Texas football LB Anthony Hill gets revenge on OU with torn Baker Mayfield jersey

Texas football linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. terrorized Oklahoma's offense in a 34-3 win on Saturday . He collected 11 tackles, sacked Sooners quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. twice and forced a fumble.

It was a statement win, but that wasn't enough for Hill. Afterward, he brought an Oklahoma Baker Mayfield jersey to the middle of the field, laying it right onto the Red River Rivalry logo. Defensive lineman Barryn Sorrell then stabbed the No. 6 jersey with the Texas flag, sending a message to Oklahoma and the rest of the Southeastern Conference.

"Texas fears nobody," Hill said on social media.

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The phrase refers to Oklahoma linebacker Danny Stutsman, who made T-shirts that said "Oklahoma only fears God, Texas fears Oklahoma," after their 34-30 win in 2023. The Sooner further antagonized fans entering the stadium on Saturday with a gigantic Horns Down chain necklace.

Hill may only be a sophomore, but he's already become a symbol of Texas' new defense: confident and brash, with the skills to back it up. "Swagger" is a word that Sarkisian has used to define the unit, and that's especially apt considering Hill and Sorrell's stunt.

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"I just felt like it was, it was the right thing for me to do," Hill said about the jersey. "I seen all the stuff they posted last year, so I feel like it was right for me just to get a little touch of something on them."

The last time Texas faced Oklahoma, they were gashed by quarterback Dillon Gabriel's legs. The former Sooner weaved his way away from the Longhorns ' pressure, collecting 113 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

On Saturday, Oklahoma tried a similar strategy with Hawkins. However, the quarterback collected just 27 yards on 20 attempts because of an overwhelming Texas defense. Whether it was Hill, Simmons, Sorrell or Ethan Burke, the athletic freshman couldn't escape the overwhelming unit.

The confidence the Longhorns have is built on communication, and Hill is the primary communicator on the front end of the defense. Him and Texas safety Michael Taafe point out offensive formations and set their teammates up in the best positions to succeed.

The role that Hill fills now isn't something he could've done a year ago. Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski said in the summer that Hill was "a hell of a football player" but "not a very good linebacker." Against Oklahoma, he proved himself to be both.

"Ant is one of the hearts of this team," defensive lineman Colin Simmons said. "I mean, all the calls go through him. He tells where people (are) lined up. He gets people right."

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Hill has done a lot of growing, along with the rest of the defense. The scariest part for the SEC, though? They aren't done yet.

"Our best ball is yet to come. We only let up three points up today, but we're going to go look at that film and we're going to see some run fits that I missed, that some other people missed and we're going to clean those up. And our best ball is yet to come," Taaffe said.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football LB Anthony Hill gets revenge on OU with torn Baker Mayfield jersey