When the No. 6 Texas Longhorns travel to Baton Rouge to face No. 21 LSU, the team will abandon its traditional road whites for burnt orange jerseys, “according to Yahoo Sports.”
According to UT senior associate athletics director John Bianco, Texas was last seen wearing orange for a road game when it opened the 1971 season with a victory at UCLA.
The wardrobe change is required because LSU lore dictates that the Tigers wear white for home games, a tradition that began during the 1958 national championship season under head coach Paul Dietzel.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is already familiar with this specific home tradition from his previous tenure leading Washington.
“All I’ve known is LSU in white jerseys,” Sarkisian said, “as reported by the Austin American-Statesman.”
In addition to the uniform shift, visiting players at Tiger Stadium will encounter a freshly painted pink locker room.
According to Nola.com, LSU coach Lane Kiffin introduced the pink locker room decorating gimmick, mirroring a psychological tactic previously utilized by former Iowa coach Hayden Fry.
Fry originally popularized the colorful tactic in hopes of putting opposing players into a passive mood.
Texas players expressed skepticism regarding whether the pink paint would yield any tangible psychological advantage for the Tigers.
“I know the science behind it and how it’s supposed to like decrease stuff, but I don’t know how effective it is,” Texas tight end Michael Masunas said, “according to local media coverage.”
Senior quarterback Arch Manning noted that the team remains entirely focused on securing a critical victory regardless of the unconventional room decor.
“It’s kind of whatever it takes at this point of the season,” Manning said, “per the Austin American-Statesman.”