalry week, how about a BIG SHOUTOUT TO COACH ELLIOTT AND OUR NO. 2-RANKED VOLLEYBALL SQUAD! Our Horns added two more wins last week, pushing their undefeated record to 12-0 with a sweep at Mississippi State on Sunday. They are flat out-dominating — seven-straight sweeps, a perfect 4-0 mark in the SEC, and every single one of those conference victories has come via a sweep! Our road warriors return home Wednesday to take on No. 17 Tennessee (6:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) before hitting the road again Sunday at Alabama (2 p.m. CT/SEC Network+). We know y'all will bring the energy and pack The Greg on Wednesday — can't wait to see you there!
seven. straight. sweeps.🤘🧹#HookEm pic.twitter.com/rpgemMVU7E
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) October 5, 2025
Back to the game — COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S GRANDEST OF CLASHES OF TITANS on its most magnificent stage. The State Fair, Big Tex, all the pomp and circumstance of this great rivalry, and another Saturday surrounded by the absolute best fans in the land — it all gets me so darned fired up! I know you are, too, and I know you'll be rockin' the house and the fairgrounds while the spotlight shines bright on our programs with ABC's Saturday Night Primetime crew — our friends Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Holly Rowe — on the call. And yes, we're stickin' with that 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff we all love so much to boot! We're absolutely thrilled that millions around the country — and across the world — will be tuned in for this year's renewal of such a truly unique spectacle. And we know what's at stake: that glistening Golden Hat that needs to make its way back home to Austin. So, let's get decked out in our Burnt Orange best, bring the juice, show off our patented Longhorn passion and pride, and give everything we've got to help Coach Sark and our squad get back on track and bring that beauty back to the Forty Acres. Horns Up all the livelong week for this one, y'all!
Ready for the rivalry 🤘 pic.twitter.com/0olCDTe8Yp
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 6, 2025
There's a whole lot more going on with our Longhorns this week as well. Soccer travels to South Carolina on Thursday (5 p.m. CT/SEC Network), while Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving are off to Alabama for a dual meet on Friday (11 a.m. CT). Beach Volleyball will get into the fall action at the Sand Court Experts West Coast Championship in Manhattan Beach (Friday-Sunday), and Men's and Women's Tennis continue to compete in tournaments all week as well. Let's get those Horns Up high y'all and HOOK 'EM!
plan your calendars accordingly 🤘#HookEm | @seatgeek pic.twitter.com/IfVhJHJbNw
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) October 6, 2025
Before we get to the notes, we've got to give a huge high five to our Women's Golf star Farah O'Keefe for BRINGING HOME THE GOLD MEDAL with Team USA at the World Amateur Team Championships in Singapore last week. O'Keefe, currently No. 7 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, finished in a tie for 11th on the individual leaderboard with a tournament score of 6-under-par. And how about this — Texas Women's Golf was represented by five players in the event: Lauren Kim (Canada), Cindy Hsu (Chinese Taipei), Selina Liao (Chinese Taipei) and Vivian Lu (New Zealand) in addition to Farah. This week, the men compete on the same course and we've got a trio of Longhorns who will participate in the event: Daniel Bennett (South Africa), Christiaan Maas (South Africa) and Eduardo Derbez Torres (Mexico). What Starts Here my friends!
USA USA USA 🇺🇸
— Texas Women's Golf (@TexasWGolf) October 4, 2025
Farah O'Keefe and Team USA win World Amateur Team Championships#HookEm | @USGA pic.twitter.com/VPLV5yvCbT
While I've got you, how about this for a What Starts Here collab?! Our guy Hero Kanu played some high-level soccer for about a decade growing up in Germany before he moved to the United States as a high school junior to chase his football dreams. The then-lanky 6-foot-5, 250-pounder has grown into a powerful nearly 300-pound force on our defense, yet check out Hero's soccer skills in this video with Team USA's Alex Freeman (son of Super Bowl-winning receiver Antonio Freeman by the way). Really awesome getting these Football & Futbol stars together for a little fun and competition at DKR this week!
🇺🇸⚽️ 🤝 🏈🤘
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) October 6, 2025
Thanks for having us out at the Forty, @TexasFootball!#HookEm x #USMNT pic.twitter.com/PjKoqXVTkd
See Y'all in Dallas on Saturday for the Allstate Red River Rivalry!
It's one of my favorite weeks of the year, and I can't wait to see Longhorn Nation in Dallas for the 2025 edition of the Allstate Red River Rivalry this weekend. With the iconic State Fair of Texas as the backdrop, it's the most unique and iconic setting in college athletics with Cotton Bowl Stadium split down the 50-yard line, and I know the Burnt Orange and White will come out in FULL FORCE EARLY to cheer on the Horns.
For the best experience on gameday, we highly encourage all fans with tickets through Texas Athletics to take note of the information below. There have been changes to Cotton Bowl Stadium, including expanded and modernized concession areas primarily on the west side and adjusted entry patterns in designated areas.
• Please download your mobile ticket(s) by logging in to your account AND save them to your digital wallet PRIOR to leaving for the State Fair. Your mobile ticket will serve as your entry to the fairgrounds. Screenshots will not be accepted.
• Plan your travel to and from Cotton Bowl Stadium well in advance and leave early to allow time to navigate the State Fair. Fairgrounds will open at 7 a.m., and you can find all of your parking and transportation resources HERE including information on taking the DART to/from the game.
• Enter the stadium through the gate listed on your mobile ticket(s). Texas Athletics highly encourages fans to only enter Gates A, B, C, D, E, or G. Due to new stadium renovations, we discourage fans from entering any other gate. View the 2025 Seating Chart.
