Forty Acres Insider: September 16

Chris Del Conte head shot 2025

Longhorn Nation,

Here's to you Longhorn Nation! Y'all brought that TEXAS FIGHT across the Forty Acres this weekend with incredible energy and enthusiasm — from DKR to The Greg. And our Longhorns delivered. Stacking up victories on the field and on the court, with y'all fueling it all with that trademark passion and pride — from The Eyes to The Eyes. Now we're right back at it with a pair of top-20 Volleyball showdowns at always raucous Gregory Gym this week. Then it's on to another full slate of Football fun & festivities as we get ready to cheer on our Horns against Sam Houston on a pumped-up Saturday night clash on the Forty!

all Burnt Orange, all the time 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/9SvfJchdcS
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 13, 2025

Y'ALL WERE AWESOME on Saturday at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium! From Bevo Blvd to Smokey's Midway, Longhorn City Limits, Big Bertha's Bazaar, and welcoming the team in full force at the Stadium Stampede — it was a glorious sea of Burnt Orange & White. It was a steamy afternoon I must say but a full house of 102,000-plus still brought the heat & Texas Fight, cheering our No. 7 Horns to a 27-10 victory over UTEP. The defense owned the day, forcing two more turnovers, stopping the Miners on three fourth-down tries, while the offense and special teams came through with the plays that generated the points to put over one more win. Coach Sark said it after the game: "there's plenty of room left to grow and we're far from playing our best football, but we'll do that, and we got the win." The great part is — we get to do it all over again with y'all this weekend at DKR! It's a night game (7 p.m. CT/SEC Network+), so we know pregame will be poppin' and the stadium will be rockin.' We'll turn it into one big 'ol party with Sark after Dark, and we can't wait to see you there! Lest we forget - after Saturday, we've got a long break without home football games — hitting the road for the entire month of October. Let's make this weekend an epic one as we hit the midway point of the home game football season. So get charged up and bring the juice my friends. Get those Horns up y'all, and let's Hook 'Em. SEE YOU AT DKR!

Night game 🔜 pic.twitter.com/pfs9WSLM9z
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 15, 2025

Meanwhile, No. 2 Volleyball kept the good times rollin'! Our Horns took down No. 4 Louisville in a five-set thriller in Fort Worth on Wednesday, then returned triumphantly to Gregory Gym to stampede through No. 9 Arizona State in a Sunday Sweep. That's five top-20 wins — including four against top-10 foes — in six matches for our undefeated Horns! Y'all had The Greg thumpin' while our squad was passin', settin' and spikin' their way to another big-time victory. (And hey Pops, we sure are lucky to have Cari in our program! — she led the team with 18 kills against the Sun Devils). Now we're right back at it with another pair of top-20 matchups at The Greg — No. 9 TCU on Wednesday (8 p.m. CT/ESPNU) and No. 21 Baylor on Friday (6 p.m. CT/SEC Network). We're fired up for those in-state showdowns and know you are too! LET'S KEEP PACKING THE GREG!!

picture perfect🤌🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/Rb22FtQEgh
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) September 15, 2025

WHAT A TRULY SPECIAL NIGHT it was Friday as we celebrated this year's class of Longhorn Legends at the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor ceremony! When you think about it — more than 20,000 student-athletes have proudly competed for The University of Texas, yet only 600 have earned the ultimate recognition of being inducted in the Hall of Honor. They are the best of the best — the crème de la crème — and it's always such an honor and privilege to pay tribute to their fantastic careers and successes beyond their sports — alongside their families, coaches, teammates and Longhorn Nation. And what a victory lap it was on Saturday, too, as 100,000-plus gave them a rousing standing ovation at DKR. Here's to an emphatic Hook 'Em Horns to the Class of 2025! (You can watch the entire induction ceremony here.)

true Longhorn Legends - your 2025 Texas Athletics Hall of Honor Inductees 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/L1ELHk2wpV
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 12, 2025

