The Lonestar Showdown - Texas A&M vs. Texas

If my rambling post below was any indication, both of us were quite enamored with our Texas A&M experience. In fact we were so blown away that we quickly decided a return visit to College Station was in order. Coincidentally, A&M had an upcoming home game on Thanksgiving night against an undefeated Burnt Orange clad foe from the South, and College Station was already priming for a huge matchup against this fiercesome in state rival.

In lieu of bloatingly lounging around watching football on television, we decided to see this historic rivalry in person. As such, on Thanksgiving Day, back down to College Station we went to get another fill of the A&M experience as they hosted the #3 Texas Longhorns. This was easily the biggest game of the season in College Station, and 84,671 fans packed Kyle Field for an epic turkey day tilt.

Once again, with the help of our friend Christina, we managed to score ourselves some student tickets. This time our seats were in the second deck on the 40 yard line offering a phenomenal view of all the action on the field, considered by some of our Aggie friends to be the best seats in the house. A quick glance to the rear revealed the “Home of the 12^th Man” block letters ominously perched above our shoulders. Given the magnitude of the opponent, the 12^th Man on this night was borderline riotous. We could feel the entire second tier of the Kyle Field structure discernibly swaying as hordes of Aggie students belted out “Varsity”.

The game itself was a battle worthy of this heated rivalry. Both the Longhorns and the Aggies forsook any semblance of defense, and took to marching up and down the field on one another in one of the most dramatic shootouts we have seen all year, tallying over 1100 yards of total offense. We witnessed two true Texas gunslingers in action as both Colt McCoy and Jerrod Johnson each threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns apiece. It was gutwrenching to be a part of the A&M faithful however, as every time they made a big play to knot the score, Texas would answer with a drive of their own. The Aggies just couldn’t seem to focus for two consecutive series and get a critical stop out of their defense. The final Aggie touchdown to bring them within three with 7:10 left on the clock was promptly met with a 95 yard Longhorn touchdown return on the ensuing kickoff. With 6:57 left to play this all but sealed the contest for Texas, left their unblemished record intact, and ensured them a spot in the Big 12 Championship game.

Final Score: 49-39

Another fantastic trip to Texas A&M, an incredible atmosphere to be a part of, and a phenomenal game to watch. Thanksgiving leftovers are better the day after anyway….

Special thanks again to our friend Christina for her help with tickets, we are truly grateful for your efforts in making our A&M visits so remarkable. And of course another shout to our friend Allison for meeting up with us for another College Station gameday, and subtly persuading her little brother to make “the right decision”….

And now formed at the North end of Kyle Field, the Nationally famous Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band…

One of the unique elements of College Football pageantry that often goes overlooked are the bands. Bands are an integral part of game day atmosphere, and their constant energizing thrum is a traditional component of college football grandeur. They are certainly a welcome departure to the overplayed jock rock and hip hop that you will find annoyingly piped in at most professional games. While at most sporting events halftime is an opportunity to hit the concession stands for another round of ten dollar nachos, at a college football game the halftime shows featuring the precise marches of university bands are usually worth staying in your seat for.

Although we both enjoy a good band halftime show, after a host of college games this year all the bands start to feel irritatingly similar. There’s only so many times I can hear a trumpeted version of “Livin’ on Prayer” or “Thriller” before I lose my fist pumping enthusiasm. Given my lack of musical knowledge, I would be hard pressed to tell any of the bands apart, and I don’t profess the acumen to discern the most talented and organized bands from one another.

What I can tell you is that the Fightin’ Texas Aggie band flat out crushes any other college band either of us have ever seen…period.

And it’s not even close…

The Fightin’ Texas Aggie band is peerless among all the bands that we have seen this year, and a unique departure from other standard university marching bands. The Aggie band is the largest military marching band in the US, performing exclusively military drill. They eschew rehashing exhausted pop culture favorites, opting instead for traditional marches and military cadences. What truly sets the Aggie band apart, however, is their extraordinarily precise marching. These rigorous marches are a sight to behold, and their dizzying complexity is enough to hold 80,000+ gape jawed fans in near silence. It’s purported that some of these marches performed are so difficult they are considered impossible to execute according to computer marching simulations.

