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AUSTIN — In the waning first-quarter minutes of last season’s matchup at Baylor, Texas’ Duke Thomas snagged an interception deep off of a Lynx Hawthorne pass that the quarterback didn’t take too lightly. On the return, Hawthorne threw Thomas to the ground sparking the beginning of a bench-clearing brawl.

During Texas’ weekly press conference on Monday, most Longhorns chalked up the melee to smash-mouth football. Some said it was just a moment of anger between the two teams.

But was it a sign that the Bears have become one of Texas’ more prominent rivals in recent years as Baylor has increasingly challenged for the Longhorns’ spot as a Texas powerhouse?

Texas isn’t going that far just yet.

“I’m not going to get into that,” said linebacker Tim Cole. “Call it whatever you want.”

In the past, Texas never had to pay much attention to Baylor as a significant Big 12 threat. From 1998 to 2009, the Longhorns won 12 straight games against the Bears. Texas shut out Baylor in four of those contests while the Longhorns tallied more than 40 points in 10 of those games.

But that trend has started to turn. Texas has won just two of the last six games and was held to 24 points or less in five of those. In six of the last seven games, including this weekend’s upcoming matchup, Baylor has been ranked ahead of the Longhorns.

It’s hard to deny the fact that the game hasn’t come to the point of a rivalry, specifically with Texas no longer playing Texas A&M. But it’s still hard for the Longhorns to think of the game on the level as an Oklahoma matchup.

“I’m not trying to take anything away from those guys,” said senior defensive tackle Paul Boyette. “I know they work hard just like we do, but we just have to go out there and play our game.

“But at the end of the day this is still the University of Texas. Last year, we went up there and played Baylor, the game was sold out because we came to town. I think from that standpoint we’re still Texas, and they have to respect that. I respect them so the respect factor is still there.”

There’s even more on the line this weekend as Texas faces No. 8/6 Baylor in Austin. The Longhorns have lost four of their last five games and reports that Charlie Strong may be gone at the end of this season have become more frequent.

“We know what we got to accomplish in this game,” said senior offensive lineman Kent Perkins.

Defensive lineman Paul Boyette Jr. hits Baylor running back Johnny Jefferson during last season's matchup in Waco.

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