LARAMIE -- When Zack Balkin walked into the bar at 10 a.m., he didn't expect to get his shirt torn off.

But a Wyoming fan seated at the bar in Buckhorn couldn't resist pulling Balkin's burnt orange Texas shirt up and over his head.

"That's right, that's right -- you get that shirt off," a bartender shouted through a megaphone to the cheering crowd.

Balkin smiled and laughed as the woman turned the shirt inside out before returning it to him.

"That usually happens at night, after the game," he said.

A Texas alum, Balkin scored a ticket to Saturday's soldout Wyoming game from a fellow fan who couldn't make the trip. The highly anticipated UW-Texas match up brought 31,017 people to War Memorial Stadium and far more to Laramie and the southeastern part of the state. The visitors, in addition to the hospitality, also secured a 41-10 victory.

Balkin drove to Laramie from Sterling, Colo., on Friday night. He doesn't have friends in Laramie but said Wyoming fans treated him well.

"That extra 3,000 feet sure hurts in the morning," he said. "I can't imagine how the guys from Austin were feeling this morning." The Buckhorn Breakfast Club opened at 7 a.m. Saturday to a few fans shaking in the cold, waiting to start their game day. The bar filled up by 8:30 a.m. and thinned out at about 10:15 a.m. when fans headed to Tailgate Park.

Outdoor picnic tables were filled with families and kids threw footballs. Fans lined up at the gates for the 11:30 a.m. opening. Just beyond War Memorial Stadium, tailgaters grilled brats, chicken kabobs and this week's special -- longhorn beef.

Rob Levin and Joe Milczewski of Cheyenne roasted a 350-pound steer Friday night. They named him "Bucky" and prepared him with a cayenne, paprika and garlic salt rub. A giant barbeque smoker -- borrowed from the UW Alpha Gamma Rho agricultural fraternity -- stood at the edge of the seven-spot tailgate.

Levin and Milczewski started tailgating three years ago to build excitement before and during home games. Bubba Keg grills named their tailgate to its top 30 list this year. They said a strong tailgating scene might attract more attention to the team.

"Bush league programs don't tailgate," Milczewski said. "Big league programs do."

They hand out miniature gold footballs to passersby and welcome everyone in to the tailgate, even those covered in burnt orange and white.

Among those were first-time Wyoming visitors Marla and Jay Hiller of Austin. They booked their hotel a year in advance and warned UW fans to do the same for next year. They'll be nice next year because of the hospitality they received in Laramie.

"They even held open the Port-a-Potty door," Marla Hiller said. "They could have slammed it, but they didn't."

One hour before the game, UW sophomore Davis Fey stood outside the southeast student entrance, with one gallon each of brown and gold paint. The 50-degree weather didn't keep him from adorning his chest with a large "U" and "W" under his sleeveless Cowboy-print bathrobe. After decorating his arms and those of his friends with stripes of UW colors, he offered his services to fans walking by. Texas and UW fans stopped to take his picture.

The banter between opposing fans stayed friendly, for the most part. Longhorn fans filled the south endzone bleachers and southwest corner of the stadium, separated by a short walkway and Jeremiah's Cowboy Kettle Corn stand. One longhorn said she'd smell it in her hair the next day. Texas fans had mascot Hook 'em to lead chants and cheers. The general admission stands had Cowboy Ken, the super fan who sports bucking horse cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, a barrel held up with suspenders -- and nothing else. With three minutes on the clock before halftime, Cowboy Ken chanted "Let's go, Cowboys!" It worked. Ten minutes later, Ghaali Muhammad scored a touchdown off a blocked punt, setting off an explosion of gold and brown in the stands.

Hope remained high, even as the points against the Pokes racked up.

No. 2 Texas brought excitement to Laramie, said Nick Smith of Rock Springs. He said the fan base is growing statewide and the program changes mean a new chapter for Wyoming football.

"It feels like Division I and something's going to happen," he said.

Smith and other fans hoped the altitude would kick in by the end of the third quarter, slowing the Texas players and giving UW an advantage. But the Longhorns cruised on, and fans from both sides stayed to watch.

Exiting the stadium, Texans shivered, complaining about the wind. Gold-clad Wyomingites walked a little slower, soaking up the first real day of fall football and thinking about next week.

Reach education reporter Jackie Borchardt at (307) 266-0593 or at jackie.borchardt@trib.com. Read her education blog at tribtown.trib.com/reportcard.