WFAA-TV

Texas fans drag a 737 — Southwest Airlines a passenger jet — in a competition against OU fans.

DALLAS — The battle on the football field may be Saturday, but Longhorn and Sooners fans flexed their muscles on the tarmac Thursday.

The competition sounded a lot like a football game.

"Come on, get your hot dogs!" one vendor yelled.

The players in this competition were ordinary fans. Yet their intensity, teamwork and drive rivaled that of conditioned athletes.

The ground rules were set.

Each team had to drag a 737 — Southwest Airlines a passenger jet — across the finish line.

First up, OU.

"Let's go!" someone yelled.

"My legs!" yelled someone else.

The OU fans managed to pull the 27-ton plane across the finish line.

Next up, UT.

"University of Texas, take your places," said the announcer.

The 'horns had something to prove.

They needed to overcome a four-year losing streak.

They hoped Beevo would bring luck.

"If you should slip and fall, let go of the rope," warned the announcer.

Showtime.

"On your mark... Get set ... BEEP!"

The Longhorn fans pulled with all their might, straining to drag the jet down the yellow line to a win.

"We need a drum roll over there," said the announcer.

"The University of Oklahoma: 44.3 seconds. The University of Texas pulled in 50 seconds!"

OU fans claimed their victory with screams, celebrating their 5-0 record in the plane pull.

"We certainly got the bragging rights," OU fan John Wilson said. "Just hope our team can win [on the football field]."

The Red River Rivalry is at 2:30 pm on Saturday, October 7th at the Cotton Bowl. The game will be broadcast on WFAA-TV Channel 8, followed by a post-game show with Dale Hansen.

E-mail sslater@wfaa.com.

WFAA.com's Katharyn DeVille contributed to this report.