The Missouri football team crowded in the south end zone tunnel and twitched with excitement as players prepared to take the field for the first time in 2017. Linebacker Jacob Trump hoisted the Missouri state flag above his shoulder and sprinted forward.
He wasn't the only flag-bearer.
The first flag out of the tunnel featured a red-and-white stripe with a lone white star on a blue background. Texas.
J'Mon Moore grasped the flagpole with his left hand. Just a week earlier, Moore's hometown was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey. Parts of Missouri City, Texas, were still underwater.