Texas, Oklahoma were ready to start the Red River Rivalry. What caused the kickoff delay?

The roar at the Cotton Bowl before kickoff quickly quieted Saturday as No. 1 Texas (4-0, 1-0 SEC) and Oklahoma (2-2, 0-1) waited through a delay before the 122nd edition of the Red River Rivalry. The delay caused a frantic search for one particular item inside the historic venue.

Saturday’s kickoff between the Longhorns and Sooners was delayed due to the absence of multiple pylons in both the north and south end zones. ESPN cameras and those on scene in Dallas captured footage of both end zones with missing pylons at each back corner, and Texas’ kickoff unit was called off the field and into a huddle before Cotton Bowl staff appeared on the sidelines with the missing pylons.

The pylons were placed on the back corners of each end zone just after 2:50 p.m. CT. The five-plus-minute delay preceded Texas’ kickoff, which went out-of-bounds off the foot of kicker Gianni Spetic. Texas was assessed a penalty, and Oklahoma received possession on the Longhorns’ 35-yard line before going three-and-out on its opening possession.

ESPN play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough noted Saturday the Cotton Bowl is a 96-year-old venue, one that hosts football games only sparingly. The Cotton Bowl annually hosts the Red River Rivalry, but it has not hosted the Cotton Bowl Classic postseason contest since January 2009. The Cotton Bowl has only one other college football game on its 2026 schedule, Prairie View’s 21-14 win over Grambling State in September’s State Fair Classic.

LIVE GAME UPDATES: Follow along as Texas takes on OU in the Red River Rivalry

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This article originally published at Texas, Oklahoma were ready to start the Red River Rivalry. What caused the kickoff delay?.