It was a sea of burnt-orange spanning for blocks in every direction near campus.
Sitting beneath a canopy, Ana and Louie Villoalobos reclined in lawn chairs joined by their family eating fajitas, drinking beer and waiting for kickoff. They arrived early Wednesday night to claim a prime spot.
In the laid-back atmosphere, they talked about the upcoming football game. Ana said she thought Colt McCoy's performance would be critical to the win all present were predicting.
A couple of blocks away, a group of college-age Buckeye fans were playing flip cup while George Keller, an Ohio State alumnus, watched. He had arrived from Columbus on Thursday to explore Austin and meet with friends. He said he loved Austin, especially Sixth Street. He said everyone in Austin had been extremely nice to him and other Ohio fans. Keller described himself as one of the lucky fans who had been able to obtain his tickets before flying down. His seats were in the upper deck of Royal-Memorial Stadium.
Joel Walker, another Buckeye fan from Columbus, was also out tailgating near Congress Avenue. He had flown down Friday night, and said he was enjoying himself in Austin. Walker had no worries about the game and said he was confident the Ohio State defense would shut down the Longhorn's offense.
Zack Shelley, of Shelley's Automotive Services, brought a restored 1960 Chevrolet Packwood station wagon. Named the Hornfan Hoopty, it was painted in burnt-orange complete with burnt-orange interior linings and burnt-orange-and-white seat upholstery with the Longhorn logo.
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