In the days leading up to the highly anticipated Texas A&M-Texas rivalry game, the university is hosting two days of events to celebrate the history of the rivalry.
The Lone Star Showdown, the official rivalry name of Saturday’s game, will revive the legendary clash after a 13-year break.
“The rivalry is really important to us,” Welsh said during a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 21. “I think the benefit of rivalries in general in college sports is it keeps the energy level up across the university. It gives everybody something to focus on.”
With almost a dozen official events to choose from during the days leading up to the game, students from both schools can experience Aggieland’s culture and traditions firsthand.
“We’re going to march with the Texas ROTC cadets and members of the Corps bringing the football game ball from Austin all the way here to College Station,” Welsh said. “We’re going to do a barbecue contest out here that’s open to any and all contestants. It actually got a whole lot of energy behind it.”
Ruck Across the Brazos will see student veterans and members of UT’s ROTC program join with the Corps of Cadets to ruck a single football from Austin to College Station. The 13-0 Burn, a barbecue cookoff nodding to a rivalry event dating back to 1920, begins on the Aggie Spirit Lawn at 10 a.m. on Saturday with celebrity judges.
“We have not put a wager on the game yet, but we’ll probably talk before game day,” Welsh said of UT President Jay Hartzell, referencing a previous tradition that saw the two university presidents wager on the game’s outcome. “And I’ve got to be a little bit careful about getting too close to Jay Hartzell because he dresses really well, and I just look bad next to him.”
With the 13-year break between games, the Aggies are looking to redeem themselves after the 27-25 loss to Texas in 2011. A&M moved to the SEC following the game, while Texas remained in the Big 12 Conference.
“The last A&M-Texas game I went to was when Earl Campbell was still playing for Texas, and I don’t remember which year it was — I just remember that he was pretty dang good,” Welsh said. “As he proved later, it wasn’t just us. … It was not a great day for Aggie football. But they were facing a phenomenal football player that day, and he carried their team.”
Two films will be shown at Rudder Theater on Friday, Nov 29, including “Standing Room Only: The Legend of the 12th Man,” a 2022 documentary detailing the history of A&M’s tradition of standing during football games. The second film, “The Burning Desire,” covers the 1999 Bonfire collapse and the 12 lives lost that day.
“We have a chance to revisit things that really matter, that are kind of in the fabric of Texas A&M University, and we’ll do that the entire week leading up to the game,” Welsh said. “We’ll do a big Yell Practice on Friday evening with the team and the coaches there, fireworks display after that, a concert over in Reed Arena with Pat Green, Shane Smith and Randy Rogers.”
Yell Practice will occur at 5:30 p.m. the day before the game, with coach Mike Elko and the Aggie football team in attendance. It’s followed by a 12-minute firework show in Kyle Field at 6 p.m. and the Lone Star Showdown Concert in Reed Arena featuring country artist Pat Green, The Randy Rogers Band and Shane Smith and the Saints.
“I mean, it’s going to be a great weekend,” Welsh said. “And I think that’s what rivalries do. They bring communities together to celebrate competition — but hopefully to add a little bit of respect in with that competition.”
