A sad Texas A&M tradition just got even sadder vs. Tennessee

Texas A&M isn't your typical college football program. That's largely because they have some traditions that are, well, different. Or we can call a spade a spade and say some are even a little bit lame. Perhaps the biggest offender is the yell practice. It's effectively a glorified pep rally in which thousands of A&M […]

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Oct 5, 2023 12:45 PM EDT

Texas A&M isn't your typical college football program. That's largely because they have some traditions that are, well, different.

Or we can call a spade a spade and say some are even a little bit lame.

Perhaps the biggest offender is the yell practice. It's effectively a glorified pep rally in which thousands of A&M students gather with the Yell Leaders – A&M's version of a cheerleading team. The Yell Leaders will get together and lead traditional yells, in which the fans – which at home typically number around 25,000 – whoop and respond in unison. The Yell Leaders will also make painfully cheesy jokes about their opponents that make even the biggest fans of dad jokes cringe.

Here's an example before the Aggies took on Appalachian State last year (the first two minutes are emphasized here):

As an aside, those words ended up backfiring, as Appalachian State knocked off A&M 17-14.

This show goes on the road for every Aggie away game and Knoxville is no different. However, while they are usually held before crowds at bars, restaurants, outdoor pavilions/areas, etc., they are scheduled to hold their yell practice on the eve of the UT game inside a ballroom of the Knoxville Civic Center, per KCC's website.

Holding a loud and proud school tradition inside what amounts to a large echo chamber, especially since they've held them in much more suitable locations for other road games this year, is a very bizarre and curious choice. One would think that they would want to gather at a bar or restaurant as they've already done this year as well as in previous years or simply find an open space outside as they also have on their schedule. An environment of revelry would seem to be much better suited for screaming, mic'd up (bad) jokes, and drinking, rather than a setting where attorneys or accounts will sit before their laptops while a speaker drones on during a continuing education seminar.

Perhaps the organizers tried to find something more appropriate, and they couldn't find a suitable location in Knoxville (which is kind of hard to believe given how many drinking and dining options there are).

Regardless, it's a very toned-down setting for what's supposed to typically be a loud and festive affair. And that fits exactly what Tennessee fans will hope to see from the Aggie football team when they enter a deafening and hostile Neyland Stadium next Saturday afternoon.