The action just keeps heating up for our Longhorns this week. Soccer hosts Mississippi State on Thursday for our SEC home opener at Mike A. Myers Stadium (7 p.m. CT/ESPNU). Cross Country, Golf and Tennis are taking to the course and courts, while fall ball is on the horizon for our National Champion Softball and SEC Champion Baseball programs. It's a great time to be a Longhorn!

busy week ahead 🤘#HookEm | @SeatGeek pic.twitter.com/yjJhtVjmXm
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 15, 2025

Let's raise 'em up for WHAT STARTS HERE, Folks! At the Track and Field World Championships in Tokyo, Ryan Crouser claimed his third-straight World Outdoor Shot Put title — and get this —he's now won the last three Olympic AND World Outdoor golds! (talk about a G.O.A.T., he is absolutely that!) That makes our phenomenal Texas Ex the first American EVER to win three individual titles at both the Olympics and World Outdoor Championships! But wait, there's more — Tara Davis doubled up on her gold, adding a World Title in the long jump, while our Olympic 100-meter champion Julien Alfred earned her first-ever World Championship medal, taking home the bronze. Oh, and we saw it on the links too as our guy Scottie Scheffler tied legends Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite for the most career PGA TOUR victories by a Longhorn with his 19th on Sunday at the Procure Championship in Napa. How about that for the PRIDE AND WINNING TRADITION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS!

Lots of World Championships hardware this weekend for @TexasTFXC Legends Ryan Crouser🥇, Tara Davis-Woodhall🥇 & Julien Alfred🥉🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻 pic.twitter.com/At9EAxxdUq
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) September 14, 2025

Oh, and before we dive into all the notes — a lot of you have been asking us about the SCORE Act, the bi-partisan bill moving through Congress. The bill is intended to establish a national standard for name, image, and likeness (NIL). A number of federal NIL bills have been proposed in recent years, but the SCORE Act is the first to be passed out of committee. College athletics is in a state of transformation, and federal legislation could help create a fair recruiting and competition environment for all student-athletes in all sports programs, stabilize college sports, and secure their future. You can read all the details in the bill here.

Texas Football UNDER THE LIGHTS at DKR this Saturday!
Longhorn Nation, we know you've been waiting for this one. Saturday's game versus Sam Houston (7 p.m. kick-off presented by Truist) will be our first night game of the 2025 season, and our team has been hard-at-work to make it a memorable gameday experience. From lights, pyrotechnics, and maybe a few extra friends in the sky 😉, you'll want to make sure you come early, be loud, stay late, and wear burnt orange for what will be a spectacular day to cap off our final home game of a three-game stretch before we return to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 1.

The best pregame in the country starts at 2 p.m.
We've got an action-packed pregame in store for y'all this weekend with all of our areas opening at 2 p.m. That means FOUR AND A HALF HOURS of programming at Bevo Blvd pres. by H-E-B, Longhorn City Limits pres. by Hollister, Smokey's Midway pres. by Conecuh Sausage, Hook `Em Hangout, and Big Bertha's Bazaar at Moody Center. Don't forget to line the streets for our three signature parades: Bevo Parade (pres. by TFBI) at 4 p.m., the Stadium Stampede team arrival at 4:45 p.m., and the Longhorn Band march to the stadium at 6 p.m.

gameday scenes so far 🤘🖼️#HookEm pic.twitter.com/GbfeGWtXej
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 13, 2025

Pop-punk legends Bowling For Soup make their first appearance at LCL
The Burnt Orange and White showed out in full force prior to the UTEP game to sing-along with Big Boi and his onslaught of hits. This Saturday, we're thrilled to welcome Bowling For Soup and Van Full Of Nuns to Longhorn City Limits presented by Hollister! The Texas natives are making their debut appearance at LCL and fans can look forward to many songs representing the pop-punk generation including "1985," "Girl All The Bad Guys Want," and more! The LBJ Lawn will open at 2 p.m. with the Tito's Tailgate, Bulleit Frontier Lounge, and Pinkerton's BBQ ready to serve fans, and live music will start at 3:30 p.m. Stick around for more fun after the game for our first fan-favorite postgame silent disco of 2025! And reminder that all LCL concerts are F-R-E-E to attend all season long.