Put simply, if you ever have the fortune to witness a game at Kyle Field, when halftime rolls around skip the nachos and keep your haunches in your seat.

You can read more about the Aggie Band here:

http://www.aggieband.org/visitors-about.php

Or a more in depth Wikipedia article (detailing interesting facts like the band living together as a military unit, practicing 15 hours per week, and wearing custom made $1,000 boots)

http://www.aggieband.org/visitors-about.php

And of course a few videos.

The first is from the Thanksgiving Day game this year. If pressed for time, you may skip ahead to 1:08 for the famous announcement, or 2:05 for when the band begins playing.

The second video is a bit shakier, but includes some decent close ups demonstrating the complexity of the marches. Announcement at :40, music at 1:45.

Lucky Penny - Penny's Diner

If its one long standing gripe I’ve had with Texas thus far it’s the seemingly statewide aversion to the classic 24 hour roadside diner. While I can get gut bomb tacos and a shiv to the neck at a shady gas station 24 hours a day, finding an acceptable greasy spoon in this state has proven a rather elusive challenge thus far.

Imagine my delight then, when 30 minutes outside of College Station in a postage stamp of a town called Hearne, I spotted a shimmering oasis of stainless steel and neon edged off the side of Texas State Highway 6. The vaporous glow of Penny’s Diner backlit plastic pierced the black Texas night, and our post game meal was quickly decided. (This was the meal following our Thanksgiving Day game at A&M vs. Texas)

On the inside the Penny’s is every bit as consistent as any diner loving patron would hope for, checkered flooring and stainless steel abound. The no frills menu was a lineup of breakfast, burgers and assorted classic diner fare dished out at affordable prices. I promptly ordered up a three meat egg scramble. The food was simple, quick, tasty and ample. The way honest diner food should be. I don’t think you could order wrong at this place, and Penny’s certainly satisfies.

What I was quite delighted to discover at Penny’s, however, was a true chocolate milkshake. Chocolate shakes are one of the great heavenly libations bestowed upon us, and I consider myself a purveyor of these creamy delights. Unfortunately, the understated art of the chocolate milkshake is, sadly, a dying one, and it’s a rare treat that I find an establishment that knows their way around a steel mixing cup. There are two critical subtleties to a real chocolate shake, both of which were found at Penny’s and make it worthy of my high praise.

1. The shake was made with real ice cream. It’s a shame I even have to mention this, but in our fast paced modern world it seems most shake vendors opt for the shortcut route of making their blasphemous shakes with soft serve ice cream product.

2. The chocolate shake was made with chocolate ice cream. The inferior, bastardized version that many of you may be familiar with involves vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. How this offensive practice ever became commonplace is a mystery to me, but I for one consider it a pox on the shake world. I ordered a chocolate shake for a reason, and only chocolate ice cream and syrup will properly satiate my chocoholism.

So if you ever find yourself cruising down Highway 6 in Hearne, Texas with a hankering for some classic roadside diner fare, pull on in to Penny’s Diner and settle into a booth for a quick bite. Just don’t forget the chocolate shake…

Texas A&M vs. Baylor.....Whoop!

Plagued by yet another bout of rainy weather, on Saturday we braved the steady drizzle to witness our first game at Kyle Field pitting the Aggies of Texas A&M against the formidable Bears of Baylor University. In spite of the dreary weather, we were invigorated by the awe inspiring pep rally the night before, and the 40 yard line student section seats expertly procured by our friend Christina. As you have heard me preach before, student sections are the lifeblood of any college stadium atmosphere, and our fortune put us in the heart of the action between the Aggie Band and the Aggie Corpsman.

