OU, Nebraska Players Tweet “Horns Down” Helmet Photos
It’s not exactly new for UT’s rivals to focus less on taking pride in themselves, and more on disliking the Horns. This phenomenon has taken many forms throughout history, from the Aggies’ crude “saw[ing] ’em off,” to Tech’s ghastly tortilla tossing, to the infamous “Horns down” symbol.
For the uninitiated (and bless your heart if that includes you), “Horns down” is the inverted Hook ’em Horns sign that becomes ubiquitous north of the Red River and serves as a kind of sad symbol for the University of Not Texas Oklahoma.
That sentiment seems to have found its way into the East-West Shrine Game, a kind of college football all-star game that raises money for children’s charities. Some players, however, couldn’t be bothered to just do something nice and enjoy a weekend in Florida with a hefty dose of pre-NFL draft publicity.
Oklahoma’s Gabe Ikard and Nebraska’s Jeremiah Sirles, both of whom will play on the same side as Longhorns Anthony Fera and Carrington Byndom in the Shrine Game, posted photos of their helmets adorned with downward-facing Horns on Twitter.
The helmet is ready to go for the @Shrine_Game #Boomer pic.twitter.com/yrpJkpF1ut
— Gabe Ikard (@GabeIkard) January 16, 2014
New addition to the helmet for the game #hornsdown pic.twitter.com/dM3yGewxVL
— Jeremiah Sirles (@Sirles71_HSKR) January 16, 2014
The last time the teams met, Texas beat Oklahoma, 36-20. Texas also beat Nebraska, 20-13, in their last meeting on Oct. 16, 2010. Ikard and Sirles will suit up with their Texas counterparts for the Shrine Game on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
