LOOK: Texas Department of Transportation trolls Oklahoma ahead of Red River Rivalry

It’s all hands on deck as the Texas Longhorns gear up for the Red River Rivalry on Saturday, including those at the Texas Department of Transportation. Leading up to the annual Texas-Oklahoma rivalry game, TxDOT has taken to trolling Oklahoma Sooner fans with road signs.

The signs line I-35, the highway connecting Norman, Oklahoma, to Dallas. The Red River Showdown takes place in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday at noon ET.

The signs read: “The eyes of TX are upon you, OU sucks.”

The annual @txdot I-35 road signs are already up #ThisIsTexas #HookEm 🤘#RedRiverRivalry #OUvsTEX pic.twitter.com/uqQz6oHZOp

— Kyle Umlang (@kyleumlang) October 5, 2021

The ESPN College GameDay crew will be in Dallas for the annual Red River Showdown between the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners.

The No. 6 Sooners remain undefeated with a 5-0 record heading into Week 6. Quarterback Spencer Rattler led the Sooners over Kansas State 37-31 to keep the loss column clear last Saturday.

This season, Oklahoma has beaten Tulane, Western Carolina, Nebraska, West Virginia and Kansas State.

Unlike OU, No. 21 Texas is heading into the game with an imperfect record. The Longhorns took down TCU 32-27 on Saturday. A week two loss versus Arkansas is their only blemish. The Horns have also notched wins versus Louisiana, Rice and Texas Tech.

Strong OU ties for Texas QB

The Red River rivalry game holds special significance for Longhorns starting quarterback Casey Thompson.

Thompson’s dad, Charles, was an All-Big Eight quarterback at Oklahoma in the 1980s. Kendal Thompson, Casey’s older brother, was a quarterback at Oklahoma and Utah before becoming a wide receiver. Additionally, Thompson grew up in Oklahoma City.

On Sunday, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke about Thompson’s family ties and what the decision to play for the Sooners’ rival says about his redshirt junior quarterback.

“I think it speaks volumes to his own personality,” Sarkisian said. “He chose to go where he thought was best for him, and I think a lot of times in recruiting there’s a lot of narratives that come in with ties to universities for whatever reason and different things, but ultimately young men need to choose what’s best for them. They’re the ones that gotta get up at 5 a.m. in the morning and work out and run and practice and do all the things.”

After patiently waiting his turn for three seasons, Thompson saw snaps in Texas’ opener against Louisiana. Sarkisian called on him to replace starter Hudson Card during what was ultimately a 40-21 loss to Arkansas on Sept. 11. Thompson has been the starter ever since. 

Though Texas’s roster only has two Oklahoma natives, the Sooners’ roster has more than three dozen Lone Star State natives.