ARLINGTON (1080 KRLD)- The University of Texas at Austin and Ohio State are facing each other Friday night at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Arlington. The game at AT&T Stadium stayed on schedule despite winter weather Thursday.
Some fans traveling from Ohio say their flights were canceled Thursday night, but they were able to get in Friday morning.
"Our original flight was leaving at six o'clock," one woman said. "It got changed to seven o'clock with a layover in Chicago, then that was cancelled. Luckily, we were able to fly directly from Fort Wayne [Indiana] to here this morning."
They say they were glad to get to DFW in time for the game. Knowing they had a longer trip than Longhorns fans, Ohio State fans say they needed everyone to arrive in time to ensure they could make enough noise for their team.
"We do travel well, but when you're coming to someone else's home state, it's hard to beat them out, so we'll see how it goes," one fan arriving Friday morning said.
Arlington Mayor Jim Ross says the weather pushed out in time for fans to get to know the city.
"All the restaurants in the area are open, they're enjoying a good boost of folks walking in," he says. "We don't anticipate any negative effects from the weather at all."
Arlington Police say they have made "enhancements" to security in the Entertainment District as a result of the attack before the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, but they say the city constantly reviews plans to ensure people are safe.
Arlington Police say they review security after every major event to determine what worked well and where improvements can be made. They say they work with federal agencies, AT&T Stadium and organizers of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on the security plan each year.
"Every time there is a big weather problem, every time there is a tragedy like what happened in New Orleans, we look at all those types of things and say, 'What can we do to make things better and safer here?'" Ross says.
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