catch you at the stage 🤘🎵#HookEm pic.twitter.com/mlhjG8Srf8
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 15, 2025

Visit Big Bertha's Bazaar at Moody Center for launches from mañana, Aloha, Stoney Clover, Desden, and more!
Big Bertha's Bazaar is back this weekend with several product launches you won't want to miss! Come out and enjoy signature cocktails you won't find anywhere else on gameday at the Bazaar Bar, immersive photo ops, and shop exclusive product including newcomers mañana, Aloha, Stoney Clover, Desden, and more! We'll have college football on the big screen up top as well as shaded options to hang out. It all gets started at 2 p.m. this Saturday on the Dell Technologies Plaza at Moody Center.

Plan your gameday commute before heading to the stadium
As we prepare for our third home game in three weeks, we continue to ask that you plan your commute to AND from DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in advance to make your gameday travels as smooth as possible this season. Please visit TexasLonghorns.com/Parking for individualized parking and traffic flow maps as well as important traffic updates all season long.

There are three traffic flow updates we want to highlight going into this weekend's game:
1. If you are traveling from the north on I-35 and need to exit onto MLK Blvd, you must stay on the lower deck to exit onto MLK Blvd. With the TXDOT I-35 construction project, there is no exit onto MLK Blvd from the upper deck.
2. For those traveling from the north on I-35 and plan to exit onto 15th St., you can use the lower deck and use the 15th St./MLK Blvd exit OR you can use a temporary exit from the upper deck to access 15th St.
3. With I-35 construction permanently closing the 15th St. on-ramp to northbound I-35, postgame traffic patterns have shifted. After the game, some fans leaving from 15th St. will now be guided to the I-35 southbound frontage road, while others will continue south to 12th St. The 12th St. intersection will now take on the role that the 15th St. access point served in previous seasons as a main connection to I-35.

Take advantage of Fan First and Happy Hour pricing on gamedays all season long
Night games mean more time enjoying Happy Hour pricing outside the stadium with $5 domestic/$6.50 premium beers at Bevo Blvd, Smokey's Midway, Longhorn City Limits, and Hook `Em Hangout. Once inside the stadium, we are proud to offer Fan First pricing all game long on 18 menu items averaging 30% off including the new $5 Bud Light and $6.50 Corona Extra 12 oz. beers. We've also got those delicious new featured turkey legs, Asian fusion hot dogs, and brisket mac and cheese bowls at selected areas around the stadium. View where these items and specific concession locations can be found in the stadium here.

For our fans in premium areas, we are excited to welcome Celebrity Chef Jet Tilla to DKR-TMS and hope you enjoy his signature dish, the Brisket Clamshell Bao.

Continue to hydrate before, during, and after the game!
While kick-off for this weekend's game is at night, we still encourage all fans to prepare accordingly to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water before, during AND after the game. We have 16 free "water monsters" stationed around DKR. You can also bring in one (1) factory-sealed plastic water bottle (up to 1 liter). Please note that no other outside drinks or containers are permitted. And if you need to cool off, St. David's HealthCare is providing four cooling stations at Sections 32, 106, 118, and 124, complete with fans, and plenty of water.

