Mellophone player Greg Evans also is spending his fifth weekend in Dallas with the Pride. He hasn't gotten tired of how supportive the fans are. He said he's heard rumors of people high-fiving the drum major with $50 bills.

Pride Director Brian Britt said the rumors are true. When he was in the Pride 1983-1986, an OU fan put a $100 bill on his snare drum.

"Many of them will come by and if they see a student at a concession stand, they'll say, 'Put your money away,'" Britt said. People support the Pride and appreciate their efforts, he said. That kind of support is normally seen at home games, but it doesn't always happen at away games. That's what makes OU-Texas special, Britt said.

"Probably the biggest thing is running into the Cotton Bowl, into the stadium, and seeing over half erupt into applause," he said.

OU-Texas games are always special, but emotions and expectations are especially high at this one, drum major Jason Marshall said. With OU ranked No. 1 and UT ranked fifth, the pressure is on for the team to beat Texas. And Marshall said he feels that pressure, too. He knows he has to rally the crowd to cheer the football team to victory.

"I like to think that the Pride has some impact on the outcome of the game."

Julianna Parker 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com