Understanding the historical significance of the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry

AUSTIN, Texas — On Saturday, the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies will meet on the gridiron for the first time in 13 years, reviving one of the most storied and intense rivalries in college football.

The Lone Star Showdown has historically been one of the sport’s biggest regular season games and the 2024 edition may represent the most significant one yet, as the winner of Saturday’s matchup will earn a spot in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia in Atlanta on Dec. 7. As it stands, the average ticket cost to get into the game is $1,027, making it the most expensive college football game ever.

The game’s 13-year break came as the Aggies departed the Big 12 after the 2011 season, joining the SEC the following year. The Longhorns remained in the Big 12 until this summer, when they officially joined the SEC on July 1 and thereby reignited the longstanding rivalry.

The Longhorns currently sit at 10-1 on the season, with their lone loss coming to Georgia on Oct. 19. Despite being led by one of the nation’s most experienced quarterbacks in Quinn Ewers, the team has fostered an identity as a run-first offense in recent weeks, tallying over 250 yards on the ground in their most recent win over Kentucky. They are the third-highest-scoring team in the SEC, averaging 36.5 points per game. Defensively, the Longhorns are also statistically one of the SEC’s best, ranking first in the conference defending the pass and fourth against the run.

The Aggies, meanwhile, are the SEC’s seventh-highest-scoring team, averaging 32.5 points per game. Markedly, however, they are statistically the SEC’s best second-rushing offense averaging 208 yards on the ground per game, trailing only Tennessee. Defensively, they rank in the bottom half of the SEC defending both the run and the pass, ranking 10th and 12th respectively against each.

Oddsmakers currently tap the Longhorns as 5.5-point favorites in Saturday’s matchup.

The rivalry began in 1894 and continued for 118 consecutive years until 2011. This long-standing tradition created a deep-rooted rivalry between the two schools, going so far as their fight songs even mentioning each other.

Texas’ “Varsity” team dominated the Texas A.M.C.’s “College and Farmers” team by a score of 38-0. Texas would dominate the series early on, even tallying the largest blowout in the rivalry’s history, 48-0 in 1898.

By 1911, Texas led the series 15–4–2, before the two teams alternated wins and losses until 1939, with games typically being won by the home team, with Texas leading the series 27–15–4.

1984: The matchup, won 37-12 by Texas A&M, marked a turning point in the series in A&M’s favor. After the Longhorns dominated the series for four decades, accumulating a 36–7–1 record in the rivalry, the Aggies began a run that saw their best success in the series, going 10-1 between 1984 and 1994. This was followed up by Texas winning 12 of the last 17 meetings before the series went on hiatus.

1999: One of the most emotional games in the rivalry’s history, the game took place just days after the tragic collapse of the Texas A&M Bonfire that killed 12 people. In a show of unity, the Texas Longhorn Band dedicated their halftime performance to the victims, playing “Amazing Grace” and “Taps.” Texas A&M, who was ranked No. 24 in the nation, went on to upset No. 5 Texas 20-16 in an emotionally charged game.

2011: The final meeting between the schools as Big 12 teams was a nail-biter. Competitive throughout, the Longhorns won a thriller as kicker Justin Tucker, now with the Baltimore Ravens, kicked a 40-yard field goal in the game’s final seconds to secure a 27-25 victory, ending the rivalry on a dramatic note.

Hex Rally: In 1941, Texas students started the tradition of the Hex Rally. They would burn red candles before the game in an attempt to “hex” the Aggies. This tradition began after Texas hadn’t won at Kyle Field in 18 years.

Aggie Bonfire: Texas A&M students would build and burn a massive bonfire before the Texas game, symbolizing their “burning desire” to beat the Longhorns. This tradition lasted from 1909 until the tragic collapse in 1999.

Mascot Thefts: In November 1963, a number of Texas A&M sophomores drove a stock trailer to a farm where Bevo was kept outside Austin. They loaded him into the trailer during the night and drove him back to College Station. The theft enlisted assistance from the Texas Rangers, who helped find Bevo. He was eventually found alive and unharmed at a farmhouse in College Station and was taken back to Austin shortly thereafter.

The shoe was on the other foot in 1993, as a Texas student named Neil Andrew Sheffield stole Reveille VI from the backyard of her handler in Dallas during the school’s winter break. The dog was unharmed, as Sheffield tied her leash to a Lake Travis signpost and contacted police.

Bevo’s Name: Bevo made his first appearance as Texas’ mascot in 1916, but the origin of his name still isn’t exactly clear. The most likely origin of the Bevo name has to do with beef, with another possibility being that came from a popular non-alcoholic drink that Anheuser-Busch sold at the time.

But the most popular story surrounding the steer’s name comes from an unconfirmed legend that a group of Texas A&M students broke into Bevo’s shelter and branded him with the score of 17-0, which was the final score of the matchup in 1915. When UT students then saw the brand, they converted the score into the name “Bevo.” However, this story is disputed by UT historians.

The game often represents a manifestation of a rivalry that exists between the two schools outside of just sports.

Texas and Texas A&M are the two largest schools in the state in terms of enrollment. Texas A&M has the highest enrollment of any college in the state, with over 77,000 students as of 2023. Texas is a distant second with just over 53,000 students, but still well ahead of the school with the third-highest enrollment, North Texas University.

The communities of the two schools also somewhat represent a political proxy between liberalism and conservatism. Travis County, the home of Austin and UT, consistently votes for the Democratic Party with high margins, having voted for the Democratic candidate for president in every election since 2004 and 10 times in the last 12 presidential elections. Conversely, Brazos County, the home of College Station and Texas A&M, is staunchly conservative, having voted for the Republican presidential candidate in every election since 1968.

Prior to Texas joining the SEC, significant efforts were made to reinstate the rivalry. In 2017 and 2019, student polls at both universities showed overwhelming support for bringing back the game.

In November 2018, State Rep. Lyle Larson proposed and filed a bill in the Texas Legislature that would’ve required the schools to play every year on or around Thanksgiving. In February 2019, Gov. Abbott expressed support for the bill and voiced support for resuming the rivalry. The bill eventually died in committee, but Abbott said in June 2019 that he had been working with leadership of both schools to schedule a future two-game matchup.

In July 2019, then-Longhorns coach Tom Herman and then-Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher both expressed interest in reigniting the rivalry.

Saturday’s game holds palpable significance, both in the rivalry’s lore and for current stakes in the SEC, as a trip to the SEC Championship – and likely the College Football Playoff – hangs in the balance. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and it airs live on KVUE.