Here's your complete Saturday schedule
o 7 a.m. – Parking Lots open
o 2 p.m. – Bevo Blvd pres. by H-E-B, Smokey's Midway pres. by Conecuh Sausage, and Hook 'Em Hangout Open
o 2 p.m. – Big Bertha's Bazaar opens on Moody Center Plaza
o 2 p.m. – Tito's Tailgate and Bulleit Frontier Lounge open at Longhorn City Limits pres. by Hollister
o 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Photo ops with Smokey the Cannon on Smokey's Midway
o 2 p.m. – Hook 'Em Herd (pres. by Dick's Sporting Goods) signups begin for kids ages 7-12 across from Gate 1 on Bevo Blvd (spots available on first-come, first-served basis)
o 2 p.m. - The Flat Creek Estate Wine Garden opens for fans ages 21-and-up on the north side of DeLoss Dodds Way near Trinity St.
o 3 p.m. – Gate 8 Ticket Resolution opens for mobile ticket support
o 3:30 p.m. – Van Full Of Nuns LIVE at Longhorn City Limits pres. by Hollister
o 4 p.m. – Texas Exes Tailgate opens at Alumni Center for Texas Exes members
o 4 p.m. – Sports Radio AM 1300 AM The Zone Longhorn Gameday Pregame Show LIVE at Hook `Em Hangout begins
o 4 p.m. – Bevo Parade pres. by Texas Farm Bureau Insurance on Bevo Blvd (fans line up at 3:45 p.m. at South Entrance on Bevo Blvd)
o 4 p.m. – Gate 25 and Gate 25 Ticket Resolution open for Big Ticket holders with general admission lower level student tickets
o 4:45 p.m. – Stadium Stampede team arrival on Bevo Blvd (fans line up at 4:30 p.m. at North Entrance on Bevo Blvd)
o 5 p.m. – Bowling For Soup LIVE at Longhorn City Limits pres. by Hollister
o 5 p.m. – Gate 32 Ticket Resolution opens for mobile ticket support
o 5 p.m. – All stadium gates and Longhorn Hospitality areas open
o 5-6 p.m.– Texas Men's Basketball autographs on Bevo Blvd across from Gate 5
o 6 p.m. – Longhorn Band March to the stadium (starts on Robert Dedman Drive near Longhorn City Limits)
o 6:30 p.m. – Bevo Blvd, Longhorn City Limits, Smokey's Midway, Hook 'Em Hangout and Big Bertha's Bazaar close
o Pregame – T-6 flyover by the 559 Flying Training Squadron
o 7 p.m. – Kickoff vs. Sam Houston!

o Halftime – Longhorn Band Halftime Show
o Postgame – Silent Disco at Longhorn City Limits pres. by Hollister

For a full list of activities and everything you want to know about all-things gameday, please visit our Football GameDay headquarters page.

Football completes 2/3 of the homestand by putting over another win
It was another family reunion on Saturday at DKR in part dos of our trifecta of non-conference home games before we go "on the road again" until November. With the UTEP Miners making the trip from west Texas, Coach Sark and the team put their own hard hats on and collected a 27-10 win in the late summer heat. The defense was dominant, holding the Miners to just 141 yards in the first three quarters, the offense had the ground game going to the tune of 226 yards, and special teams did their thing in all phases. In fact, if you look at the first and third quarters, the D didn't even give up 20 yards in either of them and just a combined 34! Whoa! They set the tone from the beginning with a big fourth-down brick wall, and then Arch got things started with his legs and the first of his two TD rushes. I also want to give a couple of "special" shoutouts to my man Ryan Niblett who had return mode activated all game long, and Mason Shipley (is it not always great to see the name Shipley on the back of a burnt orange and white jersey even if there's no relation?) who knocked home a pair of field goals. Then it was more of the same as the defense kept taking that ball away – Graceson Littleton, we see you, young man, with the first of what will likely be many interceptions in your career – and another young man, James Simon (67 rushing yards), kept that ground game going with Jerrick Gibson and Christian Clark in the absence of two of our bigger team leaders in C4 and Quintrevion. Arch later capped it off through the air with a dart to Mr. Wingo and that would be all she wrote for another notch in the win column and another spectacular Saturday with all of you! We won in the morning, we won in the afternoon and now let's finish it off under the lights against Sam Houston this week! See y'all there!

