The Red River rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas is a bitter one, so a pregame skirmish at midfield – really, more like a heated conversation – wasn’t unexpected. It would have been a surprise if there wasn't any tempers flaring before the game.
So no big deal, right? It seemed the kind of situation that could have been let go. But referee Mike Defee’s decision to issue every player on both teams an unsportsmanlike conduct foul seemed a bit much.
Defee put every player on the knife’s edge a half-hour before the game even started, since a second unsportsmanlike foul results in ejection.