Fall brings to the forefront family, food and football. Thanksgiving brings the three all together. Synonymous with the holiday are college football rivalries — the Egg Bowl, the Iron Bowl and, of course, the revived Lone Star Showdown.
The Alabama Crimson Tide has a 14-game advantage over nemesis Auburn Tigers, and the Ole Miss Rebels lead the series by 22 games over rival Mississippi State Bulldogs.
But the largest gap between these Thanksgiving weekend rivalries is the Longhorns’ 40-game difference over little brother. Texas A&M Aggies didn’t bother scoring a single point in their first four trips west to Austin, being outscored 129-0.
For a school that prides itself on the home-field advantage that Kyle Field imposes, the Aggies are a dreadful 21–27–2 against the Texas Longhorns in College Station.
The Lone Star Showdown does not get any friendlier as the teams meet up in the state’s capital, as Texas A&M boasts a woeful 14-45-1 record at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and Clark Field.
Kyle Field may be in the top five college football stadium capacities, hosting 102,733 fans each week. But DKR is not far behind in the top 10, with room for 100,119 fans each week — including a record showing of 105,215 fans in the game against the Georgia Bulldogs in 2024.
Expect a similar level of energy and hostile environment to play in for the first return to Austin for the Aggies in 15 years. The first-ever matchup between the two teams came in 1894, but the showdown didn’t happen consecutively until 1915.
An estimated 20,000 fans, the largest crowd in state history at that time, piled into the wooden
stands of Clark Field to witness the Longhorns beat Texas A&M 7-3 in 1920. Both teams were undefeated until that game, which helped grow the pageantry of this game and rivalry.
No matter how the teams stride confidently into the game or stumble their way in, it will always be an even match, especially at DKR.
Perhaps it is in 1940, after the Aggies claimed their only national championship, and the Longhorns stunned them with an upset.
Maybe it is 2008 with the legend, Colt McCoy, who was winless against Texas A&M, hearing “Cart McCoy” chants ring ever since the hit Michael Bennett laid on McCoy in 2006 and leading one of the largest victories in the series, 49-9 in 2008.
Maybe it is the week after losing to a spiraling Florida Gator team, but guess what? Anything can happen in rivalry games, as the Oklahoma Sooners found out Oct. 11.
However, the Longhorns find themselves walking into DKR on Nov. 28 for the Lone Star Showdown, the hatred of a bitter rival, the life the fans breathe into them and the spirit of reminding little brother where they belong will run strong.
