Longhorns getting crash course in Aggies’ history as rivalry restarts with SEC championship spot on the line
Most of the current Longhorns were anywhere between 6 to 10 years old the last time Texas played Texas A&M. So forgive those who don’t know any history about the rivalry that dates back to 1894 — but has been idle since 2011. The Horns are getting a crash course in Aggie life. For example, […]
Most of the current Longhorns were anywhere between 6 to 10 years old the last time Texas played Texas A&M. So forgive those who don’t know any history about the rivalry that dates back to 1894 — but has been idle since 2011.
The Horns are getting a crash course in Aggie life. For example, asked if he knew what sawing Varsity’s horns off meant, UT linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. said, “I don’t know what that means. I don’t know that song.”
Asked who Justin Tucker was, UT receiver Matthew Golden said, “He a kicker, though, right? See, I know that. That's all I know.”
“He must be pretty good here,” Golden added. Uh, yes. Justin Tucker was pretty good. Just ask the Aggies.
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The Horns don’t need to know why the Aggies sing about sawing Varsity’s horns off, the importance of saying “Howdy” or Midnight Yell. All they know is No. 20 A&M (8-3, 5-2 SEC) is standing in the way of No. 3 Texas (10-1, 6-1) advancing to the SEC championship game.
The Longhorns have won 10 straight true road games, which is the longest active streak in the nation. Playing at sold-out Kyle Field with 100,000-plus fans will be electric, but for these Horns, it’s just another road games.
“Coach Sark does a great job of getting us prepared for each week, specifically each week,” UT safety Michael Taaffe said. “Each week has their own specific nuance to be tailored to.”
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Taaffe grew up in Austin, so he knows what the Texas-A&M rivalry means. Like his teammates, Taaffe tempered his comments on Monday. The last thing any Longhorn wants to do this week is say something that ends up on an A&M bulletin board.
“This isn't an ordinary week,” Taaffe said. “This is Texas versus Texas A&M, first time in 13 years. Coach Sark, the leaders on the team, we’ll make sure that everybody's ready going into Kyle Field.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian admitted that rivalries are great because of the build-up.
“Rivalries are great for — like, I jokingly say this — for about the first quarter or so,” Sarkisian said. “But at the end of the day, winning football games comes down to execution, comes down to playing with the right physicality, comes down to how you play in the critical moments, the special situations as they present themselves, and I think you perform well in those situations through really good preparation.”
Sarkisian played against A&M during his days at BYU and has crossed the Aggies’ path at other points in his career. “Coach (Mike) Elko is good coach,” Sarkisian said. “He’s been around the block, he’s been in the College Football Playoffs, he’s done all that stuff. So they’ll be OK.”
Most of the Longhorns grew up in Texas, as did the Aggies. So they know the two schools are big. But do they truly grasp how big this game means to a lot of older fans? Hard to tell.
“We’ve just been taking it one week at a time,” UT defensive end Barryn Sorrell said, “but now that this is that week, I’m very excited for it.”