The UCF Knights defeated the Texas Longhorns, 77-71, at the Moody Center in Austin on Wednesday and if the loss didn’t sting enough, Texas had a little salt added to their wounds after the final buzzer sounded.
As the two teams gathered for the customary postgame handshakes, UCF players began giving Longhorns players the infamous “Horns Down” hand gesture which is derived from Texas’ “Hook ’em Horns” celebration.
Unsurprisingly, that did not go over well.
“That’s classless! That’s classless! Don’t do that s–t! That’s classless!” Texas head coach Rodney Terry repeatedly shouted at UCF players.
After the game, Terry doubled down on his criticism.
“You don’t get into the handshake line and have about six or seven guys putting the Horns Down. We don’t do that because when you do those kinds of things, it looks very classless,” he said.
Texas fans and supporters have long complained about the gesture when it’s used against them. It’s perfectly fine when they do it to others, but it hits a real sore spot when it’s shoved back into their faces.
There’s also one very easy solution to avoid that, says FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt. Just win. And if you can’t, don’t be so “soft” in defeat.
Being offended by Horns Down is soft…Why are people so eager to be offended these days…Don't pay attention to what others say about you!! The only thing you have total control over is your own effort level…that's it!
— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) January 19, 2024
It won’t be long before we hear how offensive Klatt’s rant was, but he’s not wrong. The more sensitive Longhorns fans get over the gesture, the more often they’re going to see it — especially if they remain in the business of blowing 15-point leads.
