With the eyes of the college football world gazing upon Kyle Field, Texas A&M is preparing for one of its most anticipated battles in a decade. For the first time since 2011, the Longhorns and Aggies will meet on the gridiron. This is not just a battle for pride — a spot in the SEC Championship is on the line.
“What makes college athletics is rivalries, and it was really sad that Texas-Texas A&M rivalry didn’t happen for this long,” A&M director of athletics Trev Alberts said in August. “I think that this game has a chance to be the best rivalry football game in all of college football. I really believe that.”
A win for either side means getting their ticket punched for a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship. This showdown marks the 119th clash between the two sides, with the Longhorns holding a 76–37–5 advantage. Both programs seek bids in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.
“It’s important that we don’t lose sight of where we’ve come from, what we’ve accomplished [and] the fact that this is the first time in our SEC history that we’re in this position,” coach Mike Elko said. “… So from that perspective, there has to be some understanding of the direction we’re going and that it’s a good direction for Year 1 and where we’re at.”
Powered by a pair of coaches that have reawoken dormant programs, the Lone Star Showdown features two teams on positive trajectories. Elko’s return to Aggieland has been fruitful thus far, with two wins against then-top-10 ranked opponents. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has had the Longhorns on a rocket ship since he took the reins in 2021, amassing a 34-15 record that culminated in a College Football Playoff appearance in 2023.
Sarkisian brings an offensive ingenuity that has the Longhorns boasting one of the most productive in the country. As one of San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s disciples, Sarkisian uses pre-snap motion and misdirection to stress the defense horizontally. With an average depth of target for redshirt junior quarterback Quinn Ewers of under seven yards, Sarkisian doesn’t ask his quarterback to push the ball down the field but instead opts for a death-by-a-thousand-paper-cuts style of offense.
Senior tight end Gunnar Helm and junior Alabama transfer wide receiver Isaiah Bond have provided the reliable options for Ewers this season, combining for over 900 receiving yards and finding the end zone nearly 10 times.
Similar to the Aggies’ losses of junior running back Le’Veon Moss and sophomore RB Rueben Owens, Texas’ running game has been handicapped by a season-ending injury for sophomore RB CJ Baxter. The Longhorns have a middle-of-the-road rushing attack and consequently have an inefficient first-down offense.
A&M’s blueprint for defensive success should be modeled after how Georgia stymied the Texas offense in a 30-15 win for the Bulldogs in Week 8. Georgia used creative pressure schemes to harass Ewers into three turnovers that led to a brief benching. The Bulldogs also managed to disrupt the quick-hitting passing game of the Longhorns by the defensive line deflecting multiple passes.
Junior Purdue transfer defensive end Nic Scourton and junior DE Shemar Stewart will draw the eyes of the 12th Man as they attempt to fluster Ewers, a quarterback who has a tendency to get skittish once the pocket collapses. Junior Florida transfer linebacker Scooby Williams will also be critical to limiting the run-after-catch opportunities for the Longhorns in the quick passing game with his long speed.
Despite Sarkisian seemingly spending most of his time in the lab cooking up hot new offensive schemes like a mad scientist, it’s been the defense for Texas that has elevated itself to one of college football’s highest-rated units.
Senior DL Alfred Collins, sophomore LB Anthony Hill Jr. and senior cornerback Jahdae Barron give the Longhorns a difference-maker at all three levels of their match quarters defense. Texas has the country’s best first-down defense and second-best defense against the pass, meaning they are experts at getting their opponents out of rhythm.
Redshirt freshman QB Marcel Reed nabbed the starting job from redshirt sophomore QB Conner Weigman after his second-half comeback against LSU and is now the man the 12th Man will look for to lead them past Texas. The offense has been most effective with Reed under center when he can use his legs to be efficient on money downs so that the quarterback is protected from third-and-long situations.
“If you look at us on offense, we are middle of the road [in] yards but upper echelon [in] points,” Elko said. “That’s because of the red zone success that we’re having. The running factor of Marcel plays a role. I think that added element, certainly in the games that he’s played, helps.”
If Texas’ first down defense can slow A&M offensive coordinator Collin Klein’s rushing attack and throw the Aggies off schedule, then the Maroon and White may find offense hard to come by if Reed has to do too much heavy lifting on third down.
Junior RB Amari Daniels’ ability to find creases in the stout Longhorn front and keep the momentum of the Aggies’ powerful rushing offense will be imperative to keeping the chains moving. Keeping the score low with ball-control football and allowing the home crowd to function as an equalizer is likely the recipe for success for A&M.
As the game draws closer and the college football cognoscenti turns its head towards Kyle Field, Aggieland is abuzz with nervous excitement. It’s not just another rivalry game for the Aggies, it’s not just another season finale — it’s a chance to assert themselves on a national stage and push the program to new heights.