The in stadium atmosphere at Kyle Field is simply awesome. Despite the inclement weather and a lackluster opponent, 82,106 bodies packed the house to cheer on their Aggies. Additionally, the student section at A&M is widely considered among the great student sections in College Football. Unlike many other student sections which are tucked into a awkward corner of the stadium, at A&M the students enjoy some of the best seats in the house straddling the 50 Yard line. The students respond by standing the entire game, never leaving early, and continuously cheering through a series of complex “yells” directed by the Yell Leaders. The energy never takes a break, and you are cheering on every play. Of course all of this support contributes to what is famously known as the A&M 12^th man…

The “12^th Man” is an Aggie legend referring the always standing and vociferous students playing an active role in the game. It’s not only a moniker, but the term is emblazoned in block letters on the façade of the second tier. Furthermore tradition dictates that one lucky student, from among hundreds that tryout, is permitted a spot on the kickoff team during live Aggie games. The student wears the cherished #12 jersey, and is honored as a live representative of the 12^th man during game action. You can read or watch about the entire history of this unique tradition below.

http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/team/12thman.html

The game itself was predictably lopsided, as without their injured star quarterback Robert Griffin, the Baylor offense has sputtered all season. While their enigmatic defense managed to put the brakes on Baylor, the Aggie offense has been dominating the Big 12 all season, and recently laid a 65 point lashing on the Oklahoma Sooners a week before. The passing attack was led by quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who has quietly put up season statistics comparable to his ballyhooed neighbor to the South and heralded Heisman hopeful; Colt McCoy. On the ground, the Aggie rushing attack is equally formidable between the backfield tandem of Christine Michael and Cyrus Gray. In fact, phenom freshman running back Michael peeled of an impressive 97 yard touchdown run early in the second quarter that turned out to be the longest running play in Aggie history. This would prove to be the first of his two touchdowns and 116 yards on the day. Between the freshman Michael and stud sophomore Cyrus Gray (who ran for 106 yards himself), the future of the imposing Aggie ground attack is in talented hands. The Bears went down with nary a fight.

Final Score: Texas A&M 38 – Baylor 3.

But much to our delight, the festivities at Kyle Field hardly end after the final whistle. One final touch capping off this phenomenal experience, is that Kyle Field is open to the public following home games. Fans are free to mingle on the field, boot a few through the uprights, toss the pigskin around with the kids, and dive headfirst over the pylon. This is a rare, yet subtle touch that encapsulates the mutual respect that Texas A&M has for its fans and alumni. Every University should take note.

In the end, I would be hard pressed to think of a more complete and quintessential college football game day environment than Texas A&M. Between the passionate, generational fan base, the raucous student section standing the entire game, a student led pep rally that is second to none, Yell Leaders in place of pom-poms, a band that utterly dominates all other University bands (more on this to come), a field open to the public after games, great “college town” vibe, the 12^th Man, and a storied program steeped in tradition, Texas A&M earns it’s reputation among the top of all College Football atmospheres. It is quite simply the most complete game day experience that you will find, and truly a treasure among College Football.

Gig Em’ Aggies! Whoop!

Big thanks to our friend Christina for the special experience of student tickets. More thanks to our Aggie friends Allison and Melissa, for putting together a spectacular itinerary for us and introducing us to the Aggie tradition. Thanks to Fed for the jersey, and Pablo for correcting a few of my oversights…

Snow’s BBQ – Going back for seconds…

The only thing better than checking the #1 Barbecue place in Texas off your list, is returning a few months later for another lip smacking round of Texas finest smoked meat. With Snow’s BBQ a paltry fifty miles away from College Station, you can bet I set the alarm early on Saturday morning for a hearty breakfast of the smoked variety.

For those of you fresh to the blog, Snow’s BBQ is considered the best barbecue establishment in Texas. The pitmaster is a charming 70 year old woman named Tootsie, the joint’s only open on Saturdays, and you need to get there before 10am or they sell out of food.

You can refer to my previous post for a little more backstory, and the original review.

http://pigskinpursuit.blogspot.com/2009/09/snows-bbq.html

This time, I tried to do a better job of capturing the food in photos. All the food groups are well represented, chicken, sausage, pork ribs and beef brisket. Pay special note to the deep crust and uniform color on the brisket at the bottom. There is a reason this stuff is considered the best, and my review this time around is eerily similar to the last.

Amazing.

http://www.snowsbbq.com/

College Station Burger Duel: Koppe Bridge vs. Chicken Oil Company

After polling our extensive network of Aggie alums for food recommendations, two places kept emerging to the top of the heap: Koppe Bridge Bar & Grill and Chicken Oil Company. During my exhaustive pre screening process on both places, the consensus opinion was that Chicken Oil was a College Station institution while the upstart Koppe Bridge had the better pure burger.

