The BYU student section was asked to remove and/over cover up a group of shirts that spelled "Horns down" during their Saturday afternoon game against the Texas Longhorns, according to BYU beat writer Mitch Harper.
The front row of #BYU's student section, closest to the Texas bench, had white t-shirts with blue paint on that spelled out "Horns Down."
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 27, 2024
During the first media timeout, those students were asked to remove the shirts. #BYUHoops #Big12
Harper responded in a follow-up tweet that he believes it was BYU that asked for the change. This is what it looked like before the shirts were covered.
The BYU students in the front row with 'Horns Down' painted on their shirts were asked to remove the shirts after the first media timeout, per @Mitch_Harper.
— CBS Sports College Basketball (@CBSSportsCBB) January 27, 2024
: @sleeslakin pic.twitter.com/KDN0yjI1na
Whether it was Texas or BYU that made the request, it's another chapter in the Longhorns' ongoing battle against teams and fans taunting them with anything related to "Horns down," whether it be a hand signal, chant or shirt.
Texas opponents have started doing a "Horns down" hand signal in games against then across all sports, especially when they defeat the Longhorns. And the Longhorns are not taking any of that well. It most recently resulted in Texas basketball coach Rodney Terry confronting members of the UCF basketball team last week for making the gesture following their game. It is not the first time Texas has been upset by this.
What Texas doesn't realize is that the more it complains about it, the worse it makes itself look. And the worse it makes itself look, the more opponents are going to keep poking at them in an attempt to rile them up.
Texas has two potential courses of action here: It can either stop making itself look soft — and calling attention to it — when other teams and fans taunt them, or it can stop doing the Hook 'em Horns hand signal after their own wins.
If you don't want other teams throwing your stuff back in your face when they beat you, maybe you shouldn't throw at them when you beat them.
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