Matthew McConaughey Hypes up Texas Longhorns’ Opening Game: ‘Made for the Moment’

The University of Texas Longhorns football team kicked off the season on Saturday evening, bringing excitement to residents of Austin and the Lone Star State. Actor Matthew McConaughey, a massive UT fan, showed his excitement and set the stage. He said that the team was “made for the moment.”

The Fool’s Gold star posted a photo of himself standing in front of quarterback Sam Ehlinger on the sidelines prior to a game. He included the message and prompted excitement among college football fans. Those that root for the Longhorns were already pumped up for the battle with the UTEP Minors, but the social media post just increased the anticipation. These fans immediately began counting down the hours until kickoff.

“my 2 favs in one photo,” one person commented in response to McConaughey. Others simply expressed their excitement by writing “let’s go!” several times. Football fans and casual viewers alike said they were ready for the game to begin, including those that don’t traditionally support the Austin team.

The diehard Texas fan in McConaughey has long been a mainstay at Longhorns’ games. He has routinely roamed the sidelines, and he also appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay prior to a September game between Texas and LSU. During his segment, McConaughey sang the fight song several times and picked his team to win the highly-anticipated battle.

Co-host Lee Corso, on the other hand, was not overly fond of the Longhorns and selected the Tigers to reign victorious. McConaughey responded by waving to the crowd, singing the fight song even louder and ripping the tiger head off of Corso. This move sent those in attendance into a frenzy, and they cheered for the popular actor.

When McConaughey made this appearance, the fans called for him to be on the series every week. They proclaimed that they loved his rapport with the co-hosts and the crowd, and they appreciated his football knowledge. Texas football may be McConaughey’s area of expertise, but many fans said that he could easily discuss other teams as well.

While he may be the most famous UT fan, McConaughey also has a very different role with the team. He is officially the Minister of Culture. This title follows an announcement that the university would replace the 42-year-old Frank Erwin Center with a $338 million basketball and events arena. A group called ArenaCo, which includes McConaughey, partnered with UT to make the massive development happen.