• Stadium gates will open at 11:30 a.m. this year (3 hours prior to kick-off). If you need ticket assistance, visit Texas Ticket Resolution between Gates A & B and outside Gate J beginning at 11:30 a.m.
• Physical pass-outs will only be issued at halftime at Gates A, C, G, & J (with re-entry required through those gates). Fans exiting outside any other gate or at any other time other than halftime will NOT be allowed to re-enter the stadium.
In addition, fans looking to gear up with exclusive Red River Rivalry merchandise can visit the Texas Longhorns Official Team Shop located at the Cotton Bowl Plaza outside Gate A. It will be open Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.
Here's the full timeline for this Saturday!
7 a.m. - Parking lots open
7 a.m. - State Fair of Texas fairgrounds open
8 a.m. - Midway, Tower Building, and outdoor concessions open
11:30 a.m. - Cotton Bowl Stadium gates open
11:30 a.m. - Ticket resolution locations open between Gates A & B and outside Gate J
12:15 p.m. - Team bus arrival – Cheer on the Longhorns as they arrive on Coliseum Drive.
2:30 p.m. – Kick-off
Volleyball continues its winning ways
Longhorn Nation, our No. 2 Volleyball team is on an absolute tear! Coach Elliott and our ladies have now recorded SEVEN STRAIGHT SWEEPS, including the last two on the road against Georgia and Mississippi State. Let's just say there was all bark and no bite from those Bulldogs at both stops. Torrey Stafford got the team going with her sixth double-double of the season in Athens by posting 14 kills and 11 digs while hitting at a .414 mark. And let's not forget about the QB1 of our offense. Ella Swindle put on another clinic with 32 assists and 10 digs for her third double-double this year out in Starkville. That's seven-straight matches with at least 30 assists from Ella and we've swept all seven of them. Now we all know about these dominating women, but isn't great when the nation takes notice? Cari Spears joined Torrey on the AVCA National Player of the Year Watch List last week and Cari is the only TRUE FRESHMAN on that list. Let's keep it rolling and meet up at The Greg on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) to host No. 17 Tennessee, before Coach Elliott and company head to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on Sunday (2 p.m. CT/SEC Network +).
Honoring a pair of Longhorn Legends
Our friends at the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) are celebrating their 50th year by honoring Honda Cup and Honda Award winners during the 2025-26 season. The University of Texas is one of only 10 universities across the nation with MULTIPLE HONDA CUP WINNERS! To help promote this great history, our partners at Sirius XM College Sports Radio launched a weekly series called "Collegiate Women Wednesday," where they are producing vignettes and recognizing all past Honda Cup winners. Our own Longhorn Legend and 1981 Honda Cup winner Jill Sterkel had her vignette recently air on the network, and 1986 Honda Cup recipient Kamie Ethridge's segment is slated to run on October 29.
Hook 'Em Horns,
P.S. — Get your Red River Rivalry gear here!
available now - rep the Horns in Dallas!! 🤘#HookEm
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) October 5, 2025
P.S. — Shining a Light on Training your Mind the same way you train your Body!
it's Student-Athlete Mental Health Week, and we're shining a light on the importance of training your mind the same way you train your body 🤘💚#HookEm pic.twitter.com/vvzwT6wu7d
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) October 6, 2025
P.S. — Hey there Reese! U-S-A, U-S-A!!
representing the red, white & blue 🤘🇺🇸#HookEm pic.twitter.com/spuFInjqMy
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) October 2, 2025
P.S. — We see ya, Alfred!
Alfred Colins with the punch out at the goal line! 🤯 @alfredcollins99
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) October 3, 2025
SFvsLAR on Prime Video
pic.twitter.com/NIx6nJqWvh
P.S. — Our guy Bijan is en fuego!
Bijan Phenomenon 😈@Bijan5Robinson is your NFC Offensive Player of the Month! pic.twitter.com/kBPWBk4m6j
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) October 2, 2025
P.S. — This is a must-watch each week, and thanks to Bijan for Zoomin' in last week!
Great catching up with @TexasFootball staffer @ChrisGilbert_1 and our Longhorn Legend & NFL Star @Bijan5Robinson on this week's Longhorn Weekly with Coach Sark. Show airs Thursday's on @am1300thezone/Longhorn Radio Network, Saturday on KBVO-TV, and streams on @longhornnetwork🤘🏻 pic.twitter.com/n5nBRu5KUl
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) October 2, 2025
HEADLINES:
Video: Steve Sarkisian press conference (Week 7 – Oklahoma):
Video: Football players media availability (Week 7 – Oklahoma):
No. 2 Volleyball's Spears named SEC Freshman of the Week for the fourth time:
Men's Tennis posts 10 wins in Big 12/SEC Challenge:
Video: Steve Sarkisian postgame press conference (Florida):
No. 9/7 Football falls in SEC opener at Florida, 29-21:
Women's Cross Country defends Chile Pepper Festival title, Men finish as runner-up:
No. 2 Volleyball's Stafford and Spears named to AVCA Player of the Year watch list:
Softball's Atwood to compete with U.S. Women's National Team in Australia:
Video: Steve Sarkisian media availability (Week 6 – at Florida):
Video: Sean Miller appears on "On Texas Basketball" podcast:
Baseball's recruiting class tabbed first nationally by Baseball America:
Women's Basketball sets date for Orange-White Scrimmage:
No. 5 Men's Golf's Maas named SEC Men's Co-Golfer of the Week:
No. 5 Men's Golf shares team title at Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational:
No. 9/7 Football's Taaffe selected to Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year watch list: