The Southeastern Conference is rich in tradition.
Its tailgating: legendary. Its fandom: undying.
Its football: unparalleled.
As one of the two newest members of the conference, the strength of Texas A&M’s traditions is on par with the rest of the SEC.
Saturday marks No. 6 LSU’s first game against one of its new conference foes when it travels to College Station, Texas for a revival of an old time rivalry with No. 18 Texas A&M.
Familiar with the Aggies since his time as a Dallas Cowboys assistant in the late ’90s, LSU coach Les Miles knows what his team is in for Saturday as it marches onto Kyle Field, the “Home of the 12th Man.”
“I think any time when you play in a place where the people really enjoy their team, there’s a real loyalty there, and that opponents that visit will recognize it,” Miles said.
But a team’s on-field prowess is what matters in the best football conference in the NCAA, and that of the Aggies will be tested by the Tigers and their ferocious defense, which Miles said will be one of the fastest A&M has seen in its first season as an SEC competitor.
Boasting a 2-1 SEC record, the Aggies have held up so far. They held a 17-10 lead against now-No. 3 Florida in their first game of the season before the Gators rallied on defense to win 20-17. They blew out Arkansas by 48 points and came back in the fourth quarter against Ole Miss to win by three.
“They know how we play [in the SEC], and they’ve adjusted very finely to it,” said junior defensive end Sam Montgomery.
Statistically, the newcomer has the best offense in the conference. It leads the SEC in the scoring, total yards per game and rushing yards per game and is second in passing offense. Redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel leads the conference in rushing, ranks second in passing efficiency and ranks third in passing average.
Texas A&M averages the most first downs in the SEC and is the only team to convert more than half of its third downs. Only Alabama has punted less than the Aggies.
“The style of football that they play is fitting for the SEC,” said senior offensive lineman Josh Dworaczyk.
While Montgomery and Dworacyzk said there isn’t any talk of “welcoming” the Aggies to the SEC this week, some students are planning to do just that.
That civility shown by the team isn’t exactly shared by the entirety of its fanbase. A Facebook event called “Welcome A&M to the SEC” that’s prompting LSU students to crash the Aggies traditional midnight “yell practice” has accumulated more than 100 attendees.
“A&M thinks everyone in the SEC is one big happy family. We aren’t. We hate each other,” said political communication senior Robert Moreland, creator of the event, in a Facebook message. “It’s like a guy walking into a bar brawl, smiling, and saying ‘Howdy!’ Little hard to respect that guy.”
‘The style of football that they play is fitting for the SEC.’