I decided to settle this the way I always do when faced with such a difficult dilemma: eat at both of them.

Saturday night following the Baylor game, we braved the inevitable line at Koppe Bridge for a well earned post game feast. The 30 minute wait passed quickly as I chatted up an old timer in line behind me. An Aggie alum of ’56, he proudly boasted a flock of children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and neighbors that all followed his trail to A&M. To say that Aggies are generational would be an understatement.

The burger itself was well worth the wait. Thick, well seasoned and rather hefty, the burgers at Koppe Bridge will certainly satisfy your appetite. Their fries are legitimate as well. Homemade, thinly cut and crispy, they are a perfect pairing with the Koppe burger. The only drawback I can report is that despite the liberal piling of cheese and bacon on my burger, it was a bit on the dry side. It took a few pulls off my Shiner bottle to wash the whole thing down, but certainly understandable given the post game volume influx. Make no mistake however, Koppe Bridge puts out a solid burger.

http://www.koppebridge.com/

The second stop of our burger duel came on Sunday afternoon for a light bite before our three hour jaunt back to Dallas. As I stated in my invite below, Chicken Oil Company is a College Station institution, slinging burgers since 1977. In addition to serving hungry Aggies, Chicken Oil Company used to be a full service gas station (hence the name), but unfortunately they shut down the fuel pumps some years ago. The eclectic décor remains, however, and Chicken Oil is a veritable showcase of old gas stations signs, saddles and assorted other folksy trinkets. They also sport a rather impressive collection of taxidermy adorning the walls, which, as any reasonable individual can surmise, is the hallmark any fine dining establishment.

The burgers here are worthy of the atmosphere. On Allison’s recommendation, I promptly ordered up my Snuffy Burger (1/2 pounder) and opted for the obligatory bacon and cheese….for comparison sake of course. The burgers are thick, juicy and served between a hearty bun that doesn’t lose its integrity under the heft of the filling. The only drawbacks to report here were the fries, which just rolled off the Oreida truck, and the milkshake which was made with soft serve ice cream product (blasphemy). But the burgers are what count, and Chicken Oil serves up a great one.

http://www.dixiechicken.com/chickenoil/

The Verdict: For me the verdict was far simpler than I thought it would be. Chicken Oil is the runaway winner in unique atmosphere, and oh by the way….their burgers are better too. While the fare at Koppe Bridge is still excellent and certainly worth a visit, if you had stomach space for only one burger joint in College Station – Chicken Oil is your horse.

Texas A&M - Midnight Yell Practice

There are precious few schools that share the same reputation for unrivaled school spirit and football tradition as Texas A&M. We approached this weekend with lofty expectations for the heralded Aggie experience, and I’m here to tell you that it over delivered on those big promises.

Nowhere is this more evident than at Midnight Yell Practice at Texas A&M. For those of you unfamiliar, Midnight Yell Practice at A&M is the bigger, badder older brother of the “Pep Rally” found at most schools. Held on midnight of Friday prior to home games, the Midnight Yell is an Aggie tradition that dates back to 1931, and gets the Aggie faithful pumped up for the coming matchup.

On this particular night, the Friday before the Baylor game, we yawningly made our way through a steady drizzle to the imposing confines of Kyle Field. As my watch rhythmically ticked close to midnight, I had doubts about attendance at this peculiar event given the soggy weather and late hour. I shortly became the most surprised greenhorn in the building when my ears were clapped by the cacophony of well over 15,000 fans locked arm in arm belting out “Varsity” above the band.

Lasting barely a half hour, yell practice is short and intense – the way that it ought to be. Guest speakers were limited to two, one of whom happened to be Rick Perry, the current governor of Texas (a 1972 alum and former Yell Leader himself). The “Yell Leaders” and Aggie Band own the rest of the airtime, reserved for cheering, singing and coaching the crowd through a slew of complex Aggie hand motions. This keeps yell practice a refreshingly quick and energizing event run by the students….for the students.

I dug up this video online which does a decent job capturing the spirit of this event.

To draw this many fans, on such a lousy night before the 6^th home game of the year is quite remarkable, and a testament to the unique spectacle of the Midnight Yell in College Station. Given the opportunity for a home game experience at Texas A&M, Midnight Yell is an absolute must do.

In a word: Awesome.

A quick clarification on “Yell Leaders”: There are a handful of unique departures from the college football norm that you will find in College Station and the “Yell Leaders” are one such example. Texas A&M eschews traditional “cheerleaders”, opting instead for a small group of five male students to serve as the “Yell Leaders” for the student body. These five men, composed of three seniors and two juniors, are elected by fellow students (and is considered a highly significant honor to be chosen), and serve as the spirit organization for the university. Clad in bleached dress whites, they lead all the “yells” during sporting events, and are tasked with maintaining crowd intensity and direction throughout the game.

Yell leaders during Yell Practice

Yell leaders during the game

One last video that gives a bit of background about the Yell Leaders and their role during games.

Posts are coming....

Some new posts are coming, so bear with me. We hit three games in the past week (A&M vs. Baylor, A&M vs. Texas, and Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State) so I am busy playing a little catch up and trying to write them up.

Suffice to say A&M was a phenomenal experience (so much so that we decided to spend Thanksgiving there), and I want to make sure that I try and capture what a unique place it is accurately.

In the meantime, enjoy the Notre Dame coaching search....

Gig’ em Aggies!

Howdy!

This weekend brings us to College Station, TX, where the 5-5 Aggies of Texas A&M (which stands for Agriculture and Mechanical for you city slickers in the Northeast) will be squaring off against the 4-6 Baylor Bears, whom some would argue are the perennial cellar dwellers of the Big 12. The Aggies have been streaky this year, but they are firmly established as one of the most storied and tradition laden programs in College Football, and widely considered as a preeminent game day experience.

I have heard about the football atmosphere at A&M for a few years now since moving to Texas, and it’s always been a curiosity of mine. There isn’t a single ring bearing Aggie alum that will pass up an opportunity to tell you just how steeped in tradition and remarkable the game day experience in College Station can be. Now if only they could tell me exactly what the hell “Gig’ Em” actually means I would be satisfied…

Now I was excited for this trip to begin with, but our friends Allison and Melissa have “gigged” (am I using that correctly?) together one of the most exhaustive itineraries that I have ever seen. Top to bottom they have loaded us with all the must see experiences to make our trip to College Station a memorable one. And the more I keep reading about Texas A&M the more excited and “gig”(gily) I get for this trip!

We already have our student tickets lined up in the senior section, and are going to be screaming our maroon clad selves hoarse as part of the spectacle of the famous “12^th Man”, lest we face the ridicule of being labeled “2 percenters”. With over 80,000 bodies cramming the tiers at Kyle field, this will be the raucous atmosphere that A&M is noted for.

You can read about the 12^th man, and the rest of the storied A&M traditions here:

http://traditions.tamu.edu/index.php?q=traditions

But the game festivities will actually be starting earlier than Saturday. Friday night will be the most interesting pre game experience that we have had thus far, as we foray into a unique A&M tradition called Midnight Yell Practice. While on the surface this may sound like a domestic disturbance gone wrong, it’s actually an Aggie tradition prior to every game. Upwards of 25,000 students, alumni and visitors congregate at Kyle field at the stroke of midnight to rehearse cheers for the next day. Like a pep rally on steroids, Midnight Yell gets the “12^th Man” pumped up for the next opponent. Just make sure you bring a date to kiss for when the lights go out, and be mindful not to wear a hat….(so I’m told)

http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/team/midnight.html

As usual, food will be a part of this adventure, and we have our customary lineup of lovely vegan café’s to sample from. Wait…what?

