I got the past weekend off from my busy journo-schedule; so naturally, I followed the Tigers anyway.
I was just a student for the game, which doesn’t happen often. And I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, as this column and my recently tagged Facebook photos show.
Our columnist Micah Bedard stayed on his grind, though, and he wrote on Monday that Aggie football isn’t ready for premium Southeastern Conference play.
Though my viewing experience was much different than that of my colleague, I’d have to agree.
Just like Florida did in the second half of its season opener against the Aggies, LSU and defensive coordinator John Chavis pinpointed their problems early, adjusted and didn’t look back. Freshman quarterback Johnny “Football” Manziel had nowhere to run but out of bounds, and LSU’s running game again wore its opponent to its Texan bones.
It was the general experience, though, that intrigued me, and that’s because College Station is a fun SEC town. Although their football might not be quite ready, Aggie fans – or overall Aggie culture – is a perfect fit in the world’s best college football conference. The SEC made the perfect decision on what team and fanbase to admit to its most dominant division.
Aside from a single, flat-billed dissenter, every single Aggie was great to my friends and me. During the first quarter, we slowed down by a tailgate to watch a play on the move, and it turned into a 10-minute discussion of this exact subject punctuated by nearly 10 of us pouring beers from the tap installed on the side of their trailer.
Sound familiar?
This SEC-type, hostility-tinged hospitality coming from the Aggies was not new to me. A buddy and I stopped in College Station on the way home from the Oregon opener in Dallas last season to catch Texas A&M’s game against SMU in the stands with another friend, an injured Mustang. With the 12th man behind it, A&M blew SMU away, 46-14. Also not surprising.
Pledging allegiance to my school and my friend, and clad in blue and red, I may have let a few “Tiger Baits” slip afterward. What else was I supposed to do? One girl’s response upon the resolution of her color-induced confusion: “LSU? Worst school in the nation!” Low blow.
They can be quite defensive. There’s just something a little off about an Aggie. It’s almost endearing. But they can definitely take it and shell it back out.
Aside from that, the people were awesome. Visiting opposing fraternity chapters is a crapshoot, and the Aggie Greeks were accommodating. The women impressed. They all impressed.
The bars are certainly SEC-caliber. Northgate is a classier Tigerland; mentally transplant Chimes in place of Reggie’s. And while its concert was terribly unorganized, some savvy promoter put on a decently sized festival featuring well-known hip-hop and EDM artists the night before the game.
To quote Sports Writer Chandler Rome, this weekend was about “journalism, debauchery and such.” That 11 a.m. kickoff was killer.
Despite ESPN’s shafting of the schedule, the tailgates were up early and rolled through the game. The Aggies held up with the professional tailgates Baton Rouge produces.
And there were plenty of those. From the instant they were ushered in, A&M became one of the shortest trips from a city in Baton Rouge that houses plenty of Texans. All that talk of “renewing the rivalry” is for real. Texas A&M, from a culture standpoint, was the best option for both the SEC and LSU in this realignment chaos.
Their traditions may be off-putting to some, but there’s no argument that the Aggies are dedicated. I know my experience may not be typical. So when you have two rabid fanbases, there will undoubtedly be unnecessary confrontation.
A fraternity brother wasn’t as lucky as me. Walking into the stadium quite inebriated, he involuntarily kissed an Aggie fist. Of course, he did politely let the violent offender know just how much Kyle Field actually sucks.
The Aggies may be inclined to cordial confrontation, but that’s what any SEC fan would do.
This columnist’s views do not represent those of The Daily Reveille.
