For first time in 50 years, it's out with the road whites for Texas football vs LSU. Why?

Texas Longhorns running back Michael Terry III (11) indicates a first down in the fourth quarter of the Longhorns' win over Mississippi Rebels 34-27 at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Austin, Oct. 24, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman) While preparing for this weekend's trip to play LSU, members of the Texas football team had plenty of questions to answer during Monday's meeting with the media.What kind of challenges can LSU present on defense?Is it hard for an out-of-state school to recruit the Louisiana prospects that LSU also wants?What's up with senior quarterback Arch Manning's facial hair?On Monday, the Longhorns were also asked questions about colors. More specifically, orange and pink were topics of conversation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by hookem.com (@hookemdotcom)First, let's discuss why No. 6 Texas (7-2, 4-2 SEC) was talking about the color orange ahead of Saturday's showdown with No. 21 LSU (6-3, 3-3). When they take the field at Tiger Stadium, the Longhorns will do so while wearing their burnt orange jerseys.Like most teams, Texas normally wears white when it plays in true road games and the program's all-white uniform - also known as the "icy white" look - has become a matter of pride. According to UT senior associate athletics director John Bianco, the Longhorns were last seen in orange for a road game when they opened the 1971 season with a 28-10 win at UCLA. Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian sings "The Eyes of Texas" with the team after Texas won their game against the Tennessee Volunteers 20-17 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sept. 26, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman) "I love wearing the burnt orange," Texas defensive lineman Maraad Watson said. "I like the burnt orange more than the white, in my opinion. So I don't think it's going to be weird."UP NEXTNO. 6 TEXAS VS. NO. 21 LSUWhen/where: 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Baton Rouge, La.TV/radio: ABC; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM, 105. 3 FM (Spanish).MORE:Subscribe to the Statesman's Texas sports newsletterLSU home tradition means Longhorns will be wearing orange on the roadBut why exactly is Texas switching up its wardrobe? Because LSU lore dictates the Tigers wear white at home. According to LSU, this tradition dates back to 1958. LSU head coach Paul Dietzel decided to have his team wear white jerseys at home that season, and the Tigers went 11-0 and won the national championship. Those white uniforms became a superstition for Dietzel, and LSU continued to mostly wear white at home for years after his tenure ended.NCAA rules required LSU to use dark-colored jerseys at home from 1983 through 1994. Gerry DiNardo successfully petitioned the American Football Coaches Association and NCAA rules committees to again let LSU wear white at Tiger Stadium in 1995, and the SEC eventually adopted a rule that allows its home teams decide what uniform they want to wear (the NCAA initially gave road teams the right to deny LSU's request to wear white at home).Since 2000, LSU has leaned into a tradition of wearing white uniforms for home games in SEC play and purple threads for the majority of the nonconference contests that take place in Baton Rouge.So that's why Texas will wear orange. Since UT last visited Tiger Stadium in 1953, the Longhorns may be unfamiliar with that Tigers tradition. But Texas coach Steve Sarkisian isn't. When Sarkisian was the head coach at Washington, his Huskies wore purple during a 2012 visit to Louisiana."All I've known is LSU in white jerseys. It always looks weird to me when they wear a purple jersey," Sarkisian said. "I've played there before as a road team, and so I guess I'm just used to it more so than that. We're in orange, but we'll be OK." Alabama running back Trae'shawn Brown (17) is tackled by LSU safety Tamarcus Cooley (0) in the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press) Texas will be greeted by a pink locker room at Tiger StadiumOrange uniforms weren't the only topic during Monday's weekly news conference. Throughout the day, it was pointed out to several players that LSU recently renovated its visitor's locker room with pink paint.Nola.com reported that LSU coach Lane Kiffin did the same sort of decorating gimmick while he was at Ole Miss. The idea of having a visiting team use a pink locker room is tied to former Iowa coach Hayden Fry, who coached the Hawkeyes from 1979-98 but was also a psychology major in college. According to The Athletic, Fry wrote in his autobiography that, "We hoped it would put our opponents in a passive mood. Also, pink is often found in girls' bedrooms, and because that some consider it a sissy color."MORE:Texas vs LSU preview, predictionsWill the Longhorns having to use a pink locker room at Tiger Stadium give LSU a psychological advantage? "I know the science behind it and how it's supposed to like decrease stuff, but I don't know how effective it is. To be honest, I think it's more just doing it for fun," said Texas tight end Michael Masunas, a Michigan State transfer whose career-high receiving total was set during a 2025 game at Iowa.The color didn't seem to work for the Tigers last week during a 31-13 loss at home to Alabama. The Longhorns also weren't convinced this week that LSU had gained an edge while playing mind games.It's kind of whatever it takes at this point of the season. Everyone wants a win, so whatever it takes. I wouldn't be surprised if other stuff comes up too," Manning said. Sign up for the Daily Briefing from the Austin American-Statesman. Start your day with the must-read headlines from Austin's most trusted news source.This article originally published at For first time in 50 years, it's out with the road whites for Texas football vs LSU. Why?.