😍😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/iET40ruY9w
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 14, 2025

Monday Morning Highlights - UTEP edition ☕️📽️ pic.twitter.com/o3LjLsemKw
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 15, 2025

Volleyball continues hot start with pair of Top-10 wins!
After No. 2 Volleyball's pair of top-10 victories last week against No. 4 Louisville and No. 9 Arizona State, the nation is taking note of Cari Spears. Our fab frosh totaled 34 kills while hitting over .300 and added nine blocks during the two wins and earned both SEC Player of the Week (for the first time) and Freshman of the Week honors (for the second time). And Cari wasn't our only player making noise. Talented transfer Torrey Stafford continued to dish it out on offense, but she also picked up career dig number 500 in the win over Louisville. Torrey has now recorded four double doubles in just six matches, talk about a dual threat player! Coach Elliott has the team off to an electric 6-0 start, and you can cheer them on at The Greg this week against No. 9 TCU on Wednesday (8 p.m. CT/ESPNU) and No. 21 Baylor on Friday (6 p.m. CT/SEC Network).

had to double it🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/ToBuGhsBUt
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) September 15, 2025

Hook 'Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

P.S. — Let's do this again on Saturday!

nothing compares to a weekend on the Forty 🤘🏈#HookEm pic.twitter.com/66nMsnLpSr
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 15, 2025

P.S. — Absolutely precious!

Out of all the vids/pics I took yesterday, this is my all time favorite. Made me want to cry 😢 can't wait to bring him back. We loved every bit of it @TexasFootball @_delconte pic.twitter.com/cvYRTeIm30
— Jose Gonzalez (@14gonzalez14) September 14, 2025

P.S. — How cool was that pre-game flyover thanks to this group!

thank you to the US Air Force 89th Flying Training Squadron for making today's pregame flyover possible 🤘✈️#HookEm | #AFFlyover pic.twitter.com/v5Md0aczWF
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 13, 2025

P.S. — The numero uno live mascot in ALL of college athletics!

bestie in the building ‼️🤘🗣️#HookEm | @TXFBinsurance pic.twitter.com/PJXqCc7wUg
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) September 13, 2025

P.S. — It's Bijan Robinson, from The University of Texas!

🗣️ Say his name: Bijan Robinson pic.twitter.com/ol3zC6BtkI
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 15, 2025

P.S. — Well-deserved recognition for "Mr. D" who built the Showband of the Southwest!

Honored to take part in unveiling a statue of Vincent R. DiNino — "Mr. D" — who built the traditions and spirit that made the Longhorn Band the Showband of the Southwest.

His legacy lives on through generations of students and alumni. pic.twitter.com/GQGXPyf7RR
— Jim Davis (@JimDavis_UT) September 13, 2025

P.S. — Two Meets, Two Wins for our Ladies! Keep it going!

Longhorn women win UIW 5K with 17 pts🤘

1. Pickett - 17:10.3
2. Mooney - 17:31.2
3. Wilkins - 17:38.1
5. Rendon - 17:46.8 (16-sec PB)
6. Me. Espinoza - 17:58.2
7. Callanan - 18:01.7
8. Conde de Frankenberg - 18:01.7 (47-sec PB)#HookEm pic.twitter.com/4KkP6EFL3L
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) September 12, 2025

P.S. — A whole lotta former Horns headed to China for the World Rowing Championships!

a program-best 7⃣ former Longhorns will compete at the 2025 World Championships later this month 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/sW1vJ4vPrT
— Texas Rowing (@TexasRowing) September 11, 2025

HEADLINES:

No. 8/7 Football's Taaffe named to Allstate AFCA Good Works Team:

Ex-UT star Kody Clemens matches Pinky Higgins, Drew Stubbs' MLB HR feat (Austin American-Statesman):

No. 2 Volleyball's Spears named SEC Player and Freshman of the Week:

Video: Steve Sarkisian press conference (Week 4 – Sam Houston):

Video: Haley Eckerman joins Texas Gameday:

Video: Royal Ivey joins Texas Gameday:

Davis-Woodhall claims gold, Alfred bronze at World Championships:

Video: Steve Sarkisian postgame press conference (Week 3 – UTEP):

Ryan Crouser wins third outdoor world shot put title:

Video: Longhorn Weekly presented by Texas Lottery (Week 3 – UTEP):

Women's Cross Country wins UIW 5K Invitational: