Partying on the tame side as law enforcement beefed up

DALLAS (AP) _ The annual Texas-OU Weekend started off on the tame side, with thousands of college football fans jammed along downtown streets but only a few arrests, police say. <br/><br/>Oklahoma and

Saturday, October 9th 2004, 11:23 am

By: News On 6

DALLAS (AP) _ The annual Texas-OU Weekend started off on the tame side, with thousands of college football fans jammed along downtown streets but only a few arrests, police say.

Oklahoma and Texas fans in Dallas' West End and other party sites traded insults about each other's schools and mascots. Pre-game revelry for the Red River Shootout also drew teenagers, parents and senior citizens into the streets.

Only a small number of arrests had been made by early Saturday, according to police. But they said a vehicle struck a young man who was carrying an OU identification card near Reunion Arena about 11 p.m. Friday. The pedestrian was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Other details were not immediately available.

West End merchants invited University of Texas and University of Oklahoma fans to the downtown tourist area both Friday and Saturday night for live music and other entertainment.

Texas Exes and OU alumni also scheduled separate parties as the No. 5 Longhorns try to break a four-game losing streak against the Sooners. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. CDT Saturday.

UT fan Kristen Smolik spent much of the previous evening rebutting Sooners' insults.

``Listen to them 'Five in a row'? they're so unoriginal,'' Smolik told The Dallas Morning News in Saturday's editions.

About 300 police officers patrolled among the crowd. The quarry? The usual suspects.

``Drunk people, and drunk people who are willing to fight in front of us,'' said Dallas police Sgt. Albert Martinez.

``Everyone travels 300 miles just to yell at each other,'' said Craig Shaw, who was bellowing ``Boomer!'' earlier in the West End. ``This is the greatest college game ever.''

Another 300 police officers were expected to be on hand for the Cotton Bowl kickoff _ double the regular staffing at the nearby State Fair of Texas. Also in place are closed-circuit cameras to monitor the 70,000 or more fans.