Snow’s BBQ - Brisket for breakfast anyone? Strange you might think, unless that brisket was from legendary Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, and considered to be the best that Texas has to offer. For those of you following closely at home, this will be our second stop at Snow’s on the College Football Tour. Given the fact that Lexington is only 52.1 miles away from College Station, you’d need the jaws of life to pry me out of my car before I get there. So haul yourself out of bed bright and early on Saturday morning to join us, because Snow’s is only open one day a week, and the meat sells out by 10AM.

http://www.snowsbbq.com/

Chicken Oil Company - Of course one of our eating pit stops after the game will be at the institutional Chicken Oil Company, which I am told is as delicious as it sounds. As many of you may know, I am a huge fan of dining establishments that sell both fine cuisine and diesel fuel at the same time. And while Chicken Oil unfortunately stopped selling gas a few years ago, the spirits of petroleum transfer lives on in this highly unique environment, and you can bet I will be sampling one of their famous burgers.

http://www.dixiechicken.com/chickenoil/

http://www.dixiechicken.com/chickenoil/menu.php

Dixie Chicken - Staying consistent with the Dixie Chicken enterprise, we will also be relaxing with a few beers on Saturday night at the Dixie Chicken Bar in College Station. The Dixie Chicken, which may eclipse Eskimo Joe’s as the most renowned pub we have visited, claims to serve more beer per square foot than any other bar in the U.S. Suffice to say it’s an A&M landmark, and I’ll be carving my name in the table after a few pints.

http://www.dixiechicken.com/dixiechicken/

Well that’s the lineup for this week, and whatever other fun we can manage to uncover in College Station. Let me know if you are interested, and of course snarky comments always appreciated.

BTHO Baylor (I’ll let you non Aggies decipher what that actually means).

Whoop!

-Jamin

Go Frogs!!!

A few short months ago, I could have purchased TCU tickets for fifteen bucks apiece and probably sat on the team bench if I so desired. Since that time, however, TCU had strung together nine straight wins, and stood with an unblemished #4 ranking in the country. Add in the biggest matchup of the year against a 14^th ranked conference rival, and the ESPN College Gameday hoopla, and the result was absolute bedlam in Fort Worth on Saturday night.

Early in the season I had predicted TCU vs Utah may be one of the biggest games of the year for us on the tour, and Saturday I was proven correct. In fact, the Horned Frogs hosting the Utes shaped up to be the biggest game on the TCU campus since the leather helmet era. With a record crowd of 50,307 eager Frog fans looking on, Amon Carter Stadium was stuffed beyond capacity, shattering their old attendance record by nearly 3,000 fans. Initially, we could only find standing room on the concourse behind the endzone seats. The place was electric.

Coming into the game, TCU knew they had to prove themselves BCS worthy. They needed a signature win against a quality opponent, and had to justify their ranking among the nations elite. Even the slightest falter would give the shifty eggheads of the BCS reason enough to snub them. TCU needed “style points”.

TCU delivered.

After a back and forth first half, TCU blew the score wide open in the second half by punching in three touchdowns within a 2-1/2 minute span. The third of which was enabled off by a brilliant interception and return for a touchdown. Offensively, TCU never looked back from this point, as they went on to drop 55 points on the Utes, who simply had no answer for the balanced attack of the Horned Frogs.

Like any Mountain West team that typically lights up the scoreboard, we knew that TCU had an explosive offense capable of putting points on the board. Equally impressive, however, is how balanced this team is on both sides of the ball. The TCU defense was smothering the entire night, forcing a couple interceptions, blocking a kick, and generally flummoxing the Utah offense. The defense is anchored by man-child defensive end Jerry Hughes, who during one defensive “3 and out” series had all three tackles (including a sack) to force the Utes to punt. It seemed like every other play the crowd was chanting “Hugghhhhessssss”!

The victory was capped off by our first field rush of the year. After the final whistle blew, the frenzied crowd emptied onto the field in celebration of one of the biggest wins in school history. Were we not in the upper deck at the time, we likely would have joined the party at midfield.

In short this TCU team might be one of the most balanced non BCS conference teams that we have ever seen before, and they are going to be a scary matchup for any of the traditional powerhouses in a BCS Bowl. That “other” team in Texas better start looking in their rearview mirror….

A shout out to our friend Chip who came all the way in from Massachusetts for the weekend. And to JJ for agonizingly monitoring the Irish score during the game.

Finally, a huge thank you to our friends Heath and Melissa for hosting a phenomenal tailgate at their house prior to the game. Glad we finally got you